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Illusione -hl- (Holy Lance)

Apr 24, 2009 Cigar

The concept behind Illusione Cigars was to re-create a specific taste profile from years past. Before the Sandinistas took over Nicaragua in 1979, Nicaragua was growing some of the best tobaccos in the world. The cigars made from these prized fields in the Jalapa Valley and Esteli region were strong, bold and clean. After years of neglect, these old Somoza fields have been re-cultiviated by the legendary master grower Arcenio Ramos of Cuba. Along with Fernano, Chandito and famed Cuban agronomist Jacinto, Arsenio has assembled the varitable “dream team” of tobacco production.

They have re-grown these humble acres to yield their fullest potential once again.

This premium, hand-made line of cigars is produced by Dion Giolito, who coined the term “small batch” to us in relation to making cigars that can maintain a level of quality and consistency deserving of the true connoisseur.

As Dion set out to re-create a cigar with a taste profile from long ago in Nicaragua, this line fits our mission of bringing you cigars that represent “The New Havana” in terms of bringing you the best cigars from every region.   Using the flavors and strength of Nicaraguan cigars past, Dion blended the line using tobacco produced by a team of growers who took the fields of the Jalapa Valley and Esteli region of Nicaraguan and started producing tobacco that rivals the best of the Nicaraguan tradition.

Using tobacco from first generation Corojo ‘99 and Criollo ‘98 seeds and Cafe Colorado wrapper leaf, these cigars are beautifully constructed and are finished with a cuban style triple cap.

Made at the Raices Cubanas factory in Honduras from 100% Nicaraguan tobacco.

The -hl- is also known as the “Holy Lance” and it is the only lancero in the Illusione line.

Now on to the review.

SPECIFICATIONS:

Size: 7.5 x 40 (Lancero)
Origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Nicaragua
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua

APPEARANCE and CONSTRUCTION -

The hl is a pretty looking stick. The wrapper is a dark brown somewhere between milk chocolate and dark chocolate. It is clean and even and has no apparent blemishes. There is a cuban-style pigtail at the end of the triple cap and finishes off this pretty looking lancero nicely. The cigar felt firm to the touch with no soft spots at all.

SMOKING CHARACTERISTICS –

The hl gave off very little aroma from the wrapper, but the foot had a spicy aroma that actually tingled in the nose a bit. I decided to depart from my usual punch and I cut the hl with my Xikar Xi cutter. It cut perfectly and had a cedary flavor on the cold draw. There was also a bit of spice. The hl lit beautifully and evenly. About a third of the way through however, I began to have significant burn issues. The burn line became extremely wavy and I needed to perform several touch ups to maintain an even burn. The burn eventually worked itself out, but not until I was starting the final third. Tough call as to what might have caused this as I have not experienced this before with this smoke despite having several of them over the last year. The hl gave off a good volume of smoke. The smoke was light gray and had a nice woody aroma.

FLAVOR –

The hl had a little more spice than I remember in the past. The first third of the cigar had some nice leather notes and a strong sense of spice to it. The leather gave way to some woodier notes about halfway through but the spice remained fairly prominent. The spice turned a little black pepper in the final third, which I actually did not enjoy so much. Earlier it balanced well with the leather notes, but the spice started to become a little much as the cigar went on. It was medium to full bodied and had a good clean finish.

OVERALL IMPRESSION –

I enjoy most of the Illusione line and I think Dion makes some fantastic smokes. While this cigar was enjoyable, it didn’t distinguish itself so much. The flavors were fairly basic and not overly complex. I am probably unfairly comparing the hl to the other sticks in the Illusione line such as the cg4 and 888, both of which I adore. The hl was a good, but not great smoke.

TOTAL SCORE – 86

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Tags: Dion Giolito, illusione, lancero, Nicaragua, Raices Cubanas