Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Size: 5 x 50 Robusto
Strength: Medium/Full
Price: $8.00 (As little as $5.00 online)
I posted this review in August 2020. The cigars are still available.
You want a cigar that doesn’t drain your wallet to the bone. I plan on re-publishing my reviews I think you will like. I will do this on days that I am not reviewing a new cigar.
BACKGROUND:
Limited Release.
Rated 92 by Cigar Aficionado.
From Cigars International:
“A Top 25 Cigar of 2016 and 2018, for good reason. Villiger San’Doro Colorado is a decadent morsel. It’s balanced, with just enough kick to keep your interest the entire way through. Adorned with an Ecuadorian-grown Colorado-shade wrapper atop Nicaraguan long-fillers, Villiger San’Doro Colorado booms with notes of leather, cashew, and a slight hint of honey. Be sure to add this to your collection ASAP, as I’m sure they’ll fly off the racks.
SMELL THE GLOVE:
There is a lovely floral note that is followed by dark chocolate, creaminess, buttery caramel, strong cedar, malt, a touch of espresso, gentle black pepper, barnyard, raisins, and smoked meat.
The cold draw…I can’t. The cigar needs the help of my PerfecDraw draw adjustment tool to flow freely. Only two pelvic thrusts and the cigar is born free. And as usual, the plug occurred at the cigar band level.
Once again with feeling, the cold draw presents flavors of caramel, black pepper, dark cocoa, espresso, malt, roasted nuts, cedar, and beef jerky.
FIRST THIRD:
The draw is still a bit tight, but for now, it will do.
A nice group of flavors hit my palate: Creaminess, black pepper, raisins, caramel, smoked meat, chocolate, and coffee. Very nice start.
There is a hint of complexity in the first puffs. Fingers crossed.
Cigar Aficionado has been very kind to this blend since 2016. Scores of 90 or higher. But then we all know the voracity of a CA cigar review. Is there anyone left that has any faith in their choices or outcomes?
Me neither.
The cigar pours smoke into the room. It’s bookie night at the VFW.
Strength begins at a solid medium.
There is a nice natural earthy presence. I know…what the hell does earth taste like? I believe this just translates into the rich soil the plants were grown in.
Complexity begins. Transitions start to form. There is a nice creamy, peppery finish.
The burn is even and isn’t a troublemaker.
The cigar goes into turbo thrust mode. A nearly overwhelming richness takes over. It splays out the flavors into a Monopoly board pattern.
This is an excellent morning cigar with coffee. It’s light but intense. It is a panorama of different incidental flavor elements.
A potent cinnamon component kicks into high gear. Like Red Hots candy. It is fiery.
The smoked meatiness jumps into the fray. The chocolate turns into Mexican mole sauce…(Spicy, smoky, and earthy-sweet notes contributed by ingredients such as chiles, nuts, warm spices, raisins, and tomato).
The first third impresses.
SECOND THIRD:
The blend digs deeper. It is getting very near to a richness that might define the stick. Subtleties abound as shards of flavors dart about, tagging my palate, and then beating feet.
I am enjoying the shit out of this cigar. My last review was the JFR Lunatic Loco. That cigar nearly decapitated my nipples. By the first third, I was reeling. That review was a chore. This San’Doro Colorado goes down smooth without ripping my medulla oblongata to shreds.
The creaminess kicks in hard at this point; dragging with it the chocolate and raisins. This actually tastes decadent now.
I tried one ROTT. I’m a stupid man. Might as well have flushed it.
I do remember one incident when one of the fans left the dressing room, he motioned he wanted to whisper something to me. He told me he had a song just for me. And that he was going to let me have it. He winked and said “The chords are E, A, & D.” I thanked him profusely and then made the trip back to earth with the other mortals.
I find a definitive uniqueness to this blend. It is earthy and woodsy while providing a simpatico balance of savory v. sweet. No flavors jump out at this halfway point…the morph is totally in play. Perfect for the cigar smoker who knows what he likes and doesn’t care about dissecting flavors.
One moment, it is a full course Mexican dinner, then it becomes a Butterfinger candy bar.
The spiciness is right where I like it…there is plenty of oomph without the nagging of hot tamales in the back of my throat.
Nothing linear about this cigar. It improves with each puff. The complexity does not cease in expanding its parameters. Transitions are moving like the wind. The finish adds some black licorice to its menu.
We have medium/full.
The blend is so intense that I want to eat the cigar. All of this is done without being so strong that my butt plug catches fire.
Construction has been top notch. No burn issues. For a $7-$8 cigar…I’m duly impressed.
I can’t believe I’m saying this, but CA was right about praising this blend.
LAST THIRD:
I’m totally relaxed. My anus has flattened out to the size of a dollar pancake.
A sip of water and all the flavors slap me in the face. And then they retreat to morph status.
The strength is still maintaining a comfortable medium/full experience. No nicotine. Smooth. Nuances are splitting atoms.
Listen to your Uncle Katman…if you choose to try this cigar, let it rest in your humidor for a couple months. Nothing less. More if you have the patience of Job.
I’m at the point that I might just put down the cigar and finish the review. Not with this baby…I’m still sucking on the roach like a hungry piglet on its momma’s teat. I really don’t want to put this cigar down.
This was a nice surprise. A delicious cigar with some soul. If you haven’t tried the San’Doro Colorado, it’s time.
October 26, 2023: The best pricing I found is at non-sponsor Holt’s Cigar Company. $5.00-$5.25. And the cigars now have over 3 years of box aging.
RATING: 93
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Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS
