Now let’s make sure we don’t confuse this with the new release of Maduro cigars that Illusione has put out recently. The new ones are easily noticable by their red and gold band, which signifies the maduro line. A couple years ago in 2010, Dion Giolito, the mastermind behind Illusione cigars, released a limited run of the ~hl~ lancero cigar in a maduro wrapper. There had the same band as normal, but with the obvious difference of the maduro leaf.

You may have also stumbled upon a limited release of the ~hl~ in a Candela wrapper at the time as well. I wasn’t able to get my hands on any of those, but the maduro version caught my attention a lot more anyway. From what I understand, the filler and binder remain the same in this limited release which includes some Corojo ‘99 and Criollo ‘98 lead. Only the wrapper was swapped for a San Andreas maduro leaf from Mexico.

If you’ve checked out some of other Illusoine cigar reviews, such as the ‘888’, Singulaire, ~mk~, ~88~, or the Epernay, you will know that each cryptic name has a special meaning behind it. I won’t reinvent the wheel here, this is Dion’s explanation of the ~hl~ name directly from the Illusione Cigars.com website:
My Lancero , the lance. Get it? Constantine was the first Christian Emperor to lead Rome. It was fabled that he had possession of the very spear that punctured the side of Jesus while on the cross. He was said to carry this relic into battle and, it was said that it helped him win his many battles. It is an artisan blend and, the mildest of all my cigars.

Cigar: Illusione ~hl~ Maduro
Drink: Ayinger Celebrator
Vitola: Lancero (7.5 x 40)
Wrapper: San Andreas Maduro
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Price: $9.75
Burn Time: About 1 hour

Construction:
• The Illusione ~hl~ Maduro is wrapped up by a very tasty look dark chocolate leaf that is extremely toothy
• The texture of the wrapper is like sandpaper and it’s a bit bumpy in some areas but the veins few and the ones you can see are all fairly small
• The entire cigar has some firmness to it when squeezed, it has almost no give from end to end
• The cap is finished off with a sort of pigtail, I’m not sure if all mine were damaged but it seemed like a bit of the pigtail is always broken off
• It’s easy to see that the foot is very well packed and neatly finished
• Even though it seemed a little tight on the pre-light, the draw is actually very good

Burn:
• The toasting was fairly quick and easy given that the ring gauge is pretty small on this cigar
• Burn has been spot on through the first couple of inches, no complaints to be had here so far
• I’m very happy with the burn on this cigar for the most part, I tend to have bad luck with lanceros
• I did need to make one correction just past the half way mark as the cigar started burning unevenly
• I needed a couple more small corrections as the cigar continued, I think the cold is factor here today too, hovering at 34F right now…

Smoke & Ash:
• I’m having no problems getting a big mouthful of smoke from each draw, it’s not too thick though
• The ash is quite nice for this lancero vitola, staying clean and strong and holding out for just over half an inch
• The color on the ash is interesting as well with some white and nearly black zebra striping happening
• The resting smoke is moderate and fairly consistent, it pushes out a nice line of slightly sweet smelling smoke
• Subsequent ashes held on to about a half inch each time and stayed clean without any flaking

Tasting Notes:
• The wrapper on this cigar has a nice sweet chocolaty aroma to it
• The foot has an even more interesting aroma, more sweet chocolate with an addition of cinnamon and nutmeg
• The pre-light draw on this Illusione ~hl~ Maduro brings more of the sweet chocolate but this time with a more peppery spice instead of the lighter cinnamon and nutmeg I got on the foot aroma
• The initial draws brought out a strong coffee flavor to mix with the stronger spices, definitely a burst of flavor at the start here but it might be a little bit charred
• After only half an inch, the flavors seemed to balance out a bit more and the charred flavor disappeared. I’m left with a smooth cocoa and coffee profile with hints of spice peeking in here and there
• The coffee flavors definitely seem ot be developing nicely as the spice slowly drops off
• The retrohale at this point still has a bit of bite to it but the finish is smooth and sweet, very tasty and mostly in the mild-medium range
• The nutmeg and cinnamon flavors started making a comeback in the middle of the cigar, adding another nice dimension to the experience
• All of the flavors continue to be awesomely balanced and taking turns being the prominent ones, there’s also some woodsiness in there too now
• The creamy finish really is the icing on the cake here, makes each draw very enjoyable
• In the last third of the Illusione ~hl~ Maduro the body started picking up into the higher medium range and all the favors started getting more intense
• The intense sweet coffee, cocoa and spices are really making for an enjoyable last third here, they balance together so nicely

Final Thoughts:
Well it’s no surprise to me here but this is another rock solid stick from Dion Giolito of Illusione cigars. It’s no secret that Tony and I are fans of his cigars and from my experience with the ones I’ve smoked he has an excellently high ratio of great sticks. The Illusione ~hl~ Maduro lives up to my past experiences and offered me an interesting and multi-dimensional flavor profile that I think could be enjoyed by a very wide range of cigar smokers. It feels like one of those sticks you could hand to a new smoker or an experienced smoker and get a positive experience either way. Remember that this one has been aging for nearly 2 years so if you tried it earlier I’ve heard they used to pack a bigger punch. The price I paid for mine seems to be around the average price and this is one of those times when I can say the nearly $10 price tag is almost worth it. If i did have one complaint it would be that the cigar didn’t last long enough, I wanted it to keep going, lol!

Pairings:
Tony pointed me in the direction of this brew awhile back. At that time I was only able to track it down while I was vacationing in Florida. But recently I stumbled across it at my local store and immediately stock up on a few of their 4-packs. The maker is the very popular German brwery called Ayinger and today’s offering is the Celebrator. It’s a very interesting dark ale that comes pretty close to almost being a stout. It’s official style is called a “Doppelbock”. Basically, a Doppelbock is a stronger, maltier and comewhat creamier version of Germany’s traditional strong ale, the “Bock”. The flavors in this bottle are overflowing! there’s definitely a ton of maltiness which I really enjoy, theres a helping hand of coffee, some dark chocolate sweetness and a very smooth creamy finish. What a great brew! Did it go well with the Illusione ~hl~ Maduro? Of course it did, and it would go well with a huge variety of other cigars as well. they complimented each other very well with similar flavors. A nice cup of coffee or a stout would have also made a great pairing here today.

But despite my silly oversight, I managed to get one to review for everyone’s enjoyment! The cigar I’m referring to happens to be an Illusione ‘888’ Slam. This particular cigar is not entirely full production at the time I write this. Dion Giolitto, of Illusione Cigars, released this as a prototype blend and it seems it was well received all around!

Although the name is mostly the same, the Illusione ‘888’ Slam is not the exact same blend as the Illusione ‘888’. The main difference is a single type of filler leaf that was removed to help make the “bench” press process possible. The bench press style of this cigar is where the “Slam” in the title comes from. The Illusione ‘888’ Slam is a Nicaraguan Puro, meaning all the leaf in the blend is sourced from Nicaraguan tobacco. The one thing that doesn’t come from Nicaragua in this cigar is the production, it’s actually rolled in the Honduras factory.

As with each of the Illusione blends, they have a little catchphrase associated with each blend. In this case, the catch phrase is “Neccesary and Sufficient”. The name and numbers have roots in Dion’s faith and I would recommend reading about the meaning on his website. The addition of the meaning behind each name is a very interesting addition in the cigar world.

Cigar: Illusione ‘888’ Slam
Drink: Wychwood Brewery Hobgoblin
Vitola: (6.75 x 48)
Wrapper: Nicaragua
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Price: About $11.00
Burn Time: A little over 1.5 hours

Construction:
• This is a long bench-pressed cigar with an appealing cinnamon brown wrapper
• The wrapper appears to have a couple of small water spots but there are no substantial veins to be seen anywhere, it’s very smooth
• The cigar has a soft feel to it when squeezed but it’s nicely consistent from end to end
• The top is finished with a clean triple cap while the foot appears very well packed
• The cut was pretty easy although it made a bit of a mess in the ashtray

Burn:
• The toasting on this cigar was super easy, the smaller ring gauge and bench pressed shape helped it to glow evenly with little effort
• Through the first bit the cigar is burning razor sharp as well as nice and slow
• May have spoke too soon once again, started getting some very slanted burn now
• I let it go for a bit hoping for a self correction but it needed a little intimidation from my lighter
• Had another lopsided burn situation that needed correction just past the halfway mark
• In the last third the wrapper actually stopped burning and I needed to touch it up a couple times, this might have been due to the 94% humidity outside?

Smoke & Ash:
• Lots of smoke coming off each draw, very full and enjoyable
• The ash is a very light grey and has some dark black zebra striping
• It only lasted about an inch, started to go all lopsided so I decided to tap it off
• Despite it’s weakness, the ash stays nice and clean with no flaking
• Ashes continue to be about an inch but the few touchups made it weaker and I had a few miss the ashtray and go for a dive to the floor
• I had pure butter fingers with this cigar tonight and kept losing my ash! Oops!

Tasting Notes:
• The wrapper has a light and sweet aroma to it, maybe a touch of cocoa in there
• Pre-light draw brings a heavy flavor of cedar and earthiness
• Right from the initial draw I’m getting a big burst of spice on each draw with an earthy undertone
• The retrohale right off the bat here is fantastic! It’s got a nice helping of cedar, a mall bite of spice and the finish is super unique. The closest I can compare it to is the type of grapes used to make wine with. A very unique tarty sweetness that I’ve never found in a cigar before
• Body is starting off in the low end of medium so far
• The spice settles down after a couple inches and left me with mostly earthiness and some cedar, the retrohale remains super tasty!
• As I get to the halfway mark I’m getting a nice roasted coffee flavor that’s balancing very nicely with the cedar and spice
• The finish throughout this cigar has been extremely smooth and not drying at all, you could probably smoke this whole cigar without a drink, it’s that smooth
• Getting into the last third that tarty sweetness I’m getting on the retrohale is making an appearance in the normal draw, very nice touch
• As I get into the last couple of inches the spice is making a big comeback, each draw gives a very interesting texture on my tongue, it’s thick and chewy and almost feels like I just sprinkled black pepper right on my tongue. Very cool!
• The cigar did not get harsh at all near the end, just some huge bursts of spice and still a smooth finish

Final Thoughts:
The Illusione ‘888’ Slam was awesome! That just about sums it up! Do I need to continue? ok fine… The most enjoyable part of this cigar that I can’t emphasize enough is the retrohale. If you don’t run the smoke through your nasal passages I think you would be missing out on a huge part of this cigar. You would probably think that I’m crazy and the cigar was just ok. Without the retrohale, it’s an ok cigar. But with it, it’s fantastic. The burn was nice and even for the most part and draw was spot on. The price is a tad high but this is a long vitola and makes for a fully enjoyable experience. the price may make it hard for a lot of people to opt for a full box, but definitely reach for a 5-pack if you can, they are worth it in my opinion.

Pairings:
Tonight’s pairing choice is from Wychwood Brewery in Oxfordshire England and is called Hobgoblin. Seems I’m picking up a lot of English brews lately, not on purpose though, it just seems to be what I find at the store. I actually posted up a full review of this beer awhile ago during the colder months, you can read it here. The beer has some seriously tasty hoppy bitterness and lots of malt. On top of that you can pick up some light berry flavors. It’s definitely enjoyable on it’s own and I’ve found it to be an excellent pairing with quite a few cigars as well. It paired nicely with the Illusione ‘888’ Slam and I think the main reason for this is because of it’s straightforward profile. It doesn’t have too much in the way of other sweet flavors and prides itself as a traditional Ruby Beer. This makes it a good palate cleanser and doesn’t mess with the cigars flavors very much, allowing you to enjoy the cigar for what it is. Other great pairings here would be a full stout, my favorite tawny port or a nice cup of coffee.

#10 – Tatuaje – Tabacos El Triunfador

Recent blends by Pete Johnson and Don Pepin have all been successful. This particular one may have fallen off peoples radars since it was released earlier this year. The cigar offers a sweet and nutty mild-bodied smoke that is accented with some cedar and subtle spices all wrapped in a gorgeous looking package. They do smoke a bit fast but the experience is very enjoyable.

View the full review here

#9 – Padron - Family Reserve 46 Years

Padron is a company who continuously rocks the cigar community with top rated blend, after blend and 2010 was no exception. The Padron Family Reserve 46 years is the newest extension to the Reserve line, and it a flawless addition indeed. From the awesome box-press vitola, to the deep cedar flavors the 46 year will be making the ranks of top cigars of 2010 lists everywhere. Although we loved the hell out of this cigar, the price tag was just a little too steep to put this cigar higher in the list.

View the full review here

#8 – Casa Fernandez - Aganorsa Leaf

This is a well constructed cigar from Casa Fernandez that packs itself with a fair bit of full body. The cigar is well balanced and plays mainly on some peppery spices and cedar notes but mixes in some coffee, nutty, and leather flavors to keep it interesting right down the nub.

View the full review here

#7 – CAO - La Traviata Maduro

CAO had a big hit with its well priced La Traviata and the Maduro wrapped version of that cigar did not disappoint. With the same favorable price range, this blend maintains its tasty flavors of spice and cedar, the full body, it’s perfect balance and consistency while adding a nice chocolate and coffee sweetness that the Maduro wrapper offers up.

View the full review here

#6 – My Father Cigars – Jaime Garcia Reserva Especial

Great blending seems to run in the family, this offering from Don Pepin Gracias’ son, Jaime, is a beautifully constructed cigar. It has an oily dark Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper, kicks off with a typical Pepin spice and pepper and is complimented with nuances of coffee, cocoa and cedar. The smooth and balanced cigar offers a fantastic medium to full smoke, take you time and enjoy it!

View the full review here

#5 – La Aurora - Serie Anniversario 107

Miami Cigar has turned out a lot of great cigars this year and the 107 is a very tasty smoke that generated a lot of buzz in the online community. Although released earlier this year, a lancero vitola was made available later in the year which is another great way to experience this line. It’s sweet and fruity flavors are complimented by a smooth spice that offers a great balance in a medium bodied cigar.

View the full review here of the Corona or here of the Robusto.

#4 – Illusione - Singulare Phantom

One of our favorite manufacturer’s really stepped their game up this year producing his first limited release to date. Dion Giolito of Illusione cigars raised the bar (and my future expectations) when it comes to quality when he released this year’s Singulare series “The Phantom”. The Phantom is a milder blend jam packed with sweet tobacco, honey, and creamy earth flavors resulting in an all around stellar smoking experience.

View the full review here

#3 – AVO - Limited Edition 2010

AVO is known for their milder take on cigar blending, but they really stepped out of their comfort zone when they created the LE10. Knocking it out of the ballpark with a strong mix of Ecuadorian, Mexican, and Nicaraguan tobaccos which, when mixed properly produce a flavor bomb full of just enough body to cure all your cravings. The only con to this cigar is the fact that it’s so limited.

View the full review here

#2 Drew Estate - Liga Privada Unicos Series Dirty Rat

Drew Estate does it again with another remarkable addition to the Liga Privada line. The Dirty Rat satisfies not only the boldest of cigar smoker’s needs, but the complex cedar, earthy, cocoa notes wrapped up into a tiny little corona sized package are enough to make any smoker fall in love at first draw.

View the full review here

#1 Miami Cigars - La Sirena 

Photo Courtesy of Jackie at Bonita Smoke Shop

Miami Cigar’s La Sirena came out of nowhere and blind-sided the cigar community with a late start this year. We can personally say that we didn’t expect the diamond of a cigar that the La Sirena is, but I won’t be surprised to see this cigar at the top of most, if not all the lists this year. Pepin puts forth a fruity, coffee, sweet tobacco, and spicy blend all in a full body package. Who could ask for more?

We know, we know, this is the ONLY cigar in our top 10 that we do not have a review for. But Trust us, as soon as we get my hands on more (we were too busy “enjoying” them)

Honorable Mentions

Cuban Cohiba Behike
Although it didn’t make the top 10, we still think the Cuban Cohiba Behike should be mentioned. This is an absolutely amazing cigar. From the construction, to the flavorful and attention grabbing blend, the Behike stands alone. The only factor keeping it out of the race was the price. At $40 – $80 a stick we just couldn’t justify having this cigar top the list

K.A. Kendall’s 7-20-4 Dogwalker
This cigar would definitely have made this list but unfortunately it is not a new line this year, only a new size. The small size packs the same delicious flavors of cedar, subtle spices and a very interesting sweet dried raison, all in a short smoke that can be easily enjoyed on cold days or your drive home.

View the full review of the 7-20-4 here

Tatuaje Petit Reserva & Verocu No. 5
Another two cigars but Pete Johnson that are short quick smokes but pack the flavors of their full sized brothers. There some sweetness, spice, cedar and coffee notes on both of these cigars. I got a little more sweetness on the Verocu No. 5 and a bit more body and spice from the Petit Reserva but both were very tasty!

The Good Stuff: The Singulare Phantom is the first Limited Edition run that Illusione have kicked out since they have been creating cigars. The Phantom is an all Nicaraguan blend, 6×50 that comes in boxes of 15 running about $180 a box.. There are only going to be a total of 1,000 boxes released. The Singulare series will be a limited run, ran once a year and will feature a different blend and size every year.

Size: 6 x 50  -  Wrapper: Nicaraguan  -  Binder/Filler: Nicaraguan  -  Body: Med/Full

Prelight: Illusione’s Singulare Phantom is an almost-toro sized cigar. The wrapper is a milky-brownish-orange with a whole ton of oil. I can actually feel some of the oil from the wrapper come off on my fingertips as I am handling this cigar. The construction is near flawless despite a few larger veins running the entire length of the body. I have noticed that a lot of Dion’s cigars sport more veins than you would expect, but they never really cause any problems. Needless to say, I’m not worried about this one either. The lengthy body is polished off with a seamless, round, triple cap. The Phantom is relatively firm, with no soft spots at all. The band is very similar to all the other bands that Illusione kicks out, only with 2 main exceptions. The first is, this is the first of the bunch with silver metallic embossed ink instead of the black and gold we are all used to. The second is two, very small, black, old English styled letters on the back of the band “E” and “L”. I am assuming this stands for “Edicion Limitada”.

The wrapper of the Singulare Phantom gives off a sweet, earthy aroma with the foot of the cigar kicking out a much more pungent, tobacco smell.  The Phantom cut very clean and easily with my double bladed cutter.  The cold draw gave off a very grassy, earthy flavor with just a slight sweet, spice aftertaste.

First Smoke: The Phantom lit up with extreme ease under my triple flame butane torch. Instantly I am greeted with a very subtle, and light pepper taste. The pepper soon fades into a creamy earthy, grassy flavor with hints of honey and spice. You can tell almost instantly that Dion was behind this stick, even if you had no idea what it was. The draw is incredible. Effortless, and thick as hell throwing out a massive, thick cloud of wood scented smoke. The Phantom gives of little to no stationary smoke. As in with almost all Illusione’s the burnline is thick and clean, leaving behind a nice trail of compact, darker grey ash which held on for almost 2 inches before giving way.

Halfway There: The pepper seems to be coming and going, but into the second third it’s completely apparent and almost in your face. Outside of the pepper (which again, faded completely after a while) the back-end flavors had a change up as well. The dominant flavor is now a really rich cedar, with the honey and spice still shining through. The retrohale is amazing, priming my nasal package with a deep cedar flavor. There really isn’t much nicotine coming through on this cigar yet. The burnline has become slightly wavy but it quickly corrects itself. I have a feeling the breeze has something to do with that.

Finish: The Singular Phantom burned slower than most Illusione that I am used to. All in all it took almost 2 hours to smoke this guy down to the nub. The band, and of the many reasons I love illusione, slid off with ease. The burnline was almost perfect, and cleared itself up anytime it wasn’t, with no touch-up or relights. The final flavors were perfect for the finish of this cigar. Tons of cedar/wood notes, a very slight return of the pepper, sweet honey, and spice. The Phantom finished VERY smooth and creamy. I was able to hit the crap out of this cigar without any complications or harshness even into the final inch. No nicotine kick. This is a perfect cigar no matter what time of day.

Overview: Dion is on fire. Just about anything that this guy has created have been right up my alley. Recently, I had a chance to sit down, enjoy a cigar, and talk shop with Robert at Gran Habano cigars and Dion’s name came up. We spoke about how he is so damn meticulous and it shows. His blends are pretty much produced with his taste in mind, and he knows exactly what he wants out of his cigars. Meaning, if you are a fan of a few of his sticks there is a good chance you’ll love them all.  The Singulare is a very smooth, medium, creamy cigar with a ton of flavor change-ups. At about $15 a stick this is a great cigar, but not something I’d smoke every day. Needless to say though, it’s worth the coin (especially if you buy enough to share with me). Box worthy by far.

Pairing: Winter to me, is the beer season. With all the warm porters and stronger stout seasonal’s the winter has to be my favorite time of the year, at least as far as beer goes. Because of the creamy, lighter bodied blend of this Singulare, I decided to pair it with a long-time seasonal favorite of mine, Brouwerij Huyghe’s Delirium Noel. Delirium Noel is the winter seasonal selection from the “Delirium” series which feature the wonderful “Delirium Tremens”, and the not so wonderful “Delirium Nocturne”. Delirium Noel comes in at 10% ABV and is packaged in a very festive white, painted bottle with red foil, and a metallic coated label the cute, iconic Delirium Pink Elephants ice skating in the snow, and carrying Santa clause who is dumping a ton of delirium bottles on a snowman (random, I know).  The reason I mention this is due to the “friendly” packaging this brew has actually been banned in Texas, as well as a ton of other states. It’s a pain in the ass to find, but a real treat when you do. The Belgium Strong Ale is a beautiful amber color. The ale produces a malty, spicy, mixture with a ton of fruit. It’s almost as if someone threw some apple cider in this ale. The  beer paired ridiculously well with the honey, creamy composure of the Singulare, not to mention due to the small lunch I had it buzzed the crap out of me. The Singulare would also do well with some sweet tea, a heavy Pilsner, and even an IPA.

Stay tuned this week. On Friday I will be posting a contest for a rare, and very nice accessory furnished to us by the wonderful people at Bonita Smoke shop! Next week we will also be posting our “Top ten cigars of 2010”. With all the new cigars that hit the scene this year this was a tedious task! Next month I will also pair a cigar review with a beer that I have been brewing myself over the past few weeks. Can anyone say chocolate/cinnamon stout? MmmmHmmmm!

The Nosotros cigar line bears the Illusione label but Dion Giolito had some help with this blend from Jonathan Drew of Drew Estate Cigars. They collaborated to come up with a completely new cigar. One side of the simple but very attractive band says “Dion” and the other side says “Drew”. This cigar had a lot of hype around it and due to that I’d say many people had very high expectations for it. Judging by the reviews and comments from others, it seems the reactions to this cigar are fairly mixed.

I want to give a mention to the source I got these cigars from. I placed the order from Jason Shepard at “J Shepherd Cigar Boutique and Gentlemen’s Accessories” in Louisville, KY. He is a great guy who gave me excellent customer service, friendly chats, great selection and even better prices. I found him on twitter, his name is @cigarsource, or check out his website at http://www.jshepherdcigars.com

After reading initial reviews I decided to let these cigars sit for a little while before lighting them up, hoping some age would do them well. I’ve had them for about two months now, so lets see how they fared.

Cigar: Illusione Nosotros
Drink: Chimay Premiere (Dark Red Label)
Vitola: Robusto (5 x 50)
Wrapper: Corojo ’99
Binder: Connecticut Habano
Filler: Nicaragua
Price: About $8 – $10
Burn Time: 1.5 hours

Construction:
• Very even and symmetrical
• A couple medium sized veins but nothing that looks to cause burn issues
• Wrapper is a nice golden brown, slightly dark
• Wrapper is a bit oily and very appealing
• Cleanly applied triple cap
• Even firmness throughout, a little bit of give but a perfect spring back
• Foot looks to be well packed
• Cut was smooth and even, no mess
• Draw is perfect, just enough resistance

Burn:
• Toasting took a bit of extra time to get the whole foot glowing nicely
• Burn line is slightly wavy for the first couple inches
• Having trouble staying lit in the first couple inches, needing extra attention
• Burn improved after first ash, staying lit better now
• Cigar started burning a little hot but after a small touch up it seemed to even out

Smoke & Ash:
• Good amount of smoke, maybe a little less than expected
• Resting smoke is minimal and has a strong woodsy aroma
• Ash is splitting down the middle but holding fairly steady
• Although the ash appeared fairly messy, it still held on for an inch or so each time
• Made a bit of mess when I ashed it

Tasting Notes:
• Wrapper aroma is mostly of a soft hay/tobacco smell with some spice and earthiness to it
• The foot introduces some nuttiness and a more prominent spice, also a bit of floral aroma
• Pre-light draw focuses mostly on the nuttiness, spice and floral. I’m excited to light this up at this point and discover what else it might give me
• Initial draws are primarily toasted cedar and nuttiness
• The cigar is very dry on the back of my throat
• This cigar is starting in the medium range for body, I expect it will get stronger as I smoke it down
• Retrohale has a nice bite to it a good woodsy finish
• Some floral notes and a bit of cinnamon spice started making an appearance just past the halfway mark but were not very prominent
• Body is definitely ramping up to full in the last 2 inches, already feeling a slight nicotine kick
• The last two inches of the cigar did not turn harsh but they did lose most flavor and I was left with a strong tobacco flavor

Final Thoughts:
The beginning of this cigar left me wanting more. The flavors were not bad by any regard but a little less than expected from such a powerful duo of blenders. The cigar opened up a bit around the halfway point and start burning a bit hotter, this in turn affects the flavors making them slightly harsher. I tried to slow down time between draws but the cigar began going out. After a small correction we were back on track though and some new flavors came in. I wasn’t blown away by the flavors here but they were still enjoyable. New cigar smokers need not apply here, these will likely be above your tolerance range.

I can’t complain about the pre-light construction here, all my sticks were excellent although they did take a few extra draws to keep lit and burn was fairly wavy. I tried to let these rest a bit before smoking them but I just had to light one up and see for myself. I think these definitely need some age, they have some great potential that seems stunted by their youth. I will keep a couple of these sticks aging and re-visit them in the future.

Pairings:
Chimay Premiere (the dark red/burgundy label) is a strong ale brewed by monks in Belgium. The sales from the brew actually contribute to assisting the Trappist Monastery in their charitable works. A feel good purchase that does not disappoint. This ale checks in at 7% alc/vol and is bursting with some great hoppy flavors with just a slight bitterness. It definitely doesn’t feel like a strong ale, until after you’ve downed a coupe pints! It paired very well with this cigar for the most part until it got a lot stronger and was drowning out the brew. I think this cigar would pair much better with a scotch, port, strong coffee/espresso.

Illusione ~88~

(Tony) The ~88~ was the first Illusione I had ever been able to find on store shelves. For whatever reason El Paso isn’t too keen on boutique blends, or so I thought, until I stumbled into a little shop called Tobacco rd. The shelves are full with hard to find boutique blends, and pretty much every Illusione made. Needless to say this is a rare gem, and I’ve been sold on this shop ever since. 

(Daniel) In Canada, the Illusione name is pretty much unknown. I’ve asked Dion on Twitter about distribution here and he thinks it’s just not fair to see his productsell for such outrageous prices so he has no immediate plans to get it here. Bascially, my only option to get some of these is from a select few online stores or friends. This particular stick was sent to me by none other than Tony Casas himself (Thanks bud!). 

Illusione ~88~

The Good Stuff: 

Honestly, I don’t have whole lot of information on this cigar. Basically this is a Nicaraguan Puro cigar produced by Dion Giolito, of Illsuione cigars using pure Nicaraguan tobacco farmed from fields in Jalapa Valley and Esteli. The cigars are then hand-made in the Raices Cubanas factory amongst a Dream Team of tobacco experts. A lot of care and hard work goes into each Illusione cigar and it shows. 

Each Illusione carries with it a cryptic name which represents anything from cult followings to specific pin point’s in Dion’s life. You can view these on the Illusione website here. The ~88~ has a simple and straight forward story: 

~88~ Robusto 

No secret here. It harkens back to 1988 when I made that fateful decision to transfer from Oklahoma and come to Reno for College. “Robust” was just something different than Robusto. It speaks more for the body of the cigar than the nature of its size.” 

Size: 5×52  -  Wrapper: Café Colorado  -   Filler/Binder: Nicaraguan Corojo and Criollo  -  Body: Medium/Full 

Illusione ~88~

Prelight: 

(Tony) The ~88~ carries an extremely consistently, medium chocolate brown wrapper, topped off with yet another beautifully round triple cap. There are tons of little veins throughout the cigar, none of which are big enough to cause any concern. The 88 is extremely tightly packed and very firm to the touch with little bounce back. All Illusione carry similar, striking bands. The ~88~ is very simple, and stands out with its simple white background, and black print stating only “illusione” and “~88~”. The wrapper on the ~88~ gives off mainly a strong, tobacco smell with hints of leather. The aroma off the foot gives off a similar, more pronounced tobacco scent with earth undertones. 

The ~88~ cut easily with my Palio double bladed cutter. The cold draw produces very leathery tastes with bits of spice, and even honey. 

Illusione ~88~

(Daniel)  The wrapper on my ~88~ had a delicious oily sheen and a dark brown wrapper. The triple cap was cleanly applied and the whole cigar was even, symmetrical and had a slight springiness to it. The wrapper itself was flawless with no large veins, it also had an aroma of spice and sweet tobacco. The foot did not seem tightly packed but was nice and even. The cut was a little messy for me but didn’t cause any major problems. It did have a very open draw but produced some nice floral notes and sweet tobacco. The flavor on the lips had a nice touch of spiciness. 

Illusione ~88~

First Smoke: 

(Tony) The ~88~ lit up very easily under my triple flame butane torch. Instantaneously I am greeted with a touch of pepper, followed up with strong woodsy and grassy flavors back by tons of little spice notes. I am getting an almost fruity after taste. The draw is perfect, and effortless, producing a massive cloud of thick white smoke. The burnline is razor sharp and leaves behind a beautiful, striped light/medium grey ash. The ~88~ doesn’t produce a lot of stationary smoke, however what little smoke it does leave behind is extremely inviting and smells of burned wood and grass. The ash held on well over an inch before giving way. 

Illusione ~88~

(Daniel)  Toasting the cigar with my culinary torch was almost too easy. It lit up completely even and quite quickly. It started to canoe a bit off the start but quickly corrected itself with no extra attention needed. The mouthful of smoke I was getting was near perfect and seemed to linger in front of me after exhaling, making some interesting smoke-art in mid-air. The initial draws gave me a wonderful toasted nut flavors and some earthy undertones. The retro-hale was surprisingly smooth and and had a great tasting toasted nut flavor. The ash was slightly uneven but had no flaking and held on strongly for a good 1.5 inches. 

Illusione ~88~

Halfway There: 

(Tony) I’m halfway through this ~88~ and I can’t put it down. The mixtures of wood and spice, combined with the creamy, smooth smoke is forcing me to go to town on this cigar. I’m really enjoying it. The retrohale is smooth as well, leaving behind cedar and spice. Halfway through the burnline began to thicken pretty substantially, leaving behind small waves, but nothing to be concerned about. I’m not feeling much, if any nicotine off this cigar. Just tons of flavor.

Illusione ~88~

(Daniel) This stick is going amazingly well. The burn has been a little wavy for me but I think it’s caused by my slightly open draw. It hasn’t required any major corrections and has stayed lit fairly well. It’s allowing me to enjoy it nice and slowly while savoring all the flavors. On top of the wonderful flavors mention at the start, I’m starting to pick up some great coffee notes . All the flavors are blending together perfectly, well balanced, and super smooth. 

Illusione ~88~

Finish: 

(Tony) Towards the end of the cigar the burnline began to correct itself, and no touch ups were needed at all. The draw stayed consistently large, and effortless all the way through the ~88~. The final portion of this cigar was dynamite. The flavors morphed into a straight forward cedar/leather mixture and picked up in body. There was no harshness despite how often I hit this cigar. The ~88~ finished as I wish all cigars would, smooth and flavorful.

Illusione ~88~

(Daniel) The finish was not disappointing at all. The earthy and nut flavors disappeared for the most part but the coffee flavors have been complimented by a nice cedar note. The pairing of these two flavors is nearly perfect. The draw improved and the burn held strong till the finish. For the most part this cigar was medium but during the last inch or so I felt the body ramp up to a smooth full. I will definitely grab a few more of these ~88~’s, there was almost nothing to complain about. The was nearly no bitterness/harshness at the end and I ended up nubbing this as far as I could. 

Illusione ~88~

Overview: 

(Tony) The ~88~ is extremely smooth and consistent while the flavors switched up just enough to keep my attention, but not drastically enough to second guess what cigar I was smoking. I felt very little nicotine off this cigar, making it perfect for the everyday cigar smoker, or the novice. Needless to say I have smoked a ton of these guys, and plan on smoking a whole lot more. This is one of the very few cigars that I’ve been able to go through one, after another, after another and not get burned out. I think the retail on the ~88~ is close to $8 a stick, although it crests the upper level of similar boutique robustos, spending the money on the ~88~ will not leave you disappointed.

Illusione ~88~

(Daniel) This was one enjoyable cigar, from start to finish the ~88~ kept me happy and enjoying every moment. The flavors kept my attention and the greatburn allowed me to smoke it slowly without worrying about it going out. My general exposure to boutique cigars has been limited since I live in Canada and I was honestly skeptical about them. This Illusione ~88~ has definitely put the skepticisms to rest and I will be looking further into the Illusione line. As Tony mentioned, the price of the stick is around $8 and this seems like a fair price and I would happily spend it to get more of these in my humidor. 

Illusione ~88~

Pairing: 

(Tony) I decided to pair this cigar with one of my favorite Dopplebocks,Weihenstephaner Korbinian. Korbinianis a strong, bold and flavor enriched beer. The alcohol content averages at 7.4% and brings flavors such as chocolate, coffee, and fruit as well as a bit of bitterness to the pallet. This was a perfect pairing in my books as it helps pick up the subtle flavors of the ~88~ as well as match up with some of the more prominent flavors.

Illusione ~88~ and Weihenstephaner Korbinian

(Daniel) My drink of choice with this cigar was Alexander Keiths Dark Ale. This is an inexpensive dark beer with subtle hints of coffee and cocoa with an added kick of bitterness. Seems Tony and I picked very similar pairings with this and I also agree it was a great match. The cigar was pairing was well matched enough that neither one drowned out the flavors of the other. allowing me to enjoy them both equally. Some other good pairings with this cigar could be a smooth Tawny port or a fine glassof scotch or cognac.

Cruzado

I have heard of these cigars, but most shops locally in El Paso, Texas don’t even carry Illusione cigars, so unless I was to receive these as a gift or trade, I probably never would have got my grubby little paws on one.

Luckily, a great little shop by the name of Tobacco Road recently jumped on the Illusione bandwagon and not only started stocking Illusione cigars, but Cruzado as well. Adam, the owner of the shop, actually gifted me a few of the Cruzado cigars in hopes to spread word of the brand. If you’re ever in town, Tobacco Road is a must-stop.

The Good Stuff: As stated earlier, the Cruzado line of cigars is another line blended by the mastermind himself, Dion Giolito. The Cruzado line was released in mid 2008. With the success of Dion’s Illusione lines the Cruzado had quite a bit of hype to live up to. Unlike the full-bodied Illusione cigars the Cruzado is best described as a medium to full, with complex flavors, soft spices atop leather and general creaminess. The size I have recieved is the Dantes Robusto. The Cruzado is blended by Dion, and then rolled in the Raices Cubanas along with the rest of the Illusione line.

Size: 5 x 48 -  Wrapper: Nicaragua Criollo  -  Binder/Filler: Nicaraguan/Honduran  - Strength: Medium

Cruzado

Prelight: The Cruzado’s wrapper is very firm to the touch. There were no soft spots whatsoever, actually quite the opposite. The wrapper was nice and oily, but at the same time it seemed a bit firmer than what I was used to. As most of Dion’s cigars the Cruzado sports a nice, rounded triple cap. I really wish more cigar manufacturers would take a que from Cuban construction and triple wrap their caps. The cap seems to be the only portion of the cigar I ever really have any problems with. not only is the wrapper a nice, milk chocolate shade of brown, but it also carries with it chocolate scents with hints of spice. The foot of the Cruzado smells very leathery with notes of nutmeg.

Cruzado

Cold Draw: I cut this particular cigar using my Palio double-bladed cutter. The cut was very clean, and there were no signs of misconstruction upon the slice. The cold draw was very spicy, with timid hints of what I could only categorize best as German pastry.

First Smoke: The Cruzado was wrapped a bit too tight for my liking. I was able to pull a decent draw off of the cigar but it took far more hits than I am used to. Almost instantaneously I was smacked in the face with a burst of pepper I wasn’t expecting. Other flavors were oats, bread, spice, cinnamon, nutmeg, leather, and again the German pastry. The Cruzado didn’t leave much of an aftertaste, just the slight lingering tobacco taste that is expected when smoking cigars. The burn started off well but is beginning to get slightly wavy. It’s still too early into the cigar to tell how this will affect the overall experience. The Cruzado is a great retro-hale cigar, clean, non-burning. I got about and inch and a half into the Cruzado before the ash gave way for the first time.

Cruzado

Halfway There: Shortly after I reached the halfway point the draw began to open up a whole lot more. I was no longer having to hit this cigar three or four times to get the massive burst of smoke I wanted. The burn line did get a bit wavy and I had to touch it up, I don’t see any further issues with it though. The flavors are holding their own. At this point the pepper is no longer in the mix, more spice, vanilla, oats, and bread. I’m really quite surprised how slow this cigar is burning. The smoke is thick and very light in color where as the ash is a whole lot darker than what you would normally expect out of any cigar. It’s not really flaky, but it isn’t really packed either.

Cruzado

Finish: There was a slight harshness to the nub of the Cruzado, but not anything serious. It may be in part to the massive smoking I did early into the cigar. The Cruzado finished very smooth otherwise. There was no nicotine feel. Overall the Cruzado was an incredibly smooth smoke. The pepper made a quick return towards the end of the cigar, but just enough to effect the aftertaste. After the halfway touch-up I had no further burn issues at all. The flavors finished off very Vanilla Coffee Creamery, with Oaky Leather and hints of pepper.

Cruzado

Overview: Although the Cruzado had great flavors, and was extremely smooth, it was just a little on the light side for my taste. This isn’t to say I won’t have it again. I actually think the Cruzado will be one of the few Medium smoke I will have in my regular rotation. This is a perfect cigar for novice and casual smokers.

Cruzado

This Epernay was actually gifted to my by Agent 24 over at cigarspy. I have been trying to get my hands on a few Illusione’s for quite sometime, but no local shops anywhere near me whatsoever carry the line, nor do they plan to in the near future. (so if you have a few extras, let me know, we’ll set up a trade). I honestly couldn’t wait not only to smoke the Epernay, but to get a review done on it as well. Dion has a massive following, and his strength as a cigar manufacturer is quickly building up.

The Good Stuff: Illusione is a company founded by Dion Giolito, who started the company with hopes of creating a cigar that resembled old Nicaragua. Dion produced the Illusione line of cigars with only the best tobacco grown from Jalapa Valley, and Esteli Nicaragua. These cigars are perfectly constructed using Corojo from 1999, and Criollo from 1998 seeds that are then wrapped in Cafe Colorado with a near perfect cuban style triple cap.

Size: 5 3/4 x 40  -  Wrapper: Café Rosado  -  Filler/Binder: Corojo/Criollo  -  Origin: Nicaragua

Illusione Epernay

Prelight: The Illusione Epernay is a bit different than most vitolas. This cigar sports a very long, slender shape. Honestly, I forsee this as a possible problem for the draw. It has a long way to travel, and not a lot clearance to go by. Luckily Dion knows his stuff and to compensate the Epernay is very loosely wrapped. The cigar is a bit soft, but nothing to be concerned about. I found one small soft spot directly in the center of the cigar, hopefully it won’t be too much of a pain once I get there. The Epernay is very light, and creamy brown in color. It looks similar to a pecan sandie, and even smells a bit like one too. The first scents I pulled off of this cigar were grassy, earthy, with hints of nuts, vanilla, and honey. The triple cap is completely evident, you can even see it through the blur in the above picture. 99% of the time this is where I personally run into issue with wrapping, so a triple cap is more than welcomed. Outside of the soft spot I mentioned earlier the cigar seems to be constructed perfectly. There is only one really visible vein, but it’s tucked nicely it and shouldn’t cause me any problems. The Cold draw was a bit surprising. I picked up on massive notes of spice right away. Seemed almost a bit Christmasy with hints of nutmeg, honey, and cinnamon. This cigar was cut using a Cuban Crafters double bladed “perfecto” cutter, and lit pretty quickly under my single flame colibri torch.

Illusione Epernay

First Smoke: The one thing on my mind was the draw. How was the vitola going to affect it?! Honestly, if anything, it improved it. The Epernay produces a massive, massive, draw accompanied by very thick, large clouds of smoke on the exhale. This is a perfect cigar for retrohaling. It’s smooth enough not to bother you, yet flavorful enough to be worth the effort. Right from the start The Epernay starts to produce a very strong, spicy, pepper taste. Paired with the pepper are grassy, woodsy, flavors with touches of honey, and caramel. This Illusione is producing a slight pepper after taste that is actually tickling the back of my throat. The burn line is quite consistent, and the Epernay produces almost no stationary smoke. The smoke itself isn’t the best of aromas so it’s not going to be a very welcome cigar by non-smokers. The ash is very pepper colored, and fell off about an inch into the cigar.

Illusione Epernay

I thought the ash would hold on longer than it did, so I didn’t get my usual snap just before it ashed. But, you get the idea.

Halfway There: Halfway through the Epernay there is a drastic change up in flavor. The pepper has simmered down quite a bit, and there is a slight chalkiness overpowering it. Don’t take that the wrong way, it is in no way dis-tasteful and actually brings a great balance to the cigar. The honey is a bit stronger and there are small hints of grassy/floral/nature mixed in with it now. I am starting to get waves in the burn line but, for sake of the review, I refuse to correct them unless it’s a matter of life or death. Along with the burn line the draw itself is acting up a bit. It seems as though the filler is burning a bit faster than the wrapper thus, making it harder to get a good draw after the cigar has been stationary for some time.

Illusione Epernay

Shortly after snapping this picture the Epernay actually put itself out. I wasn’t babysitting this guy either. The wife wanted me inside to watch a movie so I wasn’t taking it lightly. After ashing before the relight, I realized it was in fact the filler burning much faster than the wrapper. I burned a chunk of the wrapper and continued on.

Illusione Epernay

Finish: As I got further and further into the smoke, the pepper diminished more, and the cigar became much smoother, and creamier. This is how I wish all cigars would end. The honey/floral arrangement of flavors remained consistent through the end, and after the relight I didn’t have any further problems with the burn. The Epernay did get me slightly light headed upon standing up, but until that point I felt little, to no sign of any nicotine in the smoke.

Illusione Epernay

Overview: Dion came through just as I hoped he would. The Epernay is an incredible cigar that I would LOVE to have in my regular rotation (if I could just find them). This cigar is complex enough to recommend to any cigar afficianado, and smooth enough for even the most novice of smokers. I’m not too sure on the price point on these bad boys so I can’t talk about value, but if it’s anything less that $8  a stick then you’re golden.

Illusione Epernay