Cigar Review: Illusione 88 "Robust"

It's time for another cigar review! This cigar comes courtesy of my friends over at Tex Cigars. They sent me a package of several cigars to review, and this was the second I picked of the bunch. I can't thank Tex Cigars enough. Now, on to the review!

The Story:

The Illusione 88 is a 5X52 Nicaraguan Puro. I have tried a couple other sizes in the line; the 68 (Petite Corona) and it didn't do much for me, but the #2 (torpedo) was phenomenal. This line of cigars is made up of 1st Generation 99 Corojo, Criollio 98 seed, and wrapped in Cafe Colorado Rosado Wrapper. As I did my research, I find that the designation for the number "88" is for the year the owner of the brand Dion Giolito moved from Oklahoma to Reno to be closer to his home in Las Vegas. If you ever get a chance to visit their site, you should read about his story of how he came to make Illusione. It's pretty fascinating.

Construction/Prelight:
Looks nice, One large vein down one side of the cigar. It feels fairly heavy for its size. Nothing really to complain about. The prelight draw is free with the slightest hint of resistance.

Flavors:


Once lit, the first few puffs give off a mellow tip of the tongue spice, followed by that rich Nicaraguan tobacco taste. After a little over an inch I get a nice leather flavor with a slightly nutty back round. It is very enjoyable, the finish, in my opinion, is a tad too short. I wish the flavor would sit a little longer on my pallet. I smoked 2 cigars for this review, but I smoked 1 about 6 months ago and I found it too spicy for me. The two I received for this review were much more smooth and well balanced. I also believe my tastes have changed slightly since then. I now gravitate more towards spicy cigars.

Half way down I taste a slight earthy sweetness. Very subtle, but it's there. Actually, it is becoming more intense the further down I get. The more I smoke this the more I wonder why the first cigar that I smoked over 6 months ago was so different than the 2 I smoked for this review. It's very puzzling. The last third is right at the brink of overwhelming back of the throat spice. The 2nd cigar I smoked was more spicy on the last 3rd than the first. Maybe that's just my perception, or I might have smoked the 2nd cigar faster. The aroma that came off the cigar was very sweet and woodsy. Very nice.


The Burn:

The burn is pretty erratic, but I touched it up after the first picture. I've never really cared how a cigar burned, unless it's to the point of being a nuisance. Very Strong ash.

Overall:

I would say this is a medium bodied cigar that moves towards full the further you smoke it. All in all this cigar was a solid 8 of 10. With a price point of just over $7 per stick if bought by the box, this cigar is a little more than I would like to spend. If it were in the $5 range it might be a 9 of 10.