BrandonP
Cigar King Scottsdale
Something a bit older from Dion, but one of my faves, the Illusione HL Candela was the recent topic of our CK Blog.
Claro, Candela, or American Market Selection are all names for a cigar wrapper that you hardly see used anymore, at least until Dion Giolito brought it back with a bang on 3 sizes from his Original Document line. The HL, ~888~, and ~88~ have all been adorned with this green wrapper and without a doubt bring out a lot of questions. Very few companies make a cigar using the candela wrapper now-a-days because for so long it was associated with cheap drug store cigars or something so mild that it had no flavor. Leave it to the creative mind behind Illusione to rethink that stigma and make being green cool again. Of all of the cigars in our humidor at Cigar King, the one I get the most questions about is the Illusione Claro lineup. People want to know what wrapper could be that green, what it tastes like, or how it smokes. The answer is the same to all of the questions, smoke it and see if you like it for yourself. About half the people love it, the other half dont, but there really isnt any middle ground. Lets find out what I think about the HL Claro with a review today.
Illusione HL Candela
Size: HL 7 ½ x 40
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Claro
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Strength: Medium
Flavor: Full
Cost: $8.75/stick or $199.95/box of 25
Appearance: The green wrapper catches many eyes in the humidor and the green color can vary depending on the box you open. The Illusione Candela can be a faded green color others are more lime green in appearance. Candela wrapper is extremely fragile and the heat needed to ferment the tobacco and keep it this color can be difficult which is why you see such major differences. The sample today is not quite a lime green, slightly less so, and smooth as silk. Some veins are noticeable but none seem obtrusive in anyway. The pigtail triple cap is beautifully done and as with all of Dions releases, the band is simple but elegant, gold writing over white stating ~HL~ and Illusione.
Illusione HL Candela
Pre-light Aroma: The pre-light aromas from this Illusione HL Candela are just as you would expect, sweet grass and hay with a touch of lemon zest. There are some smaller notes of a sweet spice, like a cinnamon, but they are not all that noticeable. The wrapper carries almost no scent with it at all, just a light sweet grass and thats all. The pre-light draw is open and easy with a taste of tea leaves with the cinnamon coming in again.
Like most candela, the Illusion HL Candela starts off with a sweet grass and hay flavor. After the first few puffs, the grassy flavor passes and you move into a more hickory and lemon flavor. A wonderful combination of flavors come from the smoke on this and the smokes aroma is just delightful. There is a very slight spice but it isnt yet strong enough for me to identify. The burn line has been good to this point and it has stayed lit without any relights. Smoking a lancero can be tricky, the smaller ring gauge requires a little more work to keep it lit. If you smoke it too fast it will burn hot and go bitter very easily and smoke it too slow and you will run through a lighter full of butane real quick.
The second third takes on a more smokey profile in this Illusione HL Candela, with the hickory really starting to shine through. The lemon zest has backed off considerably and is more of an afterthought now and the spice is still lingering behind. Along with the smokey Hickory flavor there is an cedar intensity starting to kick in. Strength is in the solid medium-full category, something you dont usually get with a candela wrapped cigar. Historically the green wrappers were put on very mild blends, which makes this release from Dion stand out even more.
Illusione HL Candela
The final third finishes with more of the sweet grass flavor then the middle portion and the hickory moves to a more backside note. As I stated earlier in the post, the Illusione HL Candela is a love it or hate it kind of stick and I can say I am the former group. A great stick, especially when you want to switch it up and smoke something different. The flavors you get from this arent like anything else on the market and when you match that with the quality of Illusione, you have a winner on your hands.
Cigar King Staff Quotes:
Joe- A wonderful combination of sweet and spicy, yet different then anything else out there.
Gary- Illusione switched gears with the HL Candela in a big way. It was a good move!
A.G.- Much like Ogres and onions, this cigar has layers. Fantastic, flavorful layers.
Claro, Candela, or American Market Selection are all names for a cigar wrapper that you hardly see used anymore, at least until Dion Giolito brought it back with a bang on 3 sizes from his Original Document line. The HL, ~888~, and ~88~ have all been adorned with this green wrapper and without a doubt bring out a lot of questions. Very few companies make a cigar using the candela wrapper now-a-days because for so long it was associated with cheap drug store cigars or something so mild that it had no flavor. Leave it to the creative mind behind Illusione to rethink that stigma and make being green cool again. Of all of the cigars in our humidor at Cigar King, the one I get the most questions about is the Illusione Claro lineup. People want to know what wrapper could be that green, what it tastes like, or how it smokes. The answer is the same to all of the questions, smoke it and see if you like it for yourself. About half the people love it, the other half dont, but there really isnt any middle ground. Lets find out what I think about the HL Claro with a review today.
Illusione HL Candela
Size: HL 7 ½ x 40
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Claro
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Strength: Medium
Flavor: Full
Cost: $8.75/stick or $199.95/box of 25
Appearance: The green wrapper catches many eyes in the humidor and the green color can vary depending on the box you open. The Illusione Candela can be a faded green color others are more lime green in appearance. Candela wrapper is extremely fragile and the heat needed to ferment the tobacco and keep it this color can be difficult which is why you see such major differences. The sample today is not quite a lime green, slightly less so, and smooth as silk. Some veins are noticeable but none seem obtrusive in anyway. The pigtail triple cap is beautifully done and as with all of Dions releases, the band is simple but elegant, gold writing over white stating ~HL~ and Illusione.
Illusione HL Candela
Pre-light Aroma: The pre-light aromas from this Illusione HL Candela are just as you would expect, sweet grass and hay with a touch of lemon zest. There are some smaller notes of a sweet spice, like a cinnamon, but they are not all that noticeable. The wrapper carries almost no scent with it at all, just a light sweet grass and thats all. The pre-light draw is open and easy with a taste of tea leaves with the cinnamon coming in again.
Like most candela, the Illusion HL Candela starts off with a sweet grass and hay flavor. After the first few puffs, the grassy flavor passes and you move into a more hickory and lemon flavor. A wonderful combination of flavors come from the smoke on this and the smokes aroma is just delightful. There is a very slight spice but it isnt yet strong enough for me to identify. The burn line has been good to this point and it has stayed lit without any relights. Smoking a lancero can be tricky, the smaller ring gauge requires a little more work to keep it lit. If you smoke it too fast it will burn hot and go bitter very easily and smoke it too slow and you will run through a lighter full of butane real quick.
The second third takes on a more smokey profile in this Illusione HL Candela, with the hickory really starting to shine through. The lemon zest has backed off considerably and is more of an afterthought now and the spice is still lingering behind. Along with the smokey Hickory flavor there is an cedar intensity starting to kick in. Strength is in the solid medium-full category, something you dont usually get with a candela wrapped cigar. Historically the green wrappers were put on very mild blends, which makes this release from Dion stand out even more.
Illusione HL Candela
The final third finishes with more of the sweet grass flavor then the middle portion and the hickory moves to a more backside note. As I stated earlier in the post, the Illusione HL Candela is a love it or hate it kind of stick and I can say I am the former group. A great stick, especially when you want to switch it up and smoke something different. The flavors you get from this arent like anything else on the market and when you match that with the quality of Illusione, you have a winner on your hands.
Cigar King Staff Quotes:
Joe- A wonderful combination of sweet and spicy, yet different then anything else out there.
Gary- Illusione switched gears with the HL Candela in a big way. It was a good move!
A.G.- Much like Ogres and onions, this cigar has layers. Fantastic, flavorful layers.
