Cigarillos are small cigars that can offer enjoyable tobacco flavors in a short amount of time. They are not very complex, but often contain some of the same tobaccos as their larger counterparts. Not to be confused with brown cigarettes, they should be smoked like large cigars and not inhaled. None of the cigarillos in the following short reviews have tips, filters nor other non-tobacco components.
First up is the Villiger Export Classic. This is a box pressed small cigar measuring 4 x 37. These cigars are sold in cardboard packs containing five cigars which are individually wrapped in paper, and priced at $5.99 per box. The cigars do not have bands and are open on both ends, so no cigar cutter is required. Villiger Export Classic cigars are made in Switzerland with a Sumatra wrapper and a blend of fillers from Brazil, Nicaragua, Dominican Republic, Indonesia, and Italy. I found them to be very enjoyable, mellow and mild-to-medium smokes that last for about 10 minutes, smoked down to 1½ inches remaining. No relights nor touch-ups were required. They provided a decent volume of smoke but burned very fast.
I also tried out a couple of different Romeo & Julieta cigarillos for comparison, namely the House of Capulet and the House of Montague. Both measure 4 x 33 and are sold in tins containing 10 cigars that have individual bands and are wrapped in cello, and priced at $17.95 per tin. A cigar cutter is needed to cut the closed head of these cigars before smoking. I smoked all of these cigarillos down to 1½ inches remaining, and all had adequate draws for cigars of this size.
The House of Capulet cigar is made with a natural Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper and a blend of Honduran and Nicaraguan filler tobaccos. I found these cigars to be pleasant mild-to-medium smokes that last for about 25 to 30 minutes. No relights nor touch-ups were required.
The House of Montague cigar is made with a Maduro wrapper from Brazil, and a blend of filler tobaccos from Nicaragua, Dominican Republic and Brazil. I found these cigars to be medium bodied smokes that last for about 30 to 35 minutes. Although these cigars burned slower, had a fuller flavor and smoked like a smaller version of a larger cigar, they also required several relights which detracted from the overall smoking experience.
All three of the above cigarillos are worth a try, especially for those times when time is short. Despite their fast burn, I enjoyed the Villiger Export Classics the most. I only wish they could have lasted longer than a mere 10 minutes!
