The Good Stuff:

Back in 2017 Dion Giolito, founder of Illusione cigars acquired the rights to a cigar which original debut in the early 2000’s, the one off. Since then Illusione has created multiple formats and off-shoots of the brand, added the Allegria, and has now added its third extension to the OneOff brand the OneOff Black. The details on the blend is scarce, however we do know that its created at Aganorsa factory in Esteli, Nicaragua, and that is uses a special tobacco grown in Nicaragua that hasn’t been grown in the country in recent years. The OneOff Black comes in a single 5 x 52 format, packaged in boxes of 10 with only 1,000 boxes being released. The extremely limited cigar runs $16 per cigar. I purchased mine over from the good people at Small Batch Cigar.

• Size: 5 x 52
• Wrapper: Undisclosed
• Binder: Undisclosed
• Filler: Undisclosed
• Body: Medium/Full
• Strength: Medium/Full
• Price: $16

Prelight:

The Illusione OneOff Black starts out with a gorgeously consistent medium brown wrapper. The color is incredibly consistent throughout the entire body of the cigar. The cigar’s texture is slightly toothy and extremely oily. The wrapper feels decently dense while the cigar as a whole feels like it’s packed well with no soft spots to be found. The wrapper is laid flawlessly over itself as there are only a few smaller veins leading from the cigar’s foot up to its round, triple-wrapped cap. The cigar is polished off with the standard Peach sign emblem we find on all the OneOff cigars, however this one is black instead of the standard orange.

The wrapper on the Illusione OneOff Black gives off mostly woodsy/musky aromas while the foot of the cigar smells very sweet and spicy. The cap cut clean using my Xikar XO double bladed cutter. The cold draw produces notes of oat and grain over natural tobacco.

First Smoke:

The Illusiones OneOff black starts out with a small cayenne pepper punch which faded quickly allowing the cigar to release a ton of really bold dark chocolate over very musky/woodsy flavors with lighter notes of honey, pecan, and a natural/grainy aftertaste. The draw is so perfect. Each tiny puff kicks out huge clouds of thick white smoke which dissipate quickly while the cigar release a decent amount of stationary smoke while it rests in my ashtray. The burn line is razor thin and dead even leaving behind a trail of tightly compacted medium-gray ash which held on for about an inch before falling into my ashtray.

Second Third:

Into the seance third of the Illusione OneOff Black and the flavor profile remains similar. The dark chocolate is leading the charge backed by the musky/wood flavors over honey and pecan however there is a bit more sweetness in the finish that is coming through similar to a plum-type flavor. The retrohale brings out a little spice that I don’t really pickup otherwise. About halfway through the cigar the spice actually powered through the flavor profile and is now a dominant flavor which is wild considering that I never picked it up until about halfway through. I close out the second third with nothing in terms of nicotine.

Finish:

The final third of the Illusione OneOff Black is where this cigar really shines. The dark chocolate and spice rule the flavor profile now backed by prune, raspberry, and musky woods, over honey and pecan. What a truly great flavor profile. It took me about an hour and a half to take this cigar down to the nub. I smoked quickly too, but this cigar does burn slower than most. I experienced no hardness, no extended heat, and never once had to reach for my torch to touchup or relight the cigar. I close out with only a minor nicotine kick.

Overview:

The Illusione OneOff Black has such a unique flavor profile I dont think I have ever smoked a cigar with this much dark chocolate. Outside of that the changeups were wild which made for a complex experience with surprises around every corner. I also thing the changing of the profile isn’t very subtle which means that it won’t take a seasoned cigar smoker to pick up, and enjoy the experience. The price is a bit up there, but still makes for an affordable cigar. Keep in mind it’s using a pretty rare tobacco which I’d imagine isn’t cheap to grow. Get them while you can, cause at only 1,000 boxes being produces, these will sell out fast.

The post Illusione OneOff Black appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff:

Last year Dion Giolito, founder of Illusione cigars, shook things up when he announced a big change to the Illusione Singularé line by introducing the Origen. Each year the company released a limited edition Singulare release, however the new release is not only a full line, but a full production one at that. Dion stated that in this full-production line, he took everything that was great about the previous Singulare releases and used that formula to blend the Origen. Produced at the Agricola Ganadera Norteña S.A. in Nicaragua the all Nicaraguan blend features a Grade AAA Corojo Cafe Rosado wrapper and Corojo ’99 / Criollo ’98 fillers. The cigar is offered in four sizes: Robusto (5 x 52), Corona Gorda (5 5/8 x 52), Churchill (6 3/8 x 48), and the Gordo (6 x 56). Each come packaged in boxes of 15 running between $13 and $13.95 per cigar. Big thanks to the Illusione team for sending us a few of these to review, however I have also purchased quite a few over the past few months.

• Size: 5 5/8 x 46
• Wrapper: Nicaraguan Corojo Cafe Rosado
• Binder: Nicaraguan
• Filler: Nicaraguan Corojo ’99 and Criollo ’98
• Body: Full
• Strength: Medium/Full
• Price: $13.35

Prelight:

The Illusione Singularé Origen starts out with a rough looking medium brown and yellow wrapper. I actually love a rough looking cigar and this one looks “rough” in the best kind of way. The wrapper’s texture is slightly toothy and very oily. The wrapper’s thickness is a bit on the thin side while the cigar as a whole feels rather light and just a little on the soft side. The wrapper is laid perfectly over itself leading up to the cigar’s round, triple-wrapped cap. The cigar is then polished off with the new, large, blue Singulare band with the owl crest in the front in white and gold.

The wrapper on the Illusione Singularé Origen gives off a mixture of cashew and cedar aromas while the foot of the cigar is a bit more earthy with oat and grain over the cedar. The cap cut like butter using my Xikar XO double bladed cutter. The cold draw produces dry notes of wood, pear, and natural tobacco.

First Third:

The Illusione Singularé Origen Started out with a quick black pepper flash which left my tongue tingling. After the first few puffs the pepper faded allowing the cigar to release awesome notes of dry pine and cashew over lighter notes of spice and cedar with some floral and almost champagne-grape style flavors. The draw is beautiful as each puff kicks out massive clouds of thick, white smoke with ease which dissipates rather quickly, however it is pretty breezy on my patio. The cigar also releases only a slight amount of stationary smoke while it rests in my ashtray. The burnline is a thin as it can get leaving behind a trail of tightly compacted, light gray ash which held on close to an inch before falling into my ashtray.

Second Third:

The flavor profile in the second third of the Illusione Singularé Origen shifted more towards an overall woodsy/spicy mixutre of flavors leading dominantly on the cedar and spice that I picked up in the first third. There are some great dry notes underneath which remind me of cinnamon, and black tea with a nice floral aspect to them. The retrohale really brings both the spice and the black herbal tea to the front of the taste. The cigar is burning perfectly and I close out the second third with no signs of nicotine.

Finish:

Into the final third of the Illusione Singularé Origen and the cigar is now well into the full-bodied arena as it pumps out a dry, woodsy collection of flavors leading with cedar and cinnamon backed by herbal black tea, floral, and a really awesome leather type flavor. It took me about an hour and a half to smoke this cigar down to the nub and I was pretty sad when I finally laid it down. I experienced no sap, no harshness and no extended heat while the cigar left me with only a very minor little nicotine hit.

Overview:

In a single word the Illusione Singularé Origen is GREAT. I can’t really say it fits in with the rest of the Singulare series since this was created to be more of a standalone blend, however I can say that this cigar just feels special. And to me, thats what the Singulare always represented. Solid construction, very enjoyable and complex flavors at an excellent price point. I am also a huge fan of not having to chase down limited edition cigars and hoard them if they are good so extra points awarded there. This is absolutely a box worthy purchase and I can see myself smoking these on repeat for quite some time.

The post Illusione Singularé Origen appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff:

It’s been quite some time since we’ve seen Dion Giolito, founder of Illusione expand his core line. Last year the Original Documents Habano made its debut at the 2022 PCA show before finally shipping to retailers this month. In another pivot, the company paired up with the famed Master Blender AJ Fernandez to create the Original Documents Habano. Dion has mentioned that his relationship with the new factory is over a decade old as he had worked with Alberto Padilla at Aganorsa before he moved to Ocotal to manage the San Lotano factory. Created at the San Lotano factory in Nicaragua, the blend features a Nicaraguan sun-grown habano-seed wrapper grown by AJ Fernandez over a Nicaraguan binder and an all Nicaraguan filler mix from the Esteli, Condega, and Jalapa regions. The cigar is offered in six sizes: The Corona Minor (4 x 44), The Robusto (5 x 52), the Lancero (7 1/4 x 40), The Corona Gorda (5 5/8 x 46), The Churchill (6 3/4 48), and the Gordo (6 x 56). Each come packaged in boxes of 25 ranging between $8.35 and $12.30 per cigar. Big thanks to the team at Illusione for sending a handful of these my way to review.

• Size: 5 5/8 x 46
• Wrapper: Sun Grown Habano
• Binder: Nicaraguan
• Filler: Nicaraguan
• Body: Medium/Full
• Strength: Medium
• Price: $12.30

Prelight:

The Illusione Original Document Habano starts off with with a gorgeous looking medium brown wrapper with tons of lighter, orangish ares and darker brown areas scattered throughout the wrapper. The wrapper’s texture is slightly toothy with a good amount of oil coating it. The wrapper features a bunch of smaller veins and lots of natural tobacco webbing as it’s laid seamlessly over itself leading up to the cigar’s round, triple-wrapped cap. The cigar is polished off with the first updated Illusione band that I have had in my hands. The new branding is a huge departure from the simple, elegant bands as it now features a very large eye symbol that marries up beautifully with the branding of Illusione. This particular band is blue in color with silver and white accents, the Illusione logo on the front, “Original Documents” on the sides, and “Habano” embossed on the bottom.

The wrapper on the Illusione Original Documents Habano gives off a very nutty and floral aroma while the foot of the cigar releases a nice sweet-molasses type aroma over more natural tobacco undertones. The cap cut like butter using my Xikar XO double bladed cutter. The cold draw produces notes of pecan, honey, and earthiness.

First Third:

The Illusione Original Documents Habano starts off with a nice subtle cayenne pepper spice which starts subtly but builds up through the first few puffs before dropping out completely. Once the pepper made its exit the cigar releases notes of molasses, pecan, honey, creamed coffee and lots of earthiness/natural tobacco flavors with subtle spice notes and a nice citrus/orange aftertaste. The draw is absolutely perfect as each little puff kicks out huge clouds of thick, gray smoke which hangs out with me on my porch for a good amount of time before dissipating while the cigar releases a very minor amount of stationary smoke while it rests in my ashtray. The burn line is razor thin and dead even leaving behind a trail of tightly compacted white ash which held on for a little over an inch before giving way.

Second Third:

A really great floral flavor has slowly crept into the Original Documents Habano’s flavor profile in the second third while the molasses, pecan and honey still lead the way backed by coffee, earthiness, spice, and natural tobacco. The retrohale brings back a lot of the pepper I picked up at the start along with a rush of spice so I don’t find myself doing it too often. The cigar is still burning like a champ while I close out the second third with no nicotine kick at all.

Finish:

Into the final third of the Illusione Original Documents Habano and this cigar is a banger. The flavor profile hasn’t changed up much, and I am glad that is hasn’t as I really enjoy it. The main flavors are still the molasses, pecan and honey with lighter notes coffee, earthiness, and spice with a great little ginger and citrus making their way in for an encore of flavor. The cigar took me an hour and a half to smoke down to the nub. I experienced no harshness, nor any extended heat. I close out with only a very slight nicotine kick.

Overview:

All the hype I built up for myself leading up to The Illusione Original Documents Habano was fulfilled as I not only enjoyed it, but couldn’t stop smoking them right off the truck. The flavor profile is great, well balanced, and complex enough to keep me interested in the blend from start to finish. Not to mention it hit on everything my personal palate looks for in a cigar. The construction was flawless and the cigar burned like a dream from start to finish. This blend is box worthy for sure and something that I can see myself smoke a whole ton of going forward.

The post Illusione Original Documents Habano appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff:

While Dion Giolito of Illusione cigars is no stranger to doing collaborations, the cigar community was caught off guard and quite surprised when word hit of a new collaboration with Hoyo de Monterrey hitting the market. Dion and Scandinavian Tobacco Group’s business development manager Justin Andrews spent over a year working together on the new blend and here is what they had to say about it:

“Dion Giolito and Illusione’s success in the premium cigar category has been driven by his rigorous standards for tobacco and his ability to create cigars that wow the market. So when it came to developing a blend for Excalibur, Dion was our hands-down first choice. I’m very proud of how this project came together. My only regret is that we couldn’t make this a full-time launch.”

Justin Andrews

“When GCC asked me to do a collaboration and offered up Excalibur, I immediately jumped at the opportunity. In college, the Excalibur #1 Maduro was my go-to when I could afford them on a college budget. My buddy George and I would enjoy them after class or band practice. They were a real treat back then, and they still are to this day. For my part, I wanted to make a cigar in the spirit of Excalibur with a bold character and packaging that pays homage to the brand’s origins. I believe this blend really hits the mark.”

Dion Giolito

Produced at Aganorsa’s Agricola Ganadera Nortena S.A. (Previously TABSA), the all Nicaraguan blend starts out with a Corojo ’99 wrapper and Corojo 2012 binder both from the Jalapa region over Corojo and Criollo fillers from Esteli. The cigar is offered in a single Double Corona 7 1/4 x 54 format which comes packaged in boxes of 10 with only 4,960 boxes being reduced. The Illusione of Excalibur runs $19.99 a stick and is available now. I picked mine up from our friends at Cuenca cigars who are now offering cigars in singles for shipping. Think of it as shopping in a brick and mortar store only online where you can mix and match your own bundles.

• Size: 7 1/4 x 54
• Wrapper: Nicaraguan Jalapa Corojo ’99
• Binder: Nicaraguan Jalapa Corojo 2012
• Filler: Nicaraguan Esteli Corojo and Criollo
• Body: Medium/Full
• Strength: Medium
• Price: $19.99
• Pairing: Bruery 2econd (Imperial Stout 17.6% ABV)

Prelight:

First lets just get this out of the way. The Illusione of Excalibur is a very big, beefy cigar. The wrapper is a very consistent dark brown with a bit of a reddish tint to it. The wrapper’s texture is a bit toothy and gritty with a ton of thick oils coating it. The wrapper feels decently thick while the cigar as a whole is very hard and heavy. I think I could using this to hammer a few nails in the wall without taking any damage. The wrapper is laid seamlessly over itself while the cigar showcases a few larger veins leading up to it’s round, triple-wrapped cap. The band design leans more towards the Hoyo de Monterrey brand than Illusione’s. The classic Hoyo de Monterrey crest is laid in royal blue, white, and gold across the front of the band with a secondary band underneath that says “The Illusione of Excalibur” and the Illusione logos across the sides. There is an additional foot band that is identical to the secondary band described above.

The wrapper on the Illusion of Excalibur gives off mostly caramel and earthy scents while the foot of the cigar carries a great fruit-forward mixture of aromas over natural tobacco and earthiness. the cap cut clean and easily using my Xikar XO double bladed cutter. The cold draw produces notes of oat and grain over vanilla, honey, and natural tobacco.

First Third:

The Illusione of Excalibur starts out pretty mild with a quick black pepper hit which only lasted a few puffs before quickly fading away allowing the cigar to release notes of vanilla, honey, and cinnamon over lighter notes of coconut, light coffee, and dirt/earthiness. The draw is flawless. Each little puff kicks out huge clouds of thick white smoke while the cigar releases only a slight trail of stationary smoke while it rests in my ashtray. The ash left behind id decently compacted and dark gray in color which held on for about an inch before falling into my ashtray.

Second Third:

Into the second third of the Illusione of Excalibur and the vanilla and honey are still going strong while the cinnamon has morphed into a lighter all-spice type flavor mixed with coconut and light coffee. There is a great deep, floral/cologne flavor that comes out on the aftertaste. When I retrohale the cigar the all-spice and floral/cologne flavor become much more prominent. The cigar is still burning like a dream and I close out the second third (after over an hour) with only a very slight nicotine kick.

Finish:

Into the final third of the Illusione of Excalibur and the all-spice flavor has really ramped up and is now up there with the vanilla and honey backed by coffee and coconut. This was a great flavor profile. It took me about two hours to take this cigar down to the nub and I experienced no harshness, no sap, and no extended heat. I never once had to reach for my torch to touchup or relight the cigar. Despite the lower strength of the cigar I still felt a pretty good nicotine kick towards the end which was likely due to the massive amount of tobacco in this cigar.

Overview:

I was a bit worried going into the Illusione of Excalibur thinking that it would burn way too long and I’d get bored with it halfway through, but I quite enjoyed the cigar, the overall experience and what the Illusione of Excalibur had to offer. And yes, it was a long burn. A lot longer than I am used to, however the flavor profile was both enjoyable and engaging enough that I never really got tired of it which was my biggest fear going in. The price point is up there, but you also get a lot of bang for your buck. While I enjoyed this cigar I don’t think it would find it’s way into my everyday rotation. It would be more of a treat yo’ self type experience when you have a few hours to just sit back and relax.

Pairing:

The Bruery’s 2econd is the second collaboration with Three Chiefs brewing. This 17.6% Imperial stout is double barrel aged in both coconut rum and spiced rum barrels as well as treated with toasted coconut, cacao, Tahitian Vanilla beans and bananas. I am such a fiend for banana barrel aged stouts. The beer leads with sweet coconut over molasses, caramel, rich vanilla, milk chocolate, some light fig and light banana with a very heavy and sticky mouthfeel before finishing with more fig, caramel, cinnamon, chocolate, and the banana is much more pronounced on the finish and aftertaste. Many of the flavors in the beer were also found in the Hoyo de Monterrey / Illusione collaboration “Illusione of Excalibur” while the sweetness and rich flavors in the beer added even more complexity to the experience creating a great pairing.

The post Illusione of Excalibur #1 appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff:

Dion Giolito made waves back in 2017 when he announced the purchase and re-release of the One Off brand which was created by Andre Molinari from Milan Italy. Along with the purchase of One Off (read out review here) there was also the purchase of a secondary brand called Allegria. I personally hadn’t heard about Allegria until the release was announced last year as Dion wanted to wait until the cigars were ready to announce the acquisition of the brand. Allegria is essentially a stronger version of the One Off which features higher-priming tobaccos. It utilizes a Nicaraguan Corojo ’99 wrapper over Nicaraguan binder and fillers which includes some Corojo ’99 and Criollo ’98. The Illusione Allegria comes in five sizes: Robusto (5 x 52), Corona (5 1/8 x 42), Gordo (6 x 56), Lonsdale (6 1/4 x 44), and the Churchill (6 3/4 x 48). Each comes packaged in boxes of 20 and run between $11.10 and $13.55 per stick. We purchased ours over from our good friends at Cuenca Cigars who still have them in stock currently in both singles and boxes.

• Size: 6 1/4 x 44
• Wrapper: Nicaraguan Corojo ’99
• Binder: Nicaraguan
• Filler: Nicaraguan
• Body: Medium/Full
• Strength: Medium/Full
• Price: $11.84
• Pairing: The Bruery Petit Mardi (Imperial Stout 15.9% ABV)

Prelight:

The Illusione Allegria starts out with a very dark, rich brown wrapper that features lots of scatted light brown and orange. Right away the Allegria sets itself apart from the One Off visually as the wrapper is much darker. The wrapper’s texture is about average in density with some light tooth and a whole ton of oils coating it. The cigar as a whole is a bit soft and light. There are some larger veins running the course of the cigar’s thin body leading up to it’s round, triple-wrapped cap. The cigar is polished off with a larger band with features the same orange as the one off along with the peace symbol, “Allegria” embossed on the front and “Illusione” across each side.

The wrapper on the Illusione Allegria gives off a really strong must and pecan aroma while the foot of the cigar is more natural with earthiness, tobacco, and spice. The cap cut like butter using my Xikar XO double bladed cutter. The cold draw produces notes of pecan, honey, and lots of earthiness.

First Third:

The Illusione Allegria starts out with a pretty bold black pepper zing that I wasn’t expecting. After the first few draws the pepper begins to fade and the cigar starts to release bold notes of pecan, honey and musk over lighter notes of cedar, vanilla, citrus, and a great earthiness. The draw is flawless as each little puff kicks out massive clouds of thick, white smoke while the cigar releases a good amount of stationary smoke while the oils burn off the wrapper. The burn line is pretty while and a bit messy but the cigar is smoking fine so no marks taken there as it leaves behind a flaky white and dark gray ash which held on for only a half inch before falling into my ashtray.

Second Third:

Into the second third of the Illusione Allegria and the flavors are pouring out of this thing. Pecan, honey, musk, and oak lead the charge backed by vanilla, citrus, earthiness, and a great little plum or cherry that has been consistent in the second third. The retrohale is one of the best retrohales I have experienced in quite sometime as it pours on the cherry, musk and spice. I find myself retrohaling this cigar very often. The burn line has started to sort itself out and is now burning pretty consistent. I close out the second third with only a very light kick of nicotine.

Finish:

Into the final third of the Illusione Allegria and I am loving this flavor profile. The pecan, honey, musk and oak are still out in front with vanilla, citrus, earthiness, black cherry and raisin in the back along with this great consistent spice that has really backed the entire flavor profile. It took me about an hour and a half to smoke this down to the nub, and I smoked it until my fingers burned. Despite the wavy burn line at the start, the cigar completely corrected itself and I never once had to reach for my torch to touchup or relight the cigar. I experienced no harshness, no extended heat and I closed out with a decent little nicotine kick.

Overview:

I smoked a handful of these and each time I liked it more than the previous. The Illusione Allegria delivers a great, complex flavor profile that really keeps you on your toes. I smoked quite a few One Offs and at times I felt the Allegria was a much better version of that cigar and at other times I felt like it wasn’t even in the same realm as the cigar offers a profile that is quite different especially in terms of complexity and body. At this point, I think the Allegria will keep the One Off out of my rotation for at least the time being and this is a cigar that I enjoyed so much that I can see myself coming back to over and over again.

Pairing:

Petit Mardi, French for ‘Small Tuesday,’ is an imperial stout was aged in oak puncheons and carefully crafted with Petite Sirah grapes and Syrah grapes. Consider it a lighter-bodied still-beer Black Tuesday/Wine Hybrid coming in at 15.9% ABV. I’ve been a huge fan of The Bruery’s wine hybrids especially the Black Tuesday-based ones so I’ve been dying to crack these open. Normally, the Bruery’s wine/beer hybrids have been very dry. In the case of the Petit Mardi it’s the opposite as this beer is very sweet and reminds me of a great sweet red blended wine. The beer leads with loads of sweet grape, black cherry, vanilla, light honey, light malt and red apple. The mouthfeel is very sticky yet somehow still light. It finishes with loads of sweetness, grape, black cherry, vanilla and a great little spice. Very similar to a nice, sweet, fruity, Ruby Port and absolutely one of the best beer/hybrid still beers (non-carbonated beer) I have ever had. The vanilla, spice, and fruit matched up great with the flavors in the Illusione Allegria while the cigar itself added another layer to the spice notes within the beer. What a treat!

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The Good Stuff:

Jeremy Piven, film and movie star, and cigar passionado, met with various cigar manufacturers this year on a quest to find a match for a line of cigars he would like to have created and releases. Ultimately, Piven and Illusione felt it was a natural fit for his cigar line, the Jeremy Piven Collection. The first release, the PIV Robusto, is just now hitting shelves. The blend features a Nicaraguan Corojo wrapper over Nicaraguan binder and Nicaraguan fillers. What’s unique about this cigar is that is uses a new varietal of Corojo, Corojo 2012 which is grown at the Aganorsa farms in Nicaragua. Produced at the Aganorsa factory the cigar is offered in a single 5 x 52 format which comes packaged inboxes of 10 running $14.95 a stick. I picked mine up from our good friends over at Fox Cigar who surprisingly, still has some in stock.

• Wrapper: Nicaraguan Corojo
• Binder: Nicaraguan
• Filler: Nicaraguan
• Body: Medium/Full
• Strength: Medium
• Price: $14.95
• Pairing: Holy Mountain Deadfall (Stock Ale 9% ABV)

Prelight:

The Illusione PIV Robusto starts out with a rustic looking medium brown wrapper which carries scattered areas of darker and yellow-ish spots splotched throughout the cigar’s body. The wrapper itself feels very thin and a bit brittle while the cigar as a whole is nicely packed with no soft areas found throughout. The wrapper’s texture is very smooth with loads of oils while the wrapper itself carries only very minor veins and webbing as the cigar leads up to it’s round, triple-wrapped cap. The cigar is then polished off with a very elegant looking white and gold band, colors we find on a lot of Dion’s blends, with the “JP” Jeremy Piven crest on the front as well as a secondary band with the cigar’s name “PIVROBUSTO” embossed on it.

The wrapper on the Illusione PIV Robusto gives off lots of honey and spice aromas while the foot of the cigar is much more earthy with notes of grass, musk, and earthiness. The cap cut clean and easily using my Xikar XO double bladed cutter. The cold draw produces lots of grainy, oaty flavors over loads of earthiness.

First Third:

The Illusione PIV Robusto starts out with some great honey, musk, leather, and coffee flavors which transition into more grain, caramel, and a subtle yet amazing spice. There is some lingering saltiness that stays on the lips for a bit after each draw. Speaking of the draw, each little puff kicks out a huge cloud of thick, white smoke which takes quite a bit of time to dissipate while the cigar releases only a minor amount of stationary smoke while it rests in my ashtray. The burn line is pretty wavy, but nothing too concerning leaving behind a mixture of tightly compacted light and dark gray ash which held on for almost an inch before falling into my ashtray.

Second Third:

Into the second third of the Illusione PIV Robusto and the flavors became a bit more balanced and creamy leading with the honey and musk over lighter notes of caramel, leather, coffee and grain. A light pine flavor keeps popping in and out of the experience. The spice has completed dropped off at this point, yet it’s still very potent in the cigar’s retrohale which I find myself doing quite often. The burn line is much cleaner now without any help from my torch. I close out the second third with nothing in terms of nicotine kick.

Finish:

Into the final third of this Illusione PIV Robusto and I am loving every minute of it. The final third really ramps up in both body and strength. The flavor profile is still pretty similar with honey and musk at the front backed by loads of caramel and leather and lighter notes of coffee, grain, pine, and some great floral flavors. It took me a little over an hour and a half to smoke this cigar down to the nub and I didn’t want to put it down. No harshness, no extended heat, and after about the first inch the cigar burned flawlessly without any help from my torch. I close out with only a minor nicotine kick.

Overview:

I’d be curious to know just who Jeremy Piven met with before ultimately deciding to do this collaboration with Illusione. Why he chose Illusione, well that’s pretty obvious. As my boy Drew would say, “Cause he is the king of Corojo!”. The PIV Robusto carries some great, deep, yet very balanced flavors. While a few of the cigars we reviewed recently by Illusione tend to be a bit of a departure from his normal style, the PIV Robusto is a great representation on just how well Dion knows his way around Corojo. This is a perfect afternoon smoke when you are craving something with a good amount of flavor that won’t overwhelm your palate yet still deliver.

Pairing:

Brewed by Holy Mountain brewery in Seattle, Washington, this 9% ABV Old Stock ale (Barelywine) is aged in oak barrels. The beer leads with caramel, toffee, raisin, date and vanilla over light notes of tobacco and malt with a very light mouthfeel before finishing with more toffee, date and raisin, and a very light hop on the aftertaste. The is an extremely flavorful, balanced, and easy-drinking barleywine which made for a perfect match with the new Illusione Jeremy Piven Collection PIV Robusto.

The post Illusione PIV Robusto – Jeremy Piven Collection appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff:

The MC Slam was the first release that carried the blue and white “Cigares Prive” (which translates to Private Cigars) band back in 2014. “MC” stands for Marvin Chang, who runs R. Fields Wine Co.’s cigar operations. The original release consisted of only 200 boxes and was only available at R. Fields. Fast forward to 2021 and Marvin announced the triumphant return of the cigar dubbed “MC Slam 2 Redux” which would again, only be available from R. Fields Wine Co., would only consist of 200 boxes, and would sport the same blend which consistent of a Mexican San Andres wrapper over Nicaraguan binder and filler. The main different is the price tag. Due to inflation, taxes, and likely demand the new version will run $10 a stick vs. the $8.50 price tag from 2014. Another shoutout to my boy JG for hooking it up with a few of these from his personal stash.

• Size: 6 x 52
• Wrapper: Mexican San Andres
• Binder: Nicaraguan
• Filler: Nicaraguan
• Body: Medium/Full
• Strength: Medium
• Price: $10
• Pairing: Horus Push the Boundaries (Imperial Stout 14.8% ABV)

Prelight:

The Illusione MC Slam 2 Redux sports a beautiful soft box press format. The wrapper is a very consistent deep-dark brown with only a few darker areas around the cap. The wrapper itself feels very hard and dense while the cigar as a whole seems relatively well packed with no soft spots to be found. The wrapper’s texture is very gritty and toothy with only slight oils as it’s laid beautifully over itself showcasing only minor veining as the long body leads up to the cigar’s triple wrapped cap. The cigar is topped with the elegant blue and white “Cigares Prive” band we expect on these limited releases.

The wrapper on the Illusione MC Slam 2 Redux gives off pepper and dark chocolate aromas while the foot of the cigar is much more earthy with spice and natural tobacco aromas. The cap cut clean using my Xikar XO double bladed cutter. The cold draw produces some chocolate and raisin notes of earthy, dirt-style flavors.

First Third:

The Illusione MC Slam 2 Redux starts out with a very minor black pepper punch which almost instantly fades allowing the cigar to release tons of bold dark chocolate, pecan, black coffee, and spice over lighter notes of vanilla, coconut, raisin and musk. The draw is absolutely perfect as each little puff kicks out copious amounts of thick, gray smoke which linger for a considerable amount of time while the cigar itself releases a ton of stationary smoke while it rests in my ashtray. The burn line is razor thin and dead even leaving behind a tightly compacted trail of white ash which held on for an inch before falling into my ashtray.

Second Third:

Into the second third of the Illusione MC Slam 2 Redux and it’s still pouring on the flavor. The dark chocolate, pecan, and raisin are now leading the pack backed by vanilla, coffee, and spice with some great little floral undertones. The retrohale is great as it brings more of the spice and raisin to the front of the smoke. The burn line is still flawless as I close out the second third with nothing in the nicotine department.

Finish:

Into the final third of the Illusione MC Slam 2 Redux and the dark chocolate, pecan, and musk are owning the experience. There are some lighter flavors underneath consisting of raisin, vanilla, coffee and black cherry. I really enjoy this profile. The cigar burned flawlessly from start to finish as it took me about an hour and a half to smoke the MC Slam 2 Redux down to the nub. I experienced no harshness, nor any extended heat and never once had to reach for my torch to touchup or relight the cigar.

Overview:

First of all, I loved this cigar. Secondly, it’s not what you expect from most of Dion’s blends. Instead of being more natural tobacco and spice forward the MC Slam 2 Redux carries more sweetness, pastry undertones, and scaled back strength. It’s quite a changeup, but showcases the depth Illusione has. The flavors are extremely balanced, so much so that you could easily miss some of the more nuanced ones if you aren’t paying attention. Its a perfect cigar to just sit back, relax, and smoke when you are looking for something with a ton of flavor that won’t make you think too hard about it.

Pairing:

Push the Boundaries is a collaboration between Horus Aged Ales and Toppling Goliath. The beer is a 14.8% imperial stout brewed with chocolate, almost, coffee and vanilla. The beer leads with a ton of VERY sweet vanilla, coconut, and chocolate over lighter notes of coffee, cinnamon, and roasted malt with an extremely heavy mouthfeel before finishing with even more sweet vanilla and chocolate with an awesome almond aftertaste. I’ll likely need to check my blood glucose after drinking this one. The coffee, chocolate, vanilla, and coconut flavors in the Illusione MC Slam 2 Redux were all prominent flavors in the beer’s profile. As soon as I lit this cigar up for the first time I was almost certain this was the beer I was going to pair it with.

The post Illusione MC Slam 2 Redux appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff:

This year Illusione made headlines when it was announced that they’d be releasing their first ever “Tobacconists’ Association of America LTD”, or TAA exclusive cigar after becoming a TAA supplier last year. The result is an all Nicaraguan cigar utilizing a rarer Aganorsa leaf tobacco that isn’t grown at their farm all the time.

The cigar comes in a single 6 3/4 x 54 toro format, packaged in boxes of 10 running $15 a stick. Only 3,500 boxes are being produced and will only be available to purchase at TAA retailers. I purchased a box over from Anthony’s Cigar Emporium who got them over to me in record time.

• Size: 6 3/4 x 54
• Wrapper: Nicaraguan
• Binder: Nicaraguan
• Filler: Nicaraguan
• Body: Full
• Strength: Medium/Full
• Price: $15
• Pairing: The Bruery’s Sundae Sunday (Imperial Stout 17.7% ABV)

Prelight:

The Illusione TAA 2021 starts with a rustic looking orangish brown wrapper that has a few splotchy areas of darker brown scattered throughout. The wrapper’s texture is mostly smooth with some soft tooth as its covered in thick oils. The wrapper feels very thin and a bit delicate as the cigar as a whole is decently hard with some softer areas around the foot. The soft-boxpressed body showcases some light veining in the wrapper as it leads up to the cigar’s round, triple-wrapper cap. The cigar is then polished off with the standard blue “one off” Cigares Prive band we expect on these limited one only with the addition of a much larger black band showcasing the Tobacconists’ Association of America LTD crest on the front.

The wrapper on the Illusione TAA 2021 gives off lots of honey and cedar while the foot of the cigar carries more spice, cashew, and musk. The cap cut clean and easily using my Xikar XO double bladed cutter. The cold draw produces mostly spice and earthiness over deep musk and a hint of berry.

First Third:

The Illusione TAA 2021 starts out with a very powerful, very unexpected amount of cayenne pepper that left my tongue and lips screaming for a few seconds. After the first few draws the pepper completely lets up and the cigar is allowed to release tons of cashew and honey over spice, vanilla, cedar, musk, and interesting dark berry notes. The draw is just perfect. Each tiny puff kicks out a massive cloud of thick, white smoke which hangs around under my patio for quite some time before dissipating while the cigar releases only trace amounts of stationary smoke while it rests in my ashtray. The burnline is a bit wavy, but nothing concerning as it leaves behind a semi-compacted trail of dark gray ash which fell into my astray about 3/4 of an inch in.

Second Third:

Again the Illusione TAA 2021 has this deep, dark berry flavor thats been a pretty consistent contender since the start of the cigar backed by pecan, spice, and musk with light notes of honey and cedar. The retrohale brings out a bit of the pepper that was so dominant when I first lit up the cigar. The burnline is still a little wavy, but I haven’t had to touch it up or relight the cigar so no marks taken there while I close out the second third with a little nicotine kick that normally doesn’t develop this early in most Illusione cigars.

Finish:

Into the final third of the Illusione TAA 2021 and the flavors are still pretty similar to the second third. The dark berry is still strong backed by bold pecan and musk followed up by lighter vanilla, honey, and cedar. There is also a dry cocoa that comes and goes but I only really picked it up in the final third. The cigar burned pretty slow and took me almost 2 hours to take down to the nub. I never once had to touchup or relight the cigar. I experienced no harshness, no extended heat, and no sap but it did leave me with a decent little nicotine kick.

Overview:

In my opinion, most of Illusione’s offerings fall into the sweet spot of medium/full body and medium strength. The TAA Exclusive 2021 was one of the more full-bodied cigar’s I’ve smoked from them. That being said, Dion was still able to create a blend that still had that Illusione touch, those mixture of flavors that keep drawing me back to his cigars while delivering a different experience and I loved it. I tend to gravitate more towards full-bodied cigars which can sometimes leave some to be desired in the complexity department, but the TAA 2021 delivered. I’m really glad I picked up a box of these since they are so limited and after smoking a handful I am tempted to scoop up another just to keep these in my regular rotation.

Pairing:

The Bruery’s Sundae Sunday is a 17.7% Imperial Stout aged in wine and bourbon barrels with boysenberries and vanilla utilizing the brewery’s “Black Tuesday” as the base beer. The beer leads with a ton of berry, raisin, spice, caramel and malt with a soft tanginess and a very heavy mouthfeel before finishing with stronger vanilla over berry, raisin, and booze. This is one of the more straightforward iterations of the Black Tuesday family I’ve had as the taste actually matches up very well with the ingredients used but still has that Black Tuesday character deep down. The pairing was a natural one as I picked up so much berry in the Illusione TAA 2021 and the two went together beautifully.

The post Illusione TAA 2021 appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff:

The French-inspired Illusione Epernay has been an all time favorite cigar of mine for quite sometime, so when word of this 10th anniversary blend went out I immediately added it to my radar. While the release has been spotty, and they have been extremely hard to track down, a good friend of mine (Thanks Jason, you rule!) was able to acquire a box from Lucas Tobacco in Las Cruces, NM. The original Epernay was an extension to the ~eccj~ line and was released in 2009. The blend was milder, created to be paired with champagne, and easier to produce as it was slotted for full production. Fast forward 10 years later and Dion Giolito has tweaked the blend slightly with a different binder to celebrate the cigar’s 10th anniversary. Named the d’Aosta after the Valle de d’Aosta region that borders both Italy and France. The cigar is offered in a single 6 x 50 format which Dion says is the ideal format for the blend. The Epernay 10th Anniversary d’Aosta is a limited edition release as it comes packaged in boxes of 10 running $12 a stick.

• Size: 6 x 50
• Wrapper: Nicaraguan
• Binder: Nciaraguan
• Filler: Nicaraguan and Dominican Repbulic
• Body: Medium/Full
• Strength: Medium/Full
• Price: $12
• Pairing: Deschuttes The Abby Scotch Barrel Aged 2016 (12.3% ABV)

Prelight:

The Illusione Epernay 10th Anniversary d’Aosta starts out with a rustic looking medium brown wrapper with lots of darker areas located around the foot of the cigar and orangish splotches scattered throughout the cigar’s body. The wrapper itself feels very thin and brittle while the cigar as a whole feels nicely packed with a perfect weight and no soft spots whatsoever. The cigar’s wrapper is laid seamlessly over itself as it features a mild tooth, a few smaller veins, and loads of prominent, natural webbing in the tobacco leaf. The cigar’s long body leads up to a beautiful, round, triple-wrapped cap while the cigar is polished off with the amazingly simple, and elegant white and gold Epernay band we have all come to know and love.

The wrapper on the Illusione Epernay 10th Anniversary d’Aosta gives off some nice spice and butter aromas while the foot of the cigar carries more earthy tobacco scents. The cap cut clean and easily using my Xikar XO double bladed cutter. The cold draw features notes of butter, creamed coffee, and lots of natural tobacco and earth notes.

First Third:

The Illusione Epernay 10th Anniversary d’Aosta starts off with a very mild blast of black pepper which quickly fades out of the experience allowing the cigar to release loads of sweet honey, creamed coffee, butter, pecan, and cedar. As I continue to smoke through the first third the creamed coffee and butter become more of focal point in the flavor profile. The draw is incredible as each and every little puff kicks out gobs of thick, white smoke which really sits around for quite some time before dissipating with the cigar itself releases an average amount of stationary smoke as it rests in my ashtray. The burn line is razor thin and dead even leaving behind a trail of tightly compacted, light gray ash which held on for 3/4 of a inch before falling into my ashtray.

Second Third:

Into the second third of the Illusione Epernay 10th Anniversary d’Aosta and an awesome, deep pine flavor has entered the flavor arena. Along with the pine the butter and creamed coffee still lead the charge backed by soft brown sugar, pecan, cedar, and honey. The vanilla/scotch-forward beer I paired this cigar with has created an awesome butterscotch mixture with the flavors in the cigar. The retrohale brings out loads of cedar and lots of spice which isn’t an present in the standard smoking experience. The burn line is still dead even as I close out the second third with only a very minor nicotine kick.

Finish:

Now into the home stretch of the Illusione Epernay 10th Anniversary d’Aosta and the flavors are completely centered around the butter and honey. The final third is much more sweet the the previous two. I can’t remember ever smoking a cigar with this amount of butter, but I love it. The backing flavors are the pine, cedar, pecan, and creamed coffee. One thing to note is the burn-time for this cigar. at 2 hours it’s significantly longer than the standard Epernay and I love that. I smoked this cigar down until my fingers were on fire. And then I swapped over to my redeemer tool (also gifted to my by Jason!) until there was no more. I experienced no harshness, nor any extended heat as I closed out the cigar with only a very small nicotine kick.

Overview:

Why was this cigar so hard to track down? Was it worth it? I don’t know the answer to the first question, but the answer to the second is “Hell Yes”. The Illusione Epernay 10th Anniversary d’Aosta delivered in every area possible. Construction was flawless, burn was perfect and the flavor profile was complex and incredible. I can honestly say the Epernay is probably one of my absolutely favorite blends ever created by any cigar manufacturer ever. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t scared that tinkering with the blend could have been a catastrophe, but instead it turned out to be the opposite. I loved it. My only problem with this cigar is how limited and hard to find it is. I cold see myself smoking so much more if only I could get a hold of them.

Pairing:

Ahh yes, the Abyss. A barrel aged “must” each year. Brewed by Deschuttes brewery in Bend, OR this 2016 Scotch Barrel Aged version comes in at a whopping 12.3% ABV. The beer leads with loads of very prominent scotch, chocolate, black licorice, malt, vanilla, and oak with a very sticky, heavy mouthfeel before finishing extremely sweet with more vanilla, scotch, malt, and oak. Being so close to the holidays I was experimenting a bit with this pairing. I knew the flavors would mash up beautifully, which they did, but I was curious if the scotch from the beer and bold butter flavors from the Illusione Epernay 10th Anniversary d’Aosta would result in a butterscotch flavor and was completely floored when they did. While this cigar is created to pair with champagne, I really don’t think I could have picked a better pairing for my personal palate.

The post Illusione 10th Anniversary d’Aosta appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff:

If you were a cigar smoker in the early 2000’s there is little doubt that you have heard of, or smoked the OneOff brand. Originally owned and created by Andrea Molinari who was a tobacconist at La Casa Del Habano in Milan, Italy. Eventually the cigars made their way to the US market and were found in a variety of shops scattered throughout the company before disappearing just a few years later. A few years ago Cuban Crafters had purchased the brand with the intent to revitalize the cigar but it wasn’t until last year when Dion Giolito, owner of Iluusione, purchased the brand from Cuban Crafters that the revitalization dream came to fruition. The cigars are created at the TABSA factory in Nicaragua by Casa Fernandez. The OneOff sports a Honduran wrapper with both Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos. The brand has just been released in VERY limited quantities which will continue to ramp up as production continues on the cigars. OneOff will be produced in eight sizes: Cartuchos (3 7/8 x 52), Corona (5 1/2 x 42), Corona Gorda (5 3/8 x 52), Robusto (4 7/8 x 52), Super Robusto (5 3/4 x 48), Canonazo (6 1/8 x 52), Julieta (7 x 47) and Piramides (6 1/8 x 52). Each size comes packaged in boxes of 10 and will rung between $11 and $17.50 a stick. I purchased mine over from our good friends at Fox Cigar Bar. 

Size: 5 1/2 x 42
Wrapper: Honduran
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Body: Full
Strength: Medium/Full
Price: $14.40
Pairing: Bruery Out of the Lunchbox (Brown Ale 7.3% ABV)

Prelight:

The Illusion One off starts with a beautiful, consistent, orangish brown wrapper. There is almost no color variation in the wrapper from foot to cap. There are very minor veins and webbing located through the cigar’s slender body. The wrapper’s texture is semi-toothy with a large amount of oils. The wrapper feels very thin and delicate, yet the cigar as a whole it packed tightly with no soft spots. The One Off is completed with a round, triple cap and a very different style orange bad with nothing more than a peace sign in the middle. 

The Illusione One Off gives off a massive amount of sweet cedar aroma that you can smell before even taking the cigar out of the cellophane. The foot is a bit more natural carrying hints of spice, leather, and natural tobacco aromas. The cap cut clean and easily using my Xikar XO Double bladed cutter. The cold draw was much like the nose notes leading with sweet cedar, vanilla, spice, and natural tobacco. 

First Third:

The Illusione One Off starts with an unexpected cayenne pepper zing that left my lips and tongue tingling for a bit. After the first few puffs the pepper wore off and I was left with some very heavy sweet cedar, cashew, nutmeg, musk, leather, and toffee. I also wasn’t expecting this cigar to start off just as bold as it did. The draw is awesome, releasing just the right amount of thick, white smoke with each puff with quickly dissipates in the air above me as the cigar releases only trace amounts of stationary smoke as it rests in my ashtray. The burn line is a bit thick, but pretty consistent for the most part leaving behind a trail of semi-flaky medium to light-gray ash which held on for an inch before falling into my ashtray. 

Second Third:

As I venture into the second third of the Illusione One Off the flavors have become a bit more balanced. Oddly, the pepper is still there but in a very limited capacity, only present enough to tickle the back of my throat. The cedar is still the main dominant flavor backed by caramel, cashew, musk, and spice. I am really enjoying the flavor profile in this cigar. The retrohale really helps bring the spice and cedar to the forefront of the flavor profile. Th burn is still pretty thick, but also pretty even as I close out the second third with only a very minor nicotine kick.

Finish:

Into the final third of the Illusione One Off and I am really, really loving this cigar. It’s resting pretty comfortably in the full bodied, medium/full strength range which I didn’t expect. The cedar is still leading the charge in the flavor department backed by the spice, vanilla, caramel, and musk with the pepper peaking in and out of the experience. 

Overview:

The Illusione OneOff is a fantastic cigar through and through and I couldn’t think of a better team than Casa Fernandez and Illusione to bring this brand back to life. While I haven’t smoked the original OneOff in years and years I do remember how much I enjoyed it which is similar to just how much I enjoyed this version of the cigar. It’s complex, bold from the start, has a wonderful flavor profile, and burned like a dream. While the price is a bit steep it’s not more than what I would personally pay to make sure I had this cigar ready and available in my regular smoking rotation. The 10 count packaging makes it much more manageable as well and I will go back on record for the thousandth time in saying the more manufacturers should follow that route.

Pairing:

Bruery’s Out of the Lunchbox is a PB&J inspired Brown Ale. Coming in at 7.3% ABV the ale is brewed with Peanut Flour, Lactose, Boysenberries and Salt. The nose of the beer is way more forward than the actual taste exactly resembling a Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich. The flavor profile is a sweet-forward brown ale with great notes of boysenberry, caramel, malt, and a touch of salt with a very light mouthfeel before finishing crisp with more boysenberry, malt, and caramel with a great peanut aftertaste which lasts for quite some time. This beer went beautifully with the Illusione One Off. The nut, sweetness and malt married up very well with the existing flavors of the cigar while the cigar itself added an almost barrel aged dimension to the beer. 

The post Illusione One Off appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff:

Based on La Grand Classe, a Fumare (Dion Giolito’s cigar shop in Reno, NV) exclusive, the Rex originally made it’s debut in 2013. At last year’s IPCPR show in Las Vegas Dion announced that the Rex would be back in production under the new La Grand Classe line. The cigar starts with an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper over Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos.  The Rex comes in at a modest 4 5/8 x 40 and comes packaged in gold packs of 25 vs. the original release which came in cabinets of 50. The cigars run only $5.99 a stick and I scooped mine up over from our good friends at Fox Cigar Bar who, at the time of writing this, still have some in stock.

Size: 4 5/8 x 40
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Body: Medium/Full
Strength: Medium/Full
Price: $5.99
Pairing: Prairie Artisan Ales Vanilla Noir (Imperial Stout 11.5% ABV)

Prelight:

The Illusione Rex starts out with a deep, consistently dark brown wrapper. The wrapper is scattered with splotches of darker brown as well as some natural webbing in the tobacco leaf. The wrapper’s texture is extremely toothy and gritty some some slight oils. The wrapper feels very thick and dense why the cigar itself feels very solid and tightly packed with no soft spots anywhere throughout the cigar. The cigar is short and stubby as it leads up to it’s round triple-wrapped cap and naked body with no band. 

The wrapper on the Illusione Rex gives off some great musk and cedar aromas while the foot of the cigar carries much more spice and naturally tobacco scents. The cap cut clean and easily using my Xikar XO double bladed cutter. The cold draw produces some great spice, musk, natural tobacco and floral flavors.

First Half:

The Illusione Rex starts out with a huge bang of black pepper mixed with some sweet spices. After a few draws the pepper begins to fade out enough for the cigar to showcase more sweetness, loads of musk and leather, and a soft perfume/cologne type flavor with a splash of vanilla. As I continue to smoke some of those floral notes I picked up in the cold draw begin to peek in and out of the experience. The draw is flawless as ever puff kicks out a good amount of thick, white smoke while the cigar releases little to no stationary smoke as it rests in my ashtray. The burn line is razor thin and dead even leaving behind a trail fo tightly compacted medium/light gray ash which held on for about a half an inch before falling into my ashtray.

Second Half:

Into the second half of the Illusione Rex and the flavors have started to cream out a bit creating a much smoother, more balanced profile. The cigar leads with vanilla and oak backed by some great spice, musk, floral flavors, and soft leather and cocoa. The cigar started in the medium/full range and remains there as I close in to the final inch. It took me a little less than an hour to take the Rex down to the nub and I loved every second of it. I experienced no harshness nor extended heat but the small cigar left me with a little nicotine kick.

Overview:

I am a huge fan of small format cigars. I don’t get as much cigar smoking time as I used to and hate when I have to put a good cigar down due to time constraints. While the Epernay La Petite has been my go-to for these situations I could easily see the Rex finding it’s way in my quick smoke rotation. The price is perfect, and the cigar’s performance is exceptional all with a great flavor profile that I really enjoyed. I’ve been smoking through these guys like crazy and don’t see myself stopping anytime soon.

Pairing:

Brewed at the Prairie Artisan Ales brewery in Oklahoma Vanilla Noir is an 11.5% ABV Imperial Stout brewed with vanilla beans aged in whiskey barrels. The Vanilla Noir starts out with some sticky caramel, loads of sweet vanilla, cocoa, musk, and some slight whiskey with a very heavy mouthfeel before finishing super sweet with more vaniila, cocoa, and malt. The alcohol is very well hidden in this beer. The vanilla and sweetness really helped bring the sweetness out of the Illusione Rex while the cigar added an awesome oakiness to the beer.

The post Illusione Rex appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff:

The Illusione Cruzado has been around for a few years now. I actually reviewed it for the first time way back in 2009, you can check that review out here. The blend has been updated throughout the years but this newest version actually got a design update as well. Blended by Dion Giolito, owner of Illusione, and manufactured these at the TABSA factory in Nicaragua utilizing a Nicaragua Corojo Rosado wrapper, Nicaraguan Filler and Nicaraguan Criollo 98 and Corojo 99 filler. The Cruzado comes in four sizes: Churchill (6.7 x 48), Gordo (6 x 56), Robusto (5.2 x 50), and the Short Robusto (4.2 x 48) all packaged in boxes of 20 ranging between $8.25 and $11.25 a stick. These were sent to us by our awesome friends at Fox Cigar Bar. You can order them directly from them here.

Size: 5.2 x 50
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Corojo Rosado
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan Criollo 98 / Corojo 99
Body: Medium/Full
Strength: Medium
Price: $9.20
Pairing: Ballast Point Hight West Barrel Aged Victory at Sea (Imperial Porter 12% ABV)

Prelight:

The Illusione Cruzado starts out with a very natural, rustic looking wrapper. It’s medium brown in color with lots of darker brown and orange splotches scattered throughout the cigar’s body. The wrapper carries a good amount of natural webbing as well as some medium-sized veins. The wrapper’s texture is very gritty and toothy with a decent amount of oils. The wrapper feels a bit thin and I don’t want to apply too much pressure but I don’t encounter any soft spots leading up to the cigar’s triple-wrapped cap. The cigar is then polished off with a simple, beautiful, elegant black, white and gold band with the Illusione logo as well as the Cruzado brand embossed across the front.

The wrapper on the Illusione Cruzado gives off a good amount of cedar, cashew, and musk aromas while the foot of the cigar is much more spicy, sweet, and natural. The cap cut clean and easily using my Xikar XO double bladed cutter. The cold draw produces a great amount of natural tobacco, musk, earthiness and spice. 

First Third:

The Illusione Cruzado starts out with a small black pepper punch which quickly drops out after the first few puffs leaving behind a great mixture of musk, spice, cedar, coffee, vanilla, earthiness and sweetness. This cigar starts out incredible. The draw is perfect as each little puff kicks out huge clouds of thick, white smoke which hangs around for a considerable amount of time before dissipating. The burn line is razor thin but a bit wild leaving behind a semi-flaky mixture of medium and light gray ash which held on for about an inch before falling into my ashtray. 

Second Third:

Into the second third of the Illusione Cruzado the flavors begin to cream out a bit resulting in a balanced mixture of vanilla, spice, coffee and cedar lead by musk and earthiness. The retrohale really brings out the spice and even a bit of the pepper that isn’t resident through the traditional experience. The burn line is still pretty wavy but my torch has remained in it’s case so nothing concerning there. I close out the second third with only a very minor nicotine hit.

Finish:

Into the final third of the Illusione Cruzado and this is where the already fantastic cigar begins to really showcase what it’s all about. Bold cedar, and musk lead the charger backed by vanilla and coffee with light notes of spice, oat, and cinnamon. The burnline has almost completely corrected itself and I never once had to break out my torch to touchup or relight the cigar. It took me an hour and a half to smoke the Cruzado down to the nub and I wish it would have just kept going forever. No harshness, no extended heat, and I closed out with a pretty minor nicotine kick. 

Overview:

If it wasn’t already obvious I thoroughly enjoyed this batch of Illusione Cruzados. The profile is complex, yet balanced, with a ton of flavor and a subtle strength making for a perfect cigar. I could see just about any enthusiast enjoy this experience while it’s an ideal cigar for a novice looking to break into the premium market. In my memory the Cruzado series always smoked very fast, but the last few I’ve smoked from this tweaked blend actually burnt extremely slow making for a long-lasting experince. 

Pairing:

Brewed by Ballast Point brewing in San Diego, California Victory at Sea is an imperial porter with chocolate, vanilla, and coffee added. This High West version then takes that beer and ages it in High West Rye Whiskey barrels and the outcome is amazing. The beer leads with loads of vanilla and coffee, malty, good amount of sticky toffee and sweetness with a great barrel chewiness, and small amount of coffee. The mouthfeel is very thick and heavy before finishing with even more sweetness, vanilla, spice, and a bit of whiskey. The alcohol is very hidden under all the sweetness and the whiskey really starts to come out more as the beer warms. The vanilla, spice, sweetness and coffee pair beautifully with the existent flavors in the Illusione Cruzado without overpowering the cigar. I would also pair this cigar with some great black or creamed coffee, Belgian Dubbel, or Tawny Port wine.  

The post Illusione – Cruzado Robusto appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff:

The Haut 10 was created by Dion Giolito of Illusione to celebrate the company’s 10th anniversary. The cigar made its debut at this year’s IPCPR trade show and hit shelves quickly, before the FDA regulatory deadline. The Illusione Haut 10 comes in a single 5 1/2 x 52 robusto Extra format with features a Nicaraguan cafe Clara AAA grade wrapper, over a Nicaraguan binder and filler featuring seco dominant criollo 98 and corona 99 which is produced at the Tabacos Valle de Jalapa S.A., or TABSA factory in Nicaragua. The Haut 10 comes packaged in boxes of 12 running $15.95 a stick. As with the trend, the Haut 10 is slotted to be a regular production release. These were actually pretty hard to track down, but I did end up scooping up a handful from our friends over at Cigar Federation.

Size: 5 1/2 x 52
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Corojo
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Body: Medium/Full
Strength: Medium/Full
Price: $15.95
Pairing: Prairie Artisan Ales Christmas Bomb! (Imperial Stout 11% ABV)

Prelight:

The Illusione Haut 10 starts with an absolutely gorgeous medium brown wrapper. While the wrapper is very consistent in color, it does give off a nice orange glow when light reflects off of the cigar. The wrapper showcases some thick, natural webbing in the tobacco leaf and only a few very minor veins. The wrapper feels semi-dense, but does have some give as I squeeze the cigar between my fingers. The wrapper is coated with oils leading up to the stubby, pigtail-styled cap. The cigar as a whole feels very heavy and thick, while the construction looks flawless as the wrapper is laid seamlessly over itself. Polishing off the cigar is a beautiful, simple, elegant silver band with the words “Haut 10” embossed across the front in white ink and “Illusione” in the back in black.

Immediately after taking the Haut 10 out of the cellophane I am greeted with a very bold, sweet, cedar and cashew aroma from the wrapper of the cigar while the foot of the cigar is a bit more grainy with some soft spice mixed in with natural tobacco aromas. The cap cut clean and like butter using my Xikar double bladed cutter. The cold draw kicks out some creamy coffee, nutty, sweet cedar flavors with again, more natural tobacco.

First Third:

The Illusione Haut 10 starts off with a nice little cayenne pepper blast which quickly fades away as the cigar begins to reveal some strong cashew, cedar, honey and vanilla over some creamy coffee and natural tobacco flavors. I actually wasn’t expecting this cigar to start off in the medium/full arena, but it did. It’ll be interesting to see where things go from here. The draw is flawless. Each tiny little puff gives off a massive cloud of thick, white smoke which hangs around for a significant amount of time before dissipating while the cigar gives off very little stationary smoke as it rests in my ashtray. The burn line is sharp, but pretty wavy. I haven’t had to pull my torch out yet, as it looks as though it may start correcting itself here. The ash left behind is an odd mixture of both flaky and compacted in random spots. The ash did hold on for about in inch though before falling into my ashtray.

Second Third:

The pepper has completely disappeared from the Illusione Haut 10’s flavor profile and I am left with some spicy cedar, musky vanilla, honey, cashew, and earthiness. While the flavors have balanced out, they are still pretty bold and the body remains in the medium/full range. The retrohale really helps bring out the spice and cedar. In fact, the retrohale is very smooth and crisp, as I find myself doing it very often with this particular smoke. As suspected, the burn line completely corrected itself and is now burning solid, like a champ. I close out the second third with a very minor little nicotine kick.

Finish:

The body and strength of the Illusione Haut 10 are really on display here in the final third. The flavors have ramped up a ton bringing the cigar into the full arena now. The main flavor is a sharp cedar and spice backed by cinnamon, cocoa, and vanilla with subtle clove notes as well as coffee and lots of natural underlying flavors. I can really get into the flavor mix. It took me two hours to take the cigar down to the nub. I experience absolutely no harshness nor any extended heat while I did get a slight little nicotine buzz as I closed out the experience.

Overview:

I am a big Illusione fan, and while that means I generally enjoy their cigars, it also means I can get critical of them really quick if they don’t live up to my set standards for them. Not only did the Haut 10 live up to those standards, but it blew them away. This cigar has it all, bold flavors with a balanced profile I really enjoyed, flawless construction, and perfect burn. The price is a bit steep, but the outcome from what Dion put into this cigar is evident. This is how Anniversary cigars are done. Congrats to 10 years Illusione, I can’t wait to see what’s next for you.

Pairing:

Brewed at the Prairie Artisan Ales Brewery in Oaklahoma, Christmas Bomb! is Prairie’s Signature Imperial stout brewed with cinnamon. Coming in at a whopping 11% ABV the Christmas Bomb! leads with a ton of sweet honey and vanilla, cinnamon malt, and cocoa with a very heavy mouthfeel before finishing even sweeter with a ton of vanilla and cocoa and a hint of booze and chile. The vanilla, cocoa and sweetness really mashed up with to the flavors in the Haut 10 and even helped them reach a whole other level of awesomeness without overpowering the cigar, as the Haut 10 holds it own. I would love to pair this cigar with a bold Belgian Quad or a nice, spicy tawny port.

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The Good Stuff:

Making it’s debut at this year’s IPCPR show in Las Vegas, the Garagiste is one of the newest blends added to Illusione’s already extensive portfolio. The term “Garagiste” is in reference to a small group of renegade winemakers in Bordeaux who produce “garage wines”. The Garagiste is the first blend to come from Illusione to features an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper. The rest of the blend is composed of Viso Corojo and Viso Criollo Aganorsa Nicaraguan tobacco. Created at the Tabacos Valle de Jalapa S.A (TABSA) factory in Nicaragua, the Garagiste comes in four sizes: the robusto (5 x 50), the short robusto (4 1/8 x 48), the toro (6 x 52), and the gordo (6 x 56). Each come packaged in boxes of 20 and run between $8.35 and $10.80 a stick. The first shipment of these are pretty much sold out all over the U.S., but more should be on it’s way soon. I scooped up a handful of these over from our friends at Atlantic Cigar.

Size: 4 1/8 x 48
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Body: Medium/Full
Strength: Medium/Full
Price: $8.35
Pairing: Stone Xocoveza  (Spiced Stout 8.1% ABV)

Prelight:

The Illusione Garagiste starts out with a very deep, dark brown wrapper which isn’t very consistently colored. There are lots of scattered splotched of reddish-brown as well as darker brown found throughout the cigar. The texture of the wrapper is very smooth with only a tiny bit of grit to it and a good amount of oils. There are very few, small veins running through the cigar’s body as the wrapper is laid seamlessly over itself leading up to the round, triple cap. The cigar is polished off with a very simple brown band with the words “Illusione” and “Garagiste” printed modestly across the front. As a whole the Garagiste feels very firm, with no softspots, and no give as I press the cigar between my fingers. The wrapper does feel a bit thin a brittle so I won’t apply too much pressure as I inspect it.

As soon as the Garagiste is taken out of the cellophane a rush of deep musk, oak, and spice aromas are unleashed from the wrapper of the cigar while the foot of the cigar carries more spice, oak, and honey scents. The cap cut clean and easily using my double bladed Xikar cutter. The cold draw produces some great raisin, oak, spice, and sweetness.

First Third:

The Illusione Garagiste starts out with a big black pepper zing right out of the gates which begins to fade and take a step back after the first few puffs revealing some rich spice, sweetness, musk, oak, cocoa and honey flavors. The draw is absolutely perfect. Each tiny puff kicks out a massive cloud of thick, white smoke which hangs around for a good amount of time before dissipating while the Garagiste gives off a decent amount of stationary smoke as it rests in my ashtray. The burnline is dead even and razor thin leaving behind a compacted trail of black and dark gray ash which held on for almost an inch before falling into my ahstray.

Second Third:

The black pepper is still lingering around as I venture into the second third of the Illusione Garagiste. Lying underneath is still the bold sweetness and spice, honey, cocoa, and some vanilla while the oak and musk have began to tone it down a bit. The retrohale pours on the spice as it brings the musk back to the forefront of my palate. The burnline is still dead even and sharp as I close out the second third with only a very minor nicotine bite.

Finish:

The musk is back in full force in the final third of the Illusione Garagiste. The leading flavors are cocoa, espresso, musk, and spice with a good amount of sweetness and some soft oak and honey. While the flavors have been consistent for the most part, I am impressed with the amount of changeups in the strength of each flavor. For such a small cigar the Garagiste actually took a while to take down. Clocking in at a total of one hour and forty five minutes I experienced absolutely no harshness, nor any extended heat from the cigar. It burned like a dream from start to finish. I close out the cigar with only a small nicotine kick.

Overview:

I’m a very un-biased fan of Illusione. I love most cigars in Dion’s line, but that doesn’t ever stop me from giving my honest feedback. With that out of the way I think that the Garagiste is an absolutely stellar cigar. The cigar provides a ton of complex, yet balanced flavors with a flawless burn at a great price. Never once did the cigar get too strong, more did the body become too much for me while the complex flavors kept me on my toes from start to finish. This is a box worthy purchase for sure and one that will easily find its way into my regular rotation and might just make an appearance on my best cigar of 2016 list (which I haven’t put a lot of thought into yet to be honest).

Pairing:

Stone’s Xocoveza is on my “must have” winter beer list every year. Brewed at the Stone Brewery in California, this 8.1% ABV stout is brewed with cocoa, coffee, peppers, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg. What an intense mixture that works out incredibly well. The Xocoveza leads with the pepper which seem a bit more potent this year, backed by sweet spice, cocoa, vanilla, and malt with a pretty light mouthfeel before finishing with very heavy milk chocolate, sweetness, spice, coffee, and oak while the booziness is completely masked by the sweet flavors in the beer. The flavors in the beer were almost identical to those found in the Illusione Garagiste and I knew the second I smoked this cigar for the first time that this would be the pairing I’d end up with. It’s almost as if they melted the cigar down to liquid form, tossed it in a stout, and released Xocoveza.

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The Good Stuff:

The Singulare series is a “one and done” annual run created by Illusione. It’s one that I look out for every year (you can read a past review of the first Singulare the “Phantom” from 2010 here). Dion Giolito’s newest addition tot he Singulare line is the Miserere. The Singulare Miserere is a Nicaraguan puro composed entirely of Aganorsa tobacco. The blend includes a Nicaragua corojo wrapper similar to what you find on the Epernay, Nicaraguan binder, and criollo 98 and corojo 99 fillers from the Esteli and Jalapa regions of Nicaragua. The cigar is produced at Tabacos Valle Jalapa S.A. (TABSA) in Esteli, Nicaragua. The Singulare Miserere comes in a single 6.75 x 48 format packaged in boxes of 15, running $13 a stick, with only 900 boxes produced. I picked these up over at Smoke Inn and last time I checked they still have them in stock.

Size: 6.75 x 48
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Corojo
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan Criollo 98 / Corojo 99
Body: Full
Strength: Medium/Full
Price: $13
Pairing: The Bruery Mischief (Belgian Strong Ale 8.5% ABV)

Prelight:

The Illusione Singulare Miserere starts out with a beautiful, consistent, medium brown wrapper that carries an interesting orange tint, and a whole ton of oil. The wrapper’s texture is very smooth and very oily with one some slight grit while the wrapper is very firm, yet thin. The wrapper is laid seamlessly over itself exposing some very mild veins running through the cigar’s slender body leading up to a perfectly round triple cap. The cigar feels very heavy, and is packed very tightly which I hope doesn’t present draw issues down the road. The cigar is polished off with the standard silver and while band we’ve grown to expect from this line, with the standard “Singulare” crest embossed on the front and “EL” for Edition Limitada on the back.

The wrapper on the Illusione Singulare Miserere gives off some honey, cedar, and natural tobacco aromas while the foot of the cigar carries much more spice, grain, and earthiness. The cap cut clean and easily using my Xikar double bladed cutter. The cold draw leads with a ton of honey and cedar backed by some oat and grain, spice, and natural tobacco flavors.

First Third:

The Illusione Singulare Miserere starts out with a good amount of black pepper which quickly fades out after the first few puffs revealing great honey, cedar, citrus, a ton of spice and sweetness of some great natural earthy tobacco flavors. This cigar does remind me a the Epernay with a nice little twang to it. The draw is perfect despite being packed so tightly. Each little puff kicks out a great deal of thick, white smoke which hangs around for quite some time before dissipating. The burn line is razor thin, and dead even leaving behind a tightly compacted trail of thick white ash which held on for a bit over an inch before falling into my ashtray.

Second Third:

As I venture into the second third of the Illusione Singulare Miserere the cigar really starts to showcase how complex it is. The dominant flavors are cedar, honey, and spice backed by some fruit, molasses, oak, and lots of natural tobacco. I’m really big on both the dimension and the body of this cigar while the strength is still in the medium category. The retrohale really brings out the spice and cedar. The burn line is still absolutely perfect as I close out the second third with really nothing in terms of a nicotine kick.

Finish:

As if the Illusione Singulare Miserere wasn’t already firing on all cylinders, the cigar really ramps up in both body and strength in the final third. The flavors are still leading with honey and cedar, lots of spice and fruit backed by oak and sweetness while the strength has now entered the medium/full category. It took me 2 hours to take this cigar down to the nub and I loved every second of it. The cigar produced no harshness, and no extra heat while requiring absolutely no extra love from my torch the entire time. The Miserere left me with only a very small nicotine kick.

Overview:

I’m all about bold, full-bodied cigars that don’t need to compensate in strength and this cigar delivered. The Illusione Singulare Miserere is easily my favorite Singulare blend to date. The fact that it resembles the Epernay probably has a lot to do that as thats probably one of my favorite cigars of all time. The flavors are great, and the cigar is pretty complex while the price point is a bit high, it’s well worth it. I picked up a 5 pack of these and will definitely be picking up a box while they are still available.

Pairing:

Yes, another Bruery beer. I can’t get enough of them. Just wish I could get them locally. One day.. Anyhow, this Sunday’s selection is their Mischief. Mischief is a 8.5% ABV Belgian Golden Ale brewed at the Bruery’s facility in Placentia, California. Mischief leads with a bit of apple, a splash of citrus, a ton of spice and a bit of grain with a nice soft hop and a very light mouthfeel before finishing crips with more citrus, a bit of honey, spice, sweetness, and oak. Most of these flavors are present in the Illusione Singulare Miserere so the pairing was an easy choice. The citrus and apple also really helped pick up some of the same flavors in the cigar that I otherwise would have missed. This cigar would pair great with any Belgian Golden or Strong ale, a hefty Tripel, or even a nice sour.

Screw pop Ashtray:

Most of you should be familiar with Screwpop by now. The company makes lots of neat little tools for tons of different situations including cigars, and beer drinking which makes them a perfect pairing with Casas Fumando. Their latest product, the ashtray is probably my favorite item they’ve made yet. Here is what the company has to say about it:

Introducing the world’s first “cigar centric” ashtray!

Screwpop Ashtray keeps your cigar in the spotlight and your stogie in the sweet-spot for a most unique and pleasant cigar smoking experience!

By simply orienting the cigar perpendicular to the smoker (longways facing), the Screwpop Ashtray showcases the stogie in “presentational form”. You can now admire, enjoy and monitor your stogie between puffs: tobacco leaf, label design, burn, ash and rising smoke.

Geared for a single smoker (but don’t be fooled), its compactness allows for several Screwpop Ashtrays to fit comfortably on a table. Ideal for casual group smoking, parties and business meetings… it’s sure to impress!

The Screwpop Ashtray includes an ingenious “ash knocker” (for clearing the cigar-foot before relight). It also offers a well-placed tapered slot (shown front) for cigarillo enthusiasts alike.  Even use the Cigar Rest as a place to put cutters, punches or lighters after smoking a gar.

Made from ultra durable matte-finished (solid) melamine, the Screwpop Ashtray is sure to be your new favorite cigar smoking accessory!

That pretty much sums it up. Honestly, I love how compact, yet sturdy this thing is. You can basically carry it around in your pocket if needed, yet it’s not something you’d lose, or something that the wind would simply kick over. The canal that holds your cigar is very long for once, so I don’t have to worry about about my cigar tipping into the ash, or falling out of the ash tray. Once ash does fall of the cigar the little ramp carries it away from my cigar. I also dig the smaller channel for my cigarillos. I probably won’t use the ash knocker too much, but it’s convenient. All in all this is a solid product. If you want to pick one up for yourself follow this link. They normally run $19.95 a pop but as of today, they are on sale for $14.95.

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