| Occasion: Gift Cigar | Gauge: 52 |
| Cigar: Illusione 88 | Length: 5" |
| Price: $7 | Shape: Robusto |
Filler: Nicaragua | |
| Binder: Nicaragua | |
| Wrapper: Nicaragua Corojo |
Appearance:
The 88 had a rich, mahogany and silky wrapper. The wrapping did look a bit like a barber's pole due to darker brown color where wrapper overlapped. Only imperfections came from minor veins and a rip and fold in one location. But in all the cigar's appearance was great.
Construction:
A very solid construction. Nice and compactly rolled but not hard as a rock. The head was triple capped and was nicely constructed and the foot was evenly cut. A top notch construction.
| Draw | Burn |
| Start: good | Start: uneven |
| Halfway: good | Halfway: canoe, relight |
| Three-Quarters: good | Three-Quarters: even |
Tasting Notes:
This was a definite full-bodied cigar with a spicy start and continued to hold on well after the draw. From the first draw there was a sweet taste that peaked through but quickly dissipated as a peppery taste held on well after the draw. As the cigar progressed the peppery and spicy taste gave way to a roasted and leathery taste. For a full bodied cigar the finish was nice and smooth.
I smelled an earthy aroma almost like landscape mulch before lighting the cigar and for a person that has worked in the landscaping business, this was actually a pleasant smell. The cigar produced a fair amount of smoke per draw. There was a real issue with the cigar burning evenly until the last 1/3 of the cigar.
| Recommend: This cigar was given to me by one of my guest authors, Nathan Ambuehl, who swears by their quality. I'll have to admit, this passed my inspection and received my recommendation as a top notch masterfully constructed, flawless appearance with a wonderful full-bodied blend of tobaccos. The tobacco actually came from the Esteli and Jalapa regions in Nicaragua. While these locations are very popular sources for Nicaraguan tobacco, this is the same region the tobacco's for Cain's Straight Ligero come from. In comparison to Cain's SL, Illusione's 88 is a clear winner. Both started off with the distinct spice and full-bodied taste but Cain's tobacco put me down for the count. A cigar is something to be enjoyed and to relax with, not deliver a knock out blow to your senses. I would definitely recommend this cigar to anyone looking for a complex full-bodied yet smooth cigar. The only issue, if you call it that, was that the burn was uneven until the last third of the cigar. |
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