One of the hottest brands in the market for some time now is Dion Giolito's “Illusione”.
I was trying to get my hands on a box of these just to see what the fuss is all about and finally I was given the chance when I received a box of “888”
Illusione cigars have strange names like 888,88, f9, hl and many more, but we can go over these some other time.
So lets get down to the review of these beauties.
Appearance
This is a great looking churchill with a dark brown wrapper. It feels firm to the touch without soft spots and no apparent veins. Good oils and looks very tempting.
It smells like leather and coffee.
Cut and cold draw
The cutting of the cigar was easy since the wrapper is not fragile.
On the cold draw the flavor you get is mostly coffee with some leather undertones.
First third
The 888 starts big with coffee and leather. Some black cherry is also noted but very faint.
After some puffs, maybe an inch into it , it turns into a spice bomb and this is even more evident when blowing the cigar out of the nose.
It feels creamy on the palette and the flavor lingers for a very long time. Very rich and balanced, draws very well with a perfect amount of resistance.
The burn is even but the ash looks a bit weak but not flaky.
This is a full bodied-full flavored cigar with a very unique taste.
Second third
Just into the second third and the cigar has finally settled down a bit. Now the cigar has turned leathery. Spice is still present in the background and some bitter chocolate notes start to arise.
The burn rate is good and razor sharp.
Almost close to the half point and now coffee is once again the dominant flavor, witch is a nice change after all this spice-leather-black cherry flood of the first half.
It gives my taste buds a chance to “recover”.
Third and last part
The third part of the 888 is filled with creamy spice. Nice, smooth and not even when there is only 1 ½ of an inch left did it get hot or harsh.
I just wish all cigars were that consistent!
Final thoughts
Illusiones are great cigars. Rich, smooth with a decadent feel to them.
Full bodied but balanced these are cigars that will age well, if you can resist them that is!
Not cheap but definitely worth their money
