danthebugman
BoM Nov '10
Folks the weather here is slated to be unseasonably mild this week so there shall be more of these to come...:grin:.
Size: 5 x 52
Wrapper: Nicaraguan
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Price: $6-7
Intro: Many of you are surely familiar with Illusione cigars, but for those that aren't...Illusione is a brand created by Dion Giolito to attempt to re-create a pre-1979 flavor profile. They feature Nicaraguan Corojo '99 and Criollo '98 seed tobacco, Cafe Colorado wrappers, and are rolled at the Raices Cubanas factory in Honduras. The cigar I'm smoking today, the ~88~ Robust is named for the year (1988) that Dion transfered from Oklahoma back to Reno to finish college. And Robust is not (as you may naturally assume) for Robusto, but instead speaks more to the body of the cigar. The particular cigar has been sitting in my humidor for a while now. Frank bought it for my B-day when we were at Outlaw for the Drew Estate event a couple years ago. Can't believe I've let it set this long so let's see how it is.
Prelight: There is nothing flashy about this cigar. No colorful band. No dark, uber oily wrapper. No fancy packaging. If you were to notice it on the shelf at your local B&M, you may very well pass it up as just another cigar (unless you knew better :grin
. The wrapper is a slightly reddish, uniform medium brown color. The band a simple white with the cigar's name in black. The seams are visible, but tightly rolled. The cap is neatly applied. All in all a neat and understated package. This cigar has a small tear in the wrapper about half way up. Shouldn't effect the smoke that much. A quick prelight sniff reveals a fleeting, slightly salty, barnyard-like aroma. A quick snap of the Palio yields a clean cut with the perfect amount of resistance. The cold draw contains promises of a spicy, nutty, woody experience. It was windy today, very windy so I trapsed to my shed to light up and it didn't take a whole lot of effort to turn the foot into a glowing red cherry.
First Third: Right off the bat there was a really nice sweet, nutty/cinnamon flavor with an almost buttery finish on it. Superb. After about half an inch a woody flavor joined the flavor profile. The burn was pretty straight. The ash was a dark gray in color, but a bit loose. The wind would blow and take pieces of it away.
Second Third: Creeping into the second third the woody flavor became increasingly the main flavor, but the sweet, buttery finish was still there to keep things interesting. The burn continued to be mostly straight, but needed a few touch ups as it burned through this part of the cigar. About half way though the second third the wood started to take on a charred flavor.
Last Third: Starting out the last third the charred woodiness quickly became pretty harsh. I set it down for a few minutes and when I returned it was still harsh so I did a purge, which promptly shot out a flame that burned my hand that had been cupped to shield the wind. Ouch. But as a result the harshness went away and the wood flavor was there, but with an earthiness to it. As the last third wound down a little of the original sweet, nutty flavor returned on the finish.
Final Thoughts: Great start to the week :thumbsup:. If I were stranded on a deserted island and all I had was a box of these I'd be a happy camper...well, until I ran out. Which could be pretty quick :grin:. Definitely going on my short list for a future purchase. If you see 'em at your local or online, do yourself a favor and pick some up to try.
Dan
Size: 5 x 52
Wrapper: Nicaraguan
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Price: $6-7
Intro: Many of you are surely familiar with Illusione cigars, but for those that aren't...Illusione is a brand created by Dion Giolito to attempt to re-create a pre-1979 flavor profile. They feature Nicaraguan Corojo '99 and Criollo '98 seed tobacco, Cafe Colorado wrappers, and are rolled at the Raices Cubanas factory in Honduras. The cigar I'm smoking today, the ~88~ Robust is named for the year (1988) that Dion transfered from Oklahoma back to Reno to finish college. And Robust is not (as you may naturally assume) for Robusto, but instead speaks more to the body of the cigar. The particular cigar has been sitting in my humidor for a while now. Frank bought it for my B-day when we were at Outlaw for the Drew Estate event a couple years ago. Can't believe I've let it set this long so let's see how it is.
Prelight: There is nothing flashy about this cigar. No colorful band. No dark, uber oily wrapper. No fancy packaging. If you were to notice it on the shelf at your local B&M, you may very well pass it up as just another cigar (unless you knew better :grin
. The wrapper is a slightly reddish, uniform medium brown color. The band a simple white with the cigar's name in black. The seams are visible, but tightly rolled. The cap is neatly applied. All in all a neat and understated package. This cigar has a small tear in the wrapper about half way up. Shouldn't effect the smoke that much. A quick prelight sniff reveals a fleeting, slightly salty, barnyard-like aroma. A quick snap of the Palio yields a clean cut with the perfect amount of resistance. The cold draw contains promises of a spicy, nutty, woody experience. It was windy today, very windy so I trapsed to my shed to light up and it didn't take a whole lot of effort to turn the foot into a glowing red cherry.
First Third: Right off the bat there was a really nice sweet, nutty/cinnamon flavor with an almost buttery finish on it. Superb. After about half an inch a woody flavor joined the flavor profile. The burn was pretty straight. The ash was a dark gray in color, but a bit loose. The wind would blow and take pieces of it away.
Second Third: Creeping into the second third the woody flavor became increasingly the main flavor, but the sweet, buttery finish was still there to keep things interesting. The burn continued to be mostly straight, but needed a few touch ups as it burned through this part of the cigar. About half way though the second third the wood started to take on a charred flavor.
Last Third: Starting out the last third the charred woodiness quickly became pretty harsh. I set it down for a few minutes and when I returned it was still harsh so I did a purge, which promptly shot out a flame that burned my hand that had been cupped to shield the wind. Ouch. But as a result the harshness went away and the wood flavor was there, but with an earthiness to it. As the last third wound down a little of the original sweet, nutty flavor returned on the finish.
Final Thoughts: Great start to the week :thumbsup:. If I were stranded on a deserted island and all I had was a box of these I'd be a happy camper...well, until I ran out. Which could be pretty quick :grin:. Definitely going on my short list for a future purchase. If you see 'em at your local or online, do yourself a favor and pick some up to try.
Dan
