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.

The post Illusione Singulare Miserere + Screwpop Ashtray Review appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff:

The Illusione ~eccj~ 20th is the bigger brother of a cigar with the same name that was originally released in 2008 to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the “European Cigar Cult Journal” magazine. As the name suggests, the ~eccj~ 20th was released this year to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the same magazine which now goes by the much simpler name “Cigar Journal”.  Going back to the original ~eccj~, this blend was very limited and only available through New Havana Cigars. The cigar was such a success that Dion Giolito, owner of Illusione cigars later released the blend under the name “Epernay” as a full production cigar and one of my favorites, if not my favorite Illusione lines to date.

The Illusione ~eccj~ 20th was showcased last year at the IPCPR show in Las Vegas, and released during January of this year. Created at the TABSA factory in Nicaragua, the blend features a Nicaraguan Corojo 99 wrapper, Nicaraguan Binder, Nicaraguan Criollo 98 and Nicaraguan Corojo 99 fillers. The ~eccj~ is only offered in one size, 6 1/4 x 48 which comes packaged in boxes of 15 running $13 a sick. While only 4,500 cigars from the original ~eccj~ cigar were released, 30,000 ~eccj~ 20th are available and sold by retailers throughout the US. I got a handful of these from out good friends over at Fox Cigar Bar in Gilbert, Arizona.

Size: 6 1/4 x 48
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Corojo 99
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan Criollo 98, Nicaraguan Corojo 99
Body: Full
Strength: Medium/Full
Price: $13
Pairing: Brouwerij Bosteels Tripel Karmeliet (Tripel 8.4% ABV)

Prelight:

The Illusione ~eccj~ is a beautiful cigar. The ~eccj~ starts out with an absolutely gorgeous, consistent, medium brown, silky wrapper. The wrapper’s texture is very smooth with only some very slight tooth, and slight oil with a few larger veins running through the cigar’s body up to the round triple cap. The wrapper itself feels a bit thin and delicate while the body of the cigar is really heavy and jam-packed with tobacco. There was some softer areas around the foot of the cigar but nothing really concerning. The cigar is polished off with the same elegant band found on the Epernay and past ~eccj~ blend. It’s small, simple, and pearl white with the word “~eccj~” embossed with gold ink in the front, and “Illusione” very small in the back. Again, these are some of my favorite bands out there. They’re simple, and put all the focus on the cigar instead of the design on the band.

The wrapper gives off a strong honey and tobacco aroma while the foot of the cigar is much more modest only showcasing some slight spice and earthiness. The cap cut clean and easily using my double bladed Palio cutter. The cold draw is very floral with notes of grain and tobacco with some very subtle spice mixed in there.

First Third:

The Illusione ~eccj~ starts out with a quick splash of black pepper laced with spice, honey, cedar, sweetness, leather and floral notes. Despite the cigar being jam-packed with tobacco the draw is flawless. Each little puff kicks out massive clouds of thick white smoke while the ~eccj~ gives off almost no stationary smoke as it rests in my ashtray. The burn line is dead even and razor thin leaving behind a nice trail of compacted white and dark gray zebra-patterned ash which held on for about an inch and a quarter before falling into my ashtray.

Second Third:

A whole mess of sweetness and spice have emerged into the second third of the Illusione ~eccj~. Along with the sweetness and spice the honey and floral are still rocking hard backed by cedar, and leather as well as some great earthiness. There is no shortness of flavor in this bad boy. The retrohale showcases a much heavier spice and pepper with deep cedar and honey. The burn line is still flawless and I’m not really feeling anything in the nicotine department as I close out the second third.

Finish:

A bit of citrus and pine snuck into the flavor profile in the final third of this Illusione ~eccj~. Along with those additions, the cigar still offered bold cedar and spice with honey and sweetness. I’m impressed that a lot of the flavors had lasted this deep into the experience, and were just as bold as they were at the beginning of the smoke. It took me a little over an hour and half to take the ~eccj~ down to the nub and I experienced absolutely no harshness, nor really anything nicotine kick. In fact, the cigar finished off very creamy and smooth as I let it burn down until my finger tips were on fire. I never once had to touch up, or relight.

Overview:

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. If I was forced to smoke only one brand for the rest of my life it would have to be Illusione. The ~eccj~ is a great example of an absolutely great cigar experience. The bold, complex, yet complimentary flavors provide an amazing profile with great construction and flawless burned all delivered at a decent price point. Yes, it’s one of the more expensive cigars in Illusione’s portfolio but it more than satisfies and I’d pay it time and time again. While the ~eccj~ is limited, it’s still widely available and this is a box-worthy purchase for sure as it would hold a place in my regular rotation for a very long time.

Pairing:

Being that I am huge on Belgian beers, one of my favorite summer styles is a nice, heavy, tripel. Brewed at the Brouwerij Bosteels in Belgium, the Tripel Karmeliet clocks in at a bold 8.4% ABV. The Tripel Karmeliet starts out with some nice fruit, celery, honey, sweetness and floral flavors with a light mouthfeel before finishing crisp with citrus, floral, and pine and a bit of tart on the aftertaste. The beer’s flavors obviously married up well with the floral, citrus, and honey in the Illusione ~eccj~ while the spice and cedar from the cigar added a new level to the beer. I would also recommend pairing the ~eccj~ with a nice Belgian Dubbel or Quad, a spicy tawny port, or a great cup of dark coffee.

The post Illusione ~eccj~ 20th appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff:

The Fume D’Amour is amongst a slew of cigars released at this year’s IPCPR trade show in Las Vegas. While there were many cigars showcased, few created as much buzz as the Fume D’Amour. Some said it was the star of the show. Fume D’Amour is the first full production core line created by Dion Giolito of Illusione in 3 years. Fume D’Amour is translated into “Love Smoke”. The blend is based off the Original Document blend, or the Corojo, using a different wrapper and created using only Nicaraguan Seco and Viso. No Ligero. Normally, Ligero is used to boost the body and strength in a cigar as the Viso and Seco produce more sweeter, milder flavors. That being said, the Fume D’Amour isn’t your average smoke, and actually boasts a much higher body and much more strength during the experience as it does on paper. The Fume D’Amour joins the ranks of blends that Dion is now producing at the Tabacos Valle de Jalapa S.A. factory in Nicaragua. Here is the information on the blend as found on Illusione’s website:

“Illusione introduces Fume D’Amour. Nearly 3 years since our last full brand was brought to the industry, Fume D’Amour is added to the Illusione ‘core lines.’ These cigars deliver the signature olfactory sweetness from Viso Jalapa tobaccos, with the complex mix of spices both in the nose and on the palate from Seco leaves from Esteli. Fume D’Amour is a full-bodied production for the matured cigar enthusiast. Four sizes… more to come. “

The Fume D’Amour will come in four sizes: Lagunas ( 4.5 x 42), Viejos (5 x 50), Capistranos (6 x 56 ) and the Clementes (6.5 x 48) and range from $6.50 to $9.50 a stick. These are just hitting shelves now. I purchased a bunch of these over from our friends at Smokeinn.com.

Size: 4.5 x 42
Wrapper: Nicaraguan
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Body: Full
Strength: Medium/Full
Price: $6.50
Pairing: Founders Backwoods Bastard 2013 (Bourbon Barrel Aged Scotch Ale 10.2% ABV)

Prelight:

The wrapper on the Fume D’Amour is absolutely stunning, starting with a deep brown, and very orange color. The wrapper color is consistent for the most part with some darker webbing throughout the body of the cigar and darker areas around the cap. The wrapper texture is very oil, with some slight tooth, and very smooth, silky areas. The wrapper feels about average in the density department and the cigar had very little sponginess or soft spots. The Fume D’Amour is finished off with a beautifully round triple cap, and an elegant maroon, gold, and beige band stating “Fume D’Amour” and “Hecho En Nicaragua”. I have always loved the simplicity in Illusione’s band design.

The wrapper on the cigar gives off some soft grassy aromas wrapper around strong cedar while the foot of the cigar carries lots of sweetness and spice with some deep tobacco aromas. The cap cut clean and easily using my double bladed Palio cutter. The cold draw produces some great spice, sweetness, floral, and grassy flavors.

First Half:

Since this is a smaller cigar, I’m going to go ahead and cut it into halves instead of thirds. The first few draws on Illusione’s Fume D’Amour lead off with some very strong black pepper. The pepper quickly fades away and leaves me with some strong cedar, lots of sweetness, brown sugar, cherry, and deep mossy/grassiness. As I get a bit deeper into the first half I start to pick up a strong floral flavor. Almost tastes like Jasmine. Either way, it’s complimenting the already creamy experience very nicely. The body starts out very strong and the strength is up there as well. The draw is perfect. Every little puff kicks out a huge, thick cloud of white smoke. The burnline is a bit wild, but I haven’t had to reach for my lighter. I finish out the first half feeling no nicotine kick at all.

Second Half:

Into the second half of Illusione’s Fume D’Amour the flavor profile becomes much deeper and bolder. I am picking up a ton of cedar and woodsiness now instead of the grassy notes, lots of cedar, some cocoa, espresso, and lots of sweetness and spice. I took this cigar down until it started burning my fingers and experience no harshness whatsoever. I was actually impressed with how slowly a cigar of this size smoked down. It took me about an hour to reach the nub and I enjoyed every last minute of it. The burnline completely corrected itself after the first half and I never once had to reach for my lighter. The band slipped right off, and the construction was on point.

Overview:

I said it on twitter, and I said it again. Illusione’s Fume D’Amour is probably the best cigar I have had all year. I smoked quite a few of these and each one makes me fall deeper and deeper in love with the blend (Love Smoke.. eh? See what I did there!!?!). On many occasions I have spoke about how if I had to choose only 1 manufacturer to smoke, for the rest of my life exclusively, it would be Illusione. The Fume D’Amour helps solidify that decision. Hell, everything Dion has come out with recently has backed my choice. The Fume D’Amour hits in all areas. Boasting strong, bold, sweet, balanced flavors with a higher body experience that won’t knock you on your ass. I especially think the blend preforms well in the smaller sizes. The price point is where you would expect it to be and the fact that this is a regular production blend makes me very happy. Pick a few up, this is a boxworthy cigar that will find it’s way into my regular production for a long time to come.

Pairing:

I purchased a bunch of these bad boys last year and have been quietly going through my stock. They are a perfect beer to pair with s bold, strong cigar. Founders Brewing Company out of Michigan produces it’s Bourbon Barrel Aged Backwoods Bastard Scotch Ale during the winter each year. Coming in at 10.2% ABV this beer isn’t for the faint of heart. This sticky ale leads off with some strong sweetness, caramel, cocoa, and grain with a very heavy mouthfeel. The finishing taste is really fruity, oaky, boozy, and spicy. There is quite a bit of bourbon reminisce left in the flavor profile. The spice, sweetness, oak and fruit pair perfectly with the Fume D’Amour while the caramel adds an interesting complimentary note to the pairing. This cigar will pair well with most drinks. Some bold coffee, bourbon, port wine, or Belgian Strong Dark Ale would be on the top of that list.

The post Illusione Fume D’Amour Lagunas Cigar Review appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff: The Gigantes features a blend very similar to the Rothchildes starting with a Mexican San Andreas Wrapper, Criollo 98 and Corojo 99 Binders, and an all Nicaraguan filler using Aganorsa leaf. While the blend profile remains the same, Dion Giolito who owns Illusione, aimed to bring a much richer and fuller experience with the Gigantes. The cigars are made at TABSA in Esteli which is the same factory where the Rothchildes are manufactured. The Gigantes will only come in one size a 6.5 x 56 which comes packaged in cabinets of 50 and will run you $7.99 a stick. I bought a whole mess of these from Smoke Inn. Last time I checked they still had a few in stock. You may want to hurry, first run of these cigars are very limited but Dion plans the Gigantes to be a regular production line. (Thanks to Halfwheel.com for breaking the news on the release and providing the specifics on this cigar)

Size: 6.5 x 56
Wrapper: Mexican San Andreas
Binder: Criollo 98 (Esteli), Corojo 99 (Jalapa)
Filler: Nicaraguan Aganorsa
Body: Medium/Full
Strength: Medium/Full
Price: $7.99
Pairing: Kasteel Cuvee Du Chateau (11% Belgian Quad)

Prelight: Much like the Rothchildes, Illusione’s Gigantes carries a very deep, dark brown wrapper with bits of medium brown and spots of a darker brown around the veins and webbing in the tobacco leaf. The wrapper is incredibly tooth and feels almost like sandpaper with a good amount of oils. The wrapper is solid, thick, and very hard. It feel like I could probably sound down my next woodworking project with this cigar. The wrapper actually has a very rustic, crude look to it as it showcases the natural characteristics of the tobacco leaf. Considering how much Illusione I smoke, holding one with a ring gauge as large as this is a bit of a departure from what I am used to. The cigar is heavy and dense as the body leads up to a perfectly round triple cap. The Gigantes is polished off with a band identical to what we found on the Rothchildes. The only differences being the word “Gigantes” and of course the purple color instead of the red. I absolutely love these bands. The remind me of an older era. Think Henry Clay.

The wrapper on the cigar gives off a sweet aroma of chocolate and tobacco while the foot of the cigar is much more natural leading with lots of earthiness, and spice over natural tobacco aromas. The cap cut clean, but took a bit of extra pressure from my double bladed Palio cutter. The cold draw produces are really nice spice over some pepper, espresso, and natural tobacco.

First Smoke: Illusione’s Gigantes starts out really bold with some strong cashew and raisin over some spice, natural tobacco, and cocoa with a nice tart twang on the aftertaste. I was expecting much more pepper but was pleasantly surprised with the sheer amount of flavor the Gigantes kicked out right off the bat. The draw is remarkable as it takes almost no effort to get a mouthful of very thick, white smoke. The burnline is a bit wavy, but razor sharp leaving behind a trail of very compacted white ash which held on for an inch and a half before giving way.

Halfway There: One of the more interesting characteristics of the Illusione Gigantes is the aftertaste. There is a very bold woodsy, cedary, fruit, tart flavor that’s left behind for minutes after each puff. It’s incredibly enjoyable and only enhances the already potent flavor profile which is now running with tons of cocoa and spice over fruit and cedar with hints of espresso. The burnline is still a bit wavy but I have yet to have to reach for my lighter so no complaining there. The retrohale is ridiculous coating my nasal passage with so much cedar and spice. While the body of the cigar is just piling up, the strength of the cigar is remaining rather tame as I close out the second third with no nicotine kick at all. Gotta love when cigars do this.

Finish: The final third of this Illusione Gigantes is where the deeper, richer experience really comes into play. That crazy aftertaste I spoke off is now dominating the smoke leading off with really heavy smoked woodsy flavors with strong spice backing it along with some great fruit, cocoa, and tobacco. This is where the cigar really separates itself from the Rothchildes. Along with the ramp up in flavor the strength has began to ramp up as well. It’s not too strong, but I definitely feel the difference. Over the course of the 2 hours it took to take the Gigantes down I never once had to touch up or relight the beast, I experience absolutely no harshness, and only a small about of extended heat into the final inch or so.

Overview: Dion does it again. I can’t say much more about the Gigantes other than how much I thoroughly enjoyed it. The bold and complex flavors are right up my alley and I love that he produced them without having to create a cigar that was all about the strength. I think that far too often cigar manufactures think that you can’t have a bold cigar without having all the strength, and Illusione proves that to be wrong with almost every blend they create. Although the cigar has a rustic look, the burn performance was close to flawless. The price point is absolutely spot on, and actually probably a lot lower than I’d be willing to pay for the Gigantes. I am so glad that I opted to purchase half a cabinet of these and even then I worry that might not be enough. For the price, this is a cabinet purchase for sure and I fear that I may even want to have more than that on hand is this cigar is incredible and is going to make for another strong contender in our top 10 cigars of the year. And to think, we are only half way through.

Pairing: Kasteel’s Cuvee du Chateau is an 11% Belgian Quad brewed at the Brouwerij Van Honsebrouck N.V. in Belgium. This is one of my go to Belgians as it fits all the main categories I look for in a good beer, at a reasonable cost. Cuvee du Chateau runs about $5 a bottle and carries a big, boozy body loaded with strong fruits (fig, apple, pear) flavors over some sweetness and spice finishing with a bit of malt and cinnamon. The fruit and spice is what had drawn me to pair this bad boy with the Gigantes as they married up perfectly. The woodsy flavors form the Gigantes actually added a bit of a smoke profile to the beer resulting is one badass pairing.

The post Illusione *G* Gigantes Cigar Review appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

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.

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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.

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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

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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

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