The History of Villiger Cigars

When someone says the words Villiger Cigars, they are not only summoning to mind the amazing blends of tobacco both near and far, but of a multi generational tradition. The only way you can truly experience the gem you are about to smoke is to know what it entails, and how it got to where it is today.

Villiger Cigars, which is pronounced fillicher cigars, started back in 1888 with the ingenuity of Jean Villiger. He was a bookkeeper of sorts for years, and decided to become a cigar manufacturer. With the support of his wife, Louise Villiger, they started manufacturing cigars in their home in Switzerland.

In 1907, upon the suggestion from Louise Villiger, they introduced a new mouthpiece on the cigar. It was made of goose quill, and it was made to avoid loose tobacco from entering the smokers mouth. They named it the Villiger Kiel and it has been the best selling cigar of its kind in Switzerland. Innovative product development, as well as production has always been important, and is one of the main reasons Villiger Cigars has been around for over one hundred years. In 1910, the company expanded to open its first branch in Waldshut-Tiengen in southern Germany.

Villiger Cigars are known for many of their unique cigars. Of course they are most known for the Villiger Kiel, but also many others. The Rio 6 was made so that the packaging would fit exactly into a Swiss soldiers ammunition belt. The Villiger Export is a short cigar and individually wrapped in tissue paper. These facts along with many more have made them the most popular Switzerland cigar brands. One of their newest additions is the Villiger Premium Vanilla Cigarillo. You can choose to have it with, or without a filter. It is made with a superior pipe tobacco mixture, and then refined with a vanilla flavor and a Constellation Sweets filter.

Heinrich Villiger is third generation and current owner of the company in Switzerland, Germany and Indonesia. Corina Villiger, one of Heinrich\’s daughters and fourth generation, is on the board of the Villiger group. Being known for innovation in product, Heinrich chose to return to the origin of the cigar culture. In 1995, he joined together with Cuban business partners on a joint venture to import and sell Habanos exclusively. Bringing the belief that cigars come from all over the world even truer. In fact, five percent of tobacco that is processed worldwide originates in Germany and Switzerland.

One last look would be how Villiger Cigars are made and produced. They are, in fact, machine rolled cigars, not hand rolled. Their philosophy behind that is short filler contains chopped filler, which can be produced mechanically and gives you a more even flavor. The 1888 cigar was actually their first premium, long filler, hand-rolled cigar. They use at least three different tobacco varieties, mixing each one evenly with the other. After the tobacco leaves have fermented for a period of time, they are chopped up and the ribs are removed. After such process, they allow the tobaccos to rest for three weeks. This gives the mixed tobaccos time to blend. During this time is when they add any essential oils that are needed, or any added flavor. A great example of that is the vanilla they added to make the Premium Vanilla Cigarillo. The filling is then pressed into the binder and a bunch is formed. From there they are able to make several different shapes. Once the cigar has been given its shape, the wrapper is next to be placed. Each wrapper is hand inspected to make sure there are minimal to no visual flaws. It is then placed in the machine just so, so that the side of the leaf that was facing the sun will in fact be the outside of the cigar.

Knowing the history and production of the Villiger company gives you a deeper respect and gratitude for the cigars they produce. Since they have been around for over a century, they will clearly be filling humidors for years to come.

Author Bio: For more information on Villiger Cigars as well as other cigar lines like Illusione cigars or Tatuaje cigars visit our online cigar store.

Category: Food and Drinks
Keywords: Fonseca 30th Anniversary cigar

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