The Goods:
The Cigar: Illusione cg:4 (The White Horse)
Vitola: 5-5/8 x 46 Corona
Build: Nicaraguan Filler, Binder, and Wrapper
Time in Cooler: Approximately 4 months
Pairing: Maker's Mark and Coke
Weather: Cool and Clear 70 Degrees
After a seemingly never ending day at work and a nice dinner out with my wife, I came home wanting to smoke a cigar I hadn't tried before. I dug through the coolers until I found one that fit the bill, the Illusione cg:4. I'm a relative noob when it comes to Illusione, having only smoked an Epernay.
The cg:4 is a beautiful corona sized cigar. It has a nice brown wrapper, although this particular stick had a few blemishes. This cigar, along with most Illusiones has a simple white band with black lettering. The stick had a great aroma, exactly what you expect from a good cigar. The cigar had a nice weight to it and fell rather solid, but not as though it was packed too hard. I poured myself a drink and headed to the back deck. After getting situated, I punched the triple cap with my Xikar Element lighter/punch combo. While punching the cigar, I heard that dreaded crack and noticed the head of the cigar had split. Hmmm.... The punch is sharp and the cigar didn't feel dry... Odd. I took a few pre-light puffs and decided the crack was not bad enough to affect the smoke. I then went to light the cigar when I realized the cap had unraveled. I pulled it from the top and light the cigar.
The pre-light draw featured a spicy tobacco flavor that I hoped stayed after the light. It did... for a bit. The cigar lit after a little bit of work and I was hit with thick white smoke and that spicy tobacco! It's not as spicy as other coronas I've had such as the Dirty Rat or the Man O War Puro, however I really liked the flavor. Unfortunately, it only lasted for a few puffs. It transformed into a more tobacco dominated taste. It reminded me of the scent of a freshly lit cigar, except I was tasting and not just smelling it.
Speaking of scent, the smoke put out by the cg:4 was delightful. It was not at all harsh or bitter. It had almost a sweet, floral scent to it that added to the experience. After only about a quarter of an inch, the ash fell. After the ash fell, the cigar seemed to slowly go out. I had to puff rather hard in an attempt to get it going again. After sufficiently getting it stoked, I set it down while I worked on some things. After not even two minutes, I picked up the cigar and it went out. I re-lit in what would be the first of a few re-lights.
Luckily, after the re-light, the tobacco taste stayed, without turning bitter. The cigar took on an oak flavor that was enhanced by the bourbon. Eventually though, after the flavor died down a bit, the bourbon seemingly over-powered the flavors of the cigar. As I puffed on, I noticed a few burn issues that eventually corrected themselves after some cigar rotation. The little bit of ash that would stay on the cigar was flaky and a dull gray. It would easily fall off when the cigar was moved or set in an ashtray.
After another re-light, the toasted tobacco flavor gave way to more of a creaminess. Luckily there was still no bitterness to be found, as that is the quickest way for me to dump a cigar. The smooth, creamy flavor stayed with the cigar into the second half.
With this being a corona sized cigar, I noticed that if I puffed too fast, the cigar would start burning hot. However, if I puffed too slow, it would die out. As I was still working on stuff for an upcoming camping trip, I found this to be a tad annoying. I was still thoroughly enjoying the flavors from the cigar though so kept on going with it. The burn line on the cg:4 was wavy pretty much the entire time I smoked it. After touch-ups and what not, it would burn straight for a bit but then waver away.
After the third re-light the burn line seemed to straighten out and the cigar began to put out the kind of smoke it did when first lit, nice and thick. Also after this re-light, the cigar flavors popped with a woodiness profile. It reminded me of burning wood, which was rather new for me on the cigar side of things. I have tasted something similar when smoking a pipe, but couldn't put my finger on it. As I puffed along, this cigar became what I hoped it would have been the whole time. It was effortless, burned strong and tasted great.
The woodiness stayed with the cigar along with the thick smoke. Again though, I found out that if I puffed too hard or fast I would be rewarded with hot smoke and a little bit of bitterness. At right about the 1 hour mark I noticed I had the longest ash of the night, about a half inch. The burn was also correcting itself much easier than before. As I puffed I was able to discern a bit of spice trying to make a comeback. It was overpowered by the woody flavors, but it was nice tasting just a little bit come back. I also began to feel the nicotine kick in a bit. I would describe the cg:4 as a medium to full cigar and was beginning to wonder if the cigar worked in that order.
After another touch-up, I was finally met with some bitterness. I tried to cool the cigar down a bit and take the band off while waiting. However, upon trying to slide the band off the top of the cigar, I took what seemed to be the rest of the cap and part of the wrapper with it. While this didn't really affect the smoke either good or bad, it made for an uncomfortable mouth feel. After a few more puffs of pure bitter smoke, I decided I was over this cigar and dropped it in the ashtray.
Although this cigar had hints of brilliance, it never lived up to it's potential. I wasn't in the mood for the kind of babying that it seemed to require. I do have a few more resting comfortably in the cooler, where I think they will stay for at least a few more months. I will say that after smoking the cigar, the taste that remained in my mouth was a pleasant one. All in all, I did like the cigar, when it was performing right. Will I try again? Absolutely. Will I buy more? Yeah, if the price is right.
The Cigar: Illusione cg:4 (The White Horse)
Vitola: 5-5/8 x 46 Corona
Build: Nicaraguan Filler, Binder, and Wrapper
Time in Cooler: Approximately 4 months
Pairing: Maker's Mark and Coke
Weather: Cool and Clear 70 Degrees
After a seemingly never ending day at work and a nice dinner out with my wife, I came home wanting to smoke a cigar I hadn't tried before. I dug through the coolers until I found one that fit the bill, the Illusione cg:4. I'm a relative noob when it comes to Illusione, having only smoked an Epernay.
The cg:4 is a beautiful corona sized cigar. It has a nice brown wrapper, although this particular stick had a few blemishes. This cigar, along with most Illusiones has a simple white band with black lettering. The stick had a great aroma, exactly what you expect from a good cigar. The cigar had a nice weight to it and fell rather solid, but not as though it was packed too hard. I poured myself a drink and headed to the back deck. After getting situated, I punched the triple cap with my Xikar Element lighter/punch combo. While punching the cigar, I heard that dreaded crack and noticed the head of the cigar had split. Hmmm.... The punch is sharp and the cigar didn't feel dry... Odd. I took a few pre-light puffs and decided the crack was not bad enough to affect the smoke. I then went to light the cigar when I realized the cap had unraveled. I pulled it from the top and light the cigar.
The pre-light draw featured a spicy tobacco flavor that I hoped stayed after the light. It did... for a bit. The cigar lit after a little bit of work and I was hit with thick white smoke and that spicy tobacco! It's not as spicy as other coronas I've had such as the Dirty Rat or the Man O War Puro, however I really liked the flavor. Unfortunately, it only lasted for a few puffs. It transformed into a more tobacco dominated taste. It reminded me of the scent of a freshly lit cigar, except I was tasting and not just smelling it.
Speaking of scent, the smoke put out by the cg:4 was delightful. It was not at all harsh or bitter. It had almost a sweet, floral scent to it that added to the experience. After only about a quarter of an inch, the ash fell. After the ash fell, the cigar seemed to slowly go out. I had to puff rather hard in an attempt to get it going again. After sufficiently getting it stoked, I set it down while I worked on some things. After not even two minutes, I picked up the cigar and it went out. I re-lit in what would be the first of a few re-lights.
Luckily, after the re-light, the tobacco taste stayed, without turning bitter. The cigar took on an oak flavor that was enhanced by the bourbon. Eventually though, after the flavor died down a bit, the bourbon seemingly over-powered the flavors of the cigar. As I puffed on, I noticed a few burn issues that eventually corrected themselves after some cigar rotation. The little bit of ash that would stay on the cigar was flaky and a dull gray. It would easily fall off when the cigar was moved or set in an ashtray.
After another re-light, the toasted tobacco flavor gave way to more of a creaminess. Luckily there was still no bitterness to be found, as that is the quickest way for me to dump a cigar. The smooth, creamy flavor stayed with the cigar into the second half.
With this being a corona sized cigar, I noticed that if I puffed too fast, the cigar would start burning hot. However, if I puffed too slow, it would die out. As I was still working on stuff for an upcoming camping trip, I found this to be a tad annoying. I was still thoroughly enjoying the flavors from the cigar though so kept on going with it. The burn line on the cg:4 was wavy pretty much the entire time I smoked it. After touch-ups and what not, it would burn straight for a bit but then waver away.
After the third re-light the burn line seemed to straighten out and the cigar began to put out the kind of smoke it did when first lit, nice and thick. Also after this re-light, the cigar flavors popped with a woodiness profile. It reminded me of burning wood, which was rather new for me on the cigar side of things. I have tasted something similar when smoking a pipe, but couldn't put my finger on it. As I puffed along, this cigar became what I hoped it would have been the whole time. It was effortless, burned strong and tasted great.
The woodiness stayed with the cigar along with the thick smoke. Again though, I found out that if I puffed too hard or fast I would be rewarded with hot smoke and a little bit of bitterness. At right about the 1 hour mark I noticed I had the longest ash of the night, about a half inch. The burn was also correcting itself much easier than before. As I puffed I was able to discern a bit of spice trying to make a comeback. It was overpowered by the woody flavors, but it was nice tasting just a little bit come back. I also began to feel the nicotine kick in a bit. I would describe the cg:4 as a medium to full cigar and was beginning to wonder if the cigar worked in that order.
After another touch-up, I was finally met with some bitterness. I tried to cool the cigar down a bit and take the band off while waiting. However, upon trying to slide the band off the top of the cigar, I took what seemed to be the rest of the cap and part of the wrapper with it. While this didn't really affect the smoke either good or bad, it made for an uncomfortable mouth feel. After a few more puffs of pure bitter smoke, I decided I was over this cigar and dropped it in the ashtray.
Although this cigar had hints of brilliance, it never lived up to it's potential. I wasn't in the mood for the kind of babying that it seemed to require. I do have a few more resting comfortably in the cooler, where I think they will stay for at least a few more months. I will say that after smoking the cigar, the taste that remained in my mouth was a pleasant one. All in all, I did like the cigar, when it was performing right. Will I try again? Absolutely. Will I buy more? Yeah, if the price is right.
