Las Villas Seleccion Box Pressed Robusto (Full Box of 20 Cigars)

• Length: 127mm
• Gauge: 52
• Flavour: Medium to Full
• Wrapper : Mexican San Andres
• Binder : Nicaraguan
• Filler : Nicaraguan
• Origin: Nicaragua
• Humidor Required
• Box of 20 Cigars

Las Villas Selección Box Pressed Robusto – Full Box of 20 Cigars

I've unpacked a fair few cigar boxes in my time, but this one had me reaching for my spectacles. Not because I couldn't read the label, mind you, but because there was so much to look at. Deep burgundy lacquer, elaborate gold decoration, twenty beautifully dressed cigars and enough red ribbon to keep a haberdashery in business. Las Villas has certainly made an occasion of its Selección Box Pressed Robusto.

The presentation is quite something. Lift the lid and you're greeted by an ornate Las Villas emblem, framed in gold against the glossy burgundy interior. Below sit twenty Robustos, each wearing a decorative black, burgundy and gold band, followed by a white sleeve printed with the Las Villas signature. A crimson ribbon finishes the foot of every cigar. It's the sort of attention to detail that makes opening a new box rather enjoyable.

The name behind these cigars is Guillermo Peña, the master blender associated with Las Villas and its factory in Estelí, Nicaragua. Estelí has become one of the great centres of the cigar-making world, attracting growers, rollers and manufacturers drawn by the region's tobacco and established expertise.

Peña's Selección blend combines a Mexican San Andrés wrapper with Nicaraguan binder and filler. The San Andrés growing region lies in Veracruz, Mexico, where tobacco cultivation has a considerable history. Its wrapper leaves are particularly well regarded among manufacturers seeking richer, more substantial tobacco character.

Here, the blend is described as medium-to-full-bodied, with reported notes of wood, earth, nuts and leather. Those are useful indications of its general character, although cigar tasting is a wonderfully subjective business. I've listened to two experienced smokers discuss the same cigar and wondered whether they'd accidentally been handed different ones.

The other distinguishing feature is the box pressing. Rather than the familiar round cross-section, these Robustos have a squarer profile with gently softened edges. It's achieved by applying pressure during production, giving the finished cigar its distinctive shape.

There's been a good deal of discussion over the years about whether box pressing changes the smoking characteristics. Some enthusiasts maintain that it influences the draw and burn; others simply prefer the way a square cigar sits in the hand. Whatever your view, it's an interesting variation on the traditional Robusto, and Las Villas has executed the presentation with considerable care.

Each cigar measures 127mm long with a 52 ring gauge, a substantial Robusto format. The box contains twenty, arranged in two tidy rows inside a natural wooden tray, with a ribbon across the centre.

I particularly appreciate the contrast between the elaborate presentation and the traditional tobacco blend underneath. The lacquer, gold decoration and crimson ribbons are all part of the occasion, but the real substance comes from the Mexican and Nicaraguan leaves and the skill involved in turning them into a finished cigar.

A full box of twenty is a useful proposition for somebody already acquainted with the Selección Robusto. Kept in a suitably maintained humidor, the original box also makes a handsome way of organising a collection.

There's a certain pleasure in seeing a manufacturer take the presentation of its cigars seriously. Las Villas has clearly thought about the whole experience, from lifting the lid to removing the little red ribbon at the foot. Although I do hope nobody at the factory is expected to tie all twenty of those bows before lunchtime.