Villiger Miami 2022 Laguito No.1

Let’s get this out of the way to start: this cigar is not made in Miami.

The Villiger Miami 2022 is made at the ABAM Cigar Factory in the Dominican Republic. Villiger Cigars North America used this as a house cigar of sorts for its Miami office. If you visited, you got a chance to smoke this blend. Eventually, the company decided it was time to sell the cigar and it opted to not only embrace the Miami name, but also a Miami theme.

As for the blend, it uses an Ecuadorian Connecticut desflorado wrapper over a Dominican binder and fillers that are also from the Dominican Republic.

For 2022, there are two vitolas, each limited to 500 boxes of 10 cigars.

• Villiger Miami 2022 Robusto (5 x 50) — $15 (Box of 10, $150)
• Villiger Miami 2022 Laguito No.1 (7 1/2 x 38) — $15 (Box of 10, $150)

• Cigar Reviewed: Villiger Miami 2022 Laguito No.1
• Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
• Factory: ABAM Cigars S.R.L.
• Wrapper: Ecuador (Desflorado)
• Binder: Dominican Republic
• Filler: Dominican Republic
• Length: 7 1/2 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 38
• Vitola: Lancero
• MSRP: $15 (Box of 10, $150)
• Release Date: August 2022
• Number of Cigars Released: 500 Boxes of 10 Cigars (5,000 Total Cigars)
• Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3

It’s back-to-back lancero reviews for me, which is more than fine. The first thing I notice about the Villiger Miami 2022 Laguito No.1 is that the band appears to be abnormally high on the cigar. More specifically, the bottom of the band seems like it should be lower on the cigar as it’s not high enough that I’m worried about my lips touching it. As for the wrapper, it’s just darker than medium brown with some moderate veins. The cap isn’t flat, but it’s also not the most bulbous shape, though it does have a nice pigtail. The cigar should be round, but the three cigars I smoke seem to all be different; one is round like a cylinder, another has a bit of a press and the final one is a bit like an oval. I suppose that might be related to the fact that the firmness of each cigar is also different; the circular cigar seems firm, the oval-shaped cigar is spongy and the other cigar is more normal. The aroma from the wrapper is not pleasant, as there is a lot of a sweat-like smell, along with something that reminds me of certain types of cardboard, a combination that is medium-plus. Fortunately, the foot smells a lot better. There’s still some of that cardboard smell, but there’s also an artificial blueberry sweetness, some creaminess and nuttiness. Cold draws have nuttiness, some stale bottled water flavors, nuttiness and dry pasta flavors; it’s around medium-full and avoids any acidity.

The first puff of the Villiger Miami 2022 Laguito No.1 has earthiness, leather, nuttiness and milder acidity and saltiness. My enjoyment level is really related to how much saltiness and acidity there is which varies between a moderate amount to a lot. The main flavor is a mixture of leather and earthiness over white pepper, creaminess, a Triscuit-like cracker note and the aforementioned saltiness and acidity. The finish has nuttiness, earthiness, white pepper and a mild amount of apple sweetness. Retrohales have bread and apple flavors, but there’s also an herbal flavor that emerges as it transitions into the finish. Eventually, the herbal flavors are joined by white pepper, creaminess, leather and earthiness. Flavor is medium-full, body is medium-plus and strength is medium-plus. As can be the case with some lanceros, the ash struggles to build past the half-inch mark, which catches me by surprise on the first cigar. That first cigar also needs touch-ups as I failed to realize that I was going to need to smoke the cigars with a much quicker puff rate.

Unfortunately, the second third of each cigar is oftentimes not pleasant. The saltiness and acidity are now joined by harshness, creating a trio that is not pleasant. Fortunately, not every puff is affected by that trio, but there are some puffs where the trio overwhelms the other flavors. Beyond that, there’s earthiness, some weird nuttiness and a woodiness that sometimes combines with the harshness. The finish is slightly better: there’s some dry herbal flavors and toasted paprika, the latter helps to clear out some of the less desirable flavors. Retrohales are intense but my favorite part of the profile during the second third. There’s black pepper, earthiness and hickory. The finish has more of the hickory along with toastiness and some peppermint towards the end. Flavor is full, body is medium-full and strength is medium-plus. All three cigars need touch-ups during the second third, two of the cigars also go out completely even with my increased attentiveness.

Given how unpleasant the second third could be, I did not have high hopes for the final third. Turns out, it’s actually the most pleasant part of the cigar. Toastiness, oak, creaminess and a sharp wasabi-like pepper are the main flavors. There remnants of the acidity, but the saltiness is fortunately gone. The finish has earthiness, toastiness and nuttiness. Retrohales have toastiness, lemons, white pepper and earthiness, while they finish with cinnamon, leather and some creaminess. Flavor is medium-full, body is medium-full and strength is medium-full. Construction is better than the second third, though one cigar goes out again.

Final Notes

• The difference in the shapes of the cigars is particularly peculiar because this is a cigar that comes in a box that has individual slots for each cigar.
• While my puff rate was a bit quicker than normal, it wasn’t that much quicker, at least not consistently. Sometimes I’d be able to go two minutes in between puffs, other times I found myself taking three puffs in a minute-long span. As always, my approach is to puff at a rate that seems to suit the cigar.
• The second third was problematic. Not every puff was impacted by the aforementioned trio, but many were and it’s not like I really want any amount of a combination of saltiness, acidity and harshness.
• There’s a part of me that thinks that the final third was helped by the cigars going out in the second third, but it’s not like the flavor really changed until well after the relights took place.
• This is one of the rare cigars where I think the nub might be better than many earlier parts of the cigar.
• It’s a bit strange that the 5 x 50 and 7 1/2 x 38 sizes are the same price. Typically, you’d expect the lancero to be more expensive.
• Villiger Cigars North America advertises on halfwheel.
• Cigars for this review were purchased by halfwheel. After we purchased those cigars, Villiger Cigars North America sent a box as well, those cigars were not used for this review.
• Final smoking time was two hours on average.
• Site sponsors Corona Cigar Co. and Famous Smoke Shop carry the Villiger Miami 2022 Laguito No.1.