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The Illusione brand cigars are made from regenerated prized tobacco fields of the Jalapa Valley and Esteli in Nicaragua. They are also small batch cigars made with the finest ingredients, and by the finest torcedors. There is also a story line behind the naming of these cigars, but too long to put here. Go to www.illusionecigars.com for more information about the background.
Pre-Smoke
The "2" is a high quality hand made cigar. A beauty of a rosado wrapper, slightly oily, fine veining, covers the "2", and exudes an earthy, spicy aroma. The cigar is firm, well constructed and feels good in the hand. The band is simple and clean, black and white, and the triple cap is perfectly applied.
A clip of the cap and a cold draw produces just enough resistance and a sweet, spicy tobacco flavor.
Burn
After toasting and lighting, the "2" burned pretty well unless it was rushed, then the line tended to waver, but never needed touching up. The gray ash held pretty tight and there was not a lot of smoke.
The Flavor
This cigar did not begin with a blast of pepper unlike many others. What I did get was a base leather flavor, with some chocolate nuttiness. Maybe some coffee notes in the background and the beginnings of that odd spice note that no-one seems to be able to identify.
As the cigar progressed, the spice developed along with the strength. Some pepper, like a sweet-smoky cayenne appears in the middle and is most prominent on the tip of the tongue. The leathery coffee background continues on to the end from here.
As the burn line neared the nub, some flashes of cedar appeared in the flavor profile and kept the cigar evolving and changing. The Illusione 2 compares with many of the Pepin cigars in flavor development and construction, and adds its own twist to make it unique. Somewhat difficult to find, but well worth it.
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