Las Villas Seleccion Box Pressed Robusto (Single Cigar)

• Length: 127mm
• Gauge: 52
• Flavour: Medium to Full
• Wrapper : Mexican San Andres
• Binder : Nicaraguan
• Filler : Nicaraguan
• Origin: Nicaragua
• Humidor Required
• Single Loose Cigar

Las Villas Selección Box Pressed Robusto – Single Cigar

Whoever first decided that a cigar ought to have four corners must have raised a few eyebrows in the rolling room. After all, cigar makers had spent centuries producing round ones, and here was somebody suggesting they flatten the things. Yet the box-pressed cigar has become an established part of the trade, and the Las Villas Selección Robusto is a fine-looking example of the idea.

There's a practical reason for the shape. Box pressing gives the cigar a squarer cross-section, usually with gently rounded edges, and changes the way it sits between the fingers. Some enthusiasts have strong opinions about the effect on the draw and burn. Others simply enjoy the feel of it. I've heard both sides argued at considerable length, usually by gentlemen who had originally come in for a box of matches.

The Las Villas certainly makes an impression before you get anywhere near the tobacco. Its broad decorative band features an elaborate arrangement of burgundy, black and gold, with the Las Villas name worked into the design. Beneath it is a medium-to-dark brown wrapper, showing the natural texture and seams of the leaf.

Then there's the presentation. A white sleeve printed repeatedly with the Las Villas name covers much of the lower body, finished with a bright red ribbon around the foot. It's an unusual combination, particularly against the darker wrapper. Somebody has clearly paid attention to how this cigar will look when it comes out of the box.

The Robusto itself is a familiar format, although the box pressing gives it a different character in the hand. Its relatively broad body provides a substantial appearance, while the rounded cap retains the traditional finishing style of a Parejo cigar.

One of the interesting things about box-pressed cigars is that their appearance can make them seem more unusual than they really are. Beneath the square profile, the fundamentals of cigar construction remain the same: wrapper, binder and filler, carefully assembled to produce the intended blend.

I rather admire the amount of detail that has gone into dressing this particular cigar. Between the decorative band, printed sleeve and red foot ribbon, there's enough going on to occupy a window dresser for an afternoon. Fortunately, the cigar itself has an attractive simplicity once all that packaging is set aside.

The Las Villas Selección Box Pressed Robusto is supplied here as a single loose cigar, making it an opportunity to examine the range individually and experience the distinctive box-pressed format.

And I do think there's room in a humidor for something a little different in shape. After a lifetime spent looking at round cigars, it's refreshing to encounter one that's decided to approach the matter from another angle.