Illusione -- Nosotros - Robusto

Collaboration between Drew and Dion left "nosotros" poorer.

OCCASION: August Hail in Desert	PRICE: $9.90
BRAND: Illusione - Nosotros

GAUGE: 50	LENGTH: 5"
SHAPE NAME: Robusto

FILLER: Nicaraguan
BINDER: Nicaraguan	WRAPPER: Nicaraguan Corojo

APPEARANCE: Medium to dark brown with petite veins. A light and silky sheen with no bunches, folds, bumps, spots or any other imperfections. A complete masterpiece by the torcedor.

CONSTRUCTION: Firm from head to foot. Absolutely no soft spongy spots. Round head with no perceivable imperfections on the cap construction.

DRAW:
START: Great	1/2: Great	3/4: Great

BURN:
START: Even	1/2: Even	3/4: Even

TASTING NOTES: Great cedar and earth aroma before lighting. As soon as I lit up, there was a powerful spice that hit my tongue and eventually subsided rather early. I'm not sure if this was because my senses had been annihilated or because the tobacco backed down from its initial bum rush. A woodsy flavor continued throughout the cigar and nutty, roasted flavors would spring up occasionally.

OTHER NOTES: I grabbed this at Anthony's Cigar Emporium. They have a packed humidor and nice place to relax and enjoy your cigar. The store was fairly popular with what looked to be regulars indicating great customer service and stellar stick selections.

EVALUATION: A great cigar in construction and appearance. As someone once said, "If it doesn't work, at least make it look good," this cigar looked great but I have tasted much better with lesser priced cigars.  In this economy you want to purchase a cigar you will enjoy immensely and one that really makes an impression on you. Unfortunately the impression I experienced was the morning after, no actually the day after, when my mouth continued to taste like tar and my wallet was a bit thinner. At nearly $10 for this cigar I was half expecting to be smoking gold dust. This definitely would not qualify as a quality budget cigar and should be reserved for special occasions. This collaboration between Drew Estates and Illusione cigars was not as I had hoped. My friends have raved about the Illusione cigars and I have personally enjoyed the Illusione 88 hoping the Nosotros was going to join my "Favorite Cigars" lineup. Alas, I will keep this one on the sidelines and continue my search.

Illusione -- 88 - Robust

Let there be no illusion, the Cigar Log Book recommends this great full-bodied cigar.

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.

Other Notes:
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.

Cain -- Straight Ligero - Robusto

Cain and VERY Able. Those guys at Oliva weren't joking when they described this cigar as "strength under cover".

Occasion:  July 1st	Gauge:  50
Cigar:  Habano Straight Ligero	Length: 5-3/4"
Price:  $6.25	Shape:  Robusto
Filler:  Ligero (Esteli, Condega, Jalapa)
Binder: Nicaragua
Wrapper:  Nicaragua Habano

Appearance: 
The Nicaragua Habano wrapper had a rich milk chocolaty brown color with a silky sheen. Each wrapper leaf had a prominent lighter colored vein and a small hole was present along one of the veins. Aside from the veins, the wrapper appeared flawless.

Construction:
A very firm roll with no spongy spots at all. The cap was extremely well constructed with only a minor bunch where the body's wrapper folded under. A thick vein became exposed at the middle after I punched out a hole in the cap. A v-notch punch could have had an issue but a guillotine would have cut right through. 


After about an inch of enjoyment the burn became uneven and lasted for the duration of the cigar. This did not reduce my enjoyment of the cigar and was only a cosmetic issue.


Tasting Notes:

Right from the get-go to about the halfway mark you get a nice peppery rush that fills your entire mouth. The peppery taste holds on for a bit before retreating and an earthy and then roasted flavor sets in. A very complex flavor profile with this cigar. Even though this cigar is a very full bodied smoke there was no harsh after-taste or unpleasant mouthfeel when finished. This must be attributed to the tobacco's triple fermentation process.

Draw	Burn
Start:  good	Start: even
Halfway:  good	Halfway:  uneven
Three-Quarters: good	Three-Quarters:  uneven

Recommend: Be ready for jaw dropping taste experience. While the cigar was complex and flavorful and remained smooth and consistent throughout, those triple fermented ligeros sat me down.

Other Notes: Got this at Tinder Box. What a great place with very knowledgeable and helpful staff. The guy asked many questions to learn what I enjoyed and what price range I was looking for and offered many great suggestions.

Rocky Patel -- The Edge Lite - Robusto

Oh boy. Where do I begin? I've always been a Rocky fan but like a man on a diet eating a rice cake, this one left me unsatisfied.

Occasion:  the weekend	Gauge:  50
Cigar:  The Edge Lite	Length: 5-1/2"
Price:  $6.29	Shape:  Robusto
Filler:  Nicaragua & Honduras
Binder: Nicaragua
Wrapper:  Ecuadorian Connecticut

Appearance: 
The main body and foot were well groomed. The glue attaching the cap discolored the wrapper a bit. The rest of the wrapper was nice and golden with a silky sheen. There was minor bunching where one wrapper leaf overlapped another but this was minor. A few green spots on the binder were peaking through the thin Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper.

Construction:
The Lite was not as dense as other Rocky Patel cigars I am used to. The filler seemed to be packed a bit looser and this really was apparent with the draw of the cigar. There were no spongy spots throughout and the density was constant from the foot to the head. The ash was nice and solid and hung on for 2" before it dropped off. The second ash was just as long as the first before it dropped off. 


Tasting Notes:

The folks at RP weren't kidding with the name "Lite". The taste is alright, when you find it. There was a bit of a peppery taste when I drew it in but it quickly vanished. At about halfway, a toasty taste began to come through but just like the taste at the start, it faded fast. At about three-quarters through, the draw began to get hot. This could be because at the end I was just hoping to find some complexity and taste before my cigar was finished. The name "Lite" is no misnomer. In fact I frequently was comparing this cigar to smoking a roll of paper. Not surprisingly there was NO aftertaste, unfortunately it was because there was no before or during taste either.

Draw	Burn
Start:  too lite	Start: even
Halfway:  too lite	Halfway:  even
Three-Quarters: too lite	Three-Quarters:  even

Recommend: Only if you like it light and mild.

Other Notes: Crescent Tobacco Shop