In 1492, Columbus and his sailors discovered the New World. I discovered the Villiger Minuto 1492 cigar on 03/02/2021. It wasn't on my radar before that. I have just spent over 5 hours on worked on the first episode of Cigars ZEN. One hour of that was recording the programme and then it was post-production. I need the coffee break now. There's no time for a big cigar. That's why I chose this small cigar. It is hand-rolled and not machine-made, as is sometimes falsely claimed.

Warning - spoiler alert: this quality cigar and I are not going to be friends. Please read the conclusion to find out why. In the following, I will give you some interesting insights into the cigar and the handling of cigars in general. I hope you enjoy this article and this little cigar from Villiger.

Fact Sheet

Format: Minutos (length: 138 / ring size: 28 or 30, depending on the dealer)
Tobacco:
- Wrapper leaf: Ecuador Connecticut
- Wrapper: Indonesia Java Besuki
- Filler: Seco Piloto, Ligero Piloto, Seco Olor (Santo Domingo)
Price: CHF 24.60 (box of 8)
Buy a cigar: Google Search >

What is „retronasal“?

Retronasal cigar enjoyment enhances the flavour. What it is, why it works and how to do it please read here. Take a look at the ZiZo vacuum technology in particular. Incredible enhancement of cigar enjoyment!

What is the „R+ ZiZo vacuum technology“?

This is the consummate pleasure of a cigar. Hard to describe. I'll try. Here's an example: a baby sucking on a dummy. Try this technique with a cigar. Very little smoke gets into the mouth. But it passes over the tongue and goes straight through the nose. I tried it with about 10 cigars before I mastered it. Please be very careful with this technique when practising: the smoke hit the back of my larynx several times. That was really bad. But now that I can do it, it's a perfect technique for enjoying a cigar.

What is umami?

This means „savouriness“, „spicy“, „essence“, „meaty“. This mixture of taste sensations is perceived on the centre of the tongue. You can find a good article about this on Wikipedia.

Acclimatisation recommendation: With box 1 week in the humidor.

Non Cuba cigars and the important acclimatisation process

The fact is: you don't know when the cigar was imported and how long it rested with the importer. You also don't know how long the resting phase was at the retailer. Cigars are in shock after being transported from the tropics to Europe. They have to acclimatise first. The industry is sales-orientated. The cigars have to be sold quickly. Therefore, they may not taste as they should. I recommend a general acclimatisation period in your humidor of at least 2 weeks after purchase. Depending on the brand and series, even longer, which I emphasise in this article.

If you buy single copies

Place the cigar with the cellophane in the humidor. If your cigar does not have cellophane: Put them in tubos and then in the humidor. Or you can put the individual cigars in a Zippo bag and put a small Boveda inside. You then seal it and place it in the humidor. Cigars that are stored open without cellophane or a box lose their flavour very quickly. This is demonstrated in this article with experiments.

Conclusion of the Villiger 1492 Minuto

I had tasted three of them during my break. I had the same impression with all of them: I'm not becoming a friend of this cigar. Or it just doesn't like me, that could also be the case 😉

The finish was bitter and sour and I didn't like it. Retronasally, it was quite spicy. When tasted on the centre of the tongue (= umami), it was juicy and slightly spicy.

The quality of the rolling was excellent for all three specimens. The wrapper leaf is also of a very high quality: it is fine-veined and smooth. The wrapper leaf comes from Ecuador. This country has become very well known in recent years for its excellent Connecticut wrapper leaves.

I personally don't like Connecticut wrapper leaves. They have a low sugar content and a good portion of ammonia. That's why they taste bitter and sour. However, the Connecticut wrapper leaves from Ecuador are somewhat different. They are not as bitter. If the tobacco blend takes the typical Connecticut flavour into account, the result is always very balanced cigars.

With this 1492 Minuto from Villiger, it may be that this wrapper is simply too much for the small cigar. That may be why it tasted too bitter in the finish.

But of course everyone has to find out for themselves. Just buy an 8-gauge rifle and form your own judgement. You are welcome to leave your impressions in the comments; I would be very pleased and interested to hear them.

Break at last with 1492 Minuto from Villiger