Illusione MK Ultra
Size: 5-1/8 x 42
Wrapper: Nicaragua Corojo
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
About:
Rolled in the Raices Cubanas factory in Honduras out of Nicaraguan tobacco, the Illusione MK Ultra is an amped-up version of the regular Illusione MK. Back in the early days of Illusione, there were two versions of the MK, with the stronger of the two called the MK Ultra. Apparently, brand owner Dion Giolito was not as happy with this version of the MK, but did end up releasing a small number of them in 2008.
The cigar was originally named after an old United Sates military project where soldiers were given LSD to make them more susceptible to subconscious suggestion, and to turn them into a breed of zombie soldiers.
In 2011 the MK Ultra was rereleased, and Illusione lovers are sure to enjoy this Illusione on steroids as well.
Pre-light:
The wrapper was a rich dark color, and it had an almost reddish hue. There was one small vein running the length of the cigar, and a small hole in the wrapper near the band, but I suspect that this was due to the handling and transport of this cigar during its trip from the factory in Honduras to the Cigar Snapshot Herfquarters here in California.
The cigar was very firm to the touch, with no soft spots at all. The band on this cigar stands out because it is the opposite of the regular Illusione band. Instead of being a white band with black writing, this cigar had a black band with white writing.
AROMA: The prelight aroma was surprisingly unassuming. There were light hints of hay with a note of black currant. These aromas were very subtle without any overpowering characteristics at all. There was a slight sweet aroma at the foot.
TASTE: The prelight tastes were mainly rich earthy and barnyard flavors. There was a slight spicy tingle at the back of my palate, and the prelight retrohale was extraordinarily earthy and peaty.
1/3:
The cigar started off with a creamy character overall, with a very noticeably nutty undertone. Despite the mild start to the flavor profile, there was an unmistakable underlying strength that was quite evident. There was a very slight touch of sweetness on the wrapper as well, which was a nice counterpoint to the strength component.
As the first third started to progress, the flavors really started to evolve and build exponentially.
2/3:
In the second third, the strength continued to build, but not in the way that the currently trendy ligero bombs throw out all strength and no flavor at all. Rather, this strength had an overall fullness, but with a sense of finesse as well. There was a rich earthy component that entered the profile with the nuttiness of the first third. The ash was dark gray and firm, and the burn was perfectly razor-sharp.
3/3:
The flavors leveled out a bit in the final third, and this allowed the subtle sweetness to emerge a little bit more in the profile. At the same time, the strength continued to build as the cigar progressed through the final third. I also started to detect a slight tingling spicy sensation on my lips, which was almost a full circle to the spicy tingle that I noted in the prelight taste. These flavors continued to build right up until I smoked the cigar to the nub.
Overall:
In the current market where a lot of manufacturers seem to add as much ligero as possible to yield a cigar with tons of strength with no real flavor components to speak of, the Illusione MK Ultra stands out. The cigar did indeed have a healthy dose of ligero, and it also had an evolving and complex flavor profile to go along with it.
In my opinion, this blend matched perfectly with the vitola, and if you like a cigar on the stronger side of the spectrum that can also deliver a blend with finesse, you owe it to yourself to give the Illusione MK Ultra a try to experience strength done correctly.
Click HERE to link to the page and listen to the entire episode.
.
Size: 5-1/8 x 42
Wrapper: Nicaragua Corojo
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
About:
Rolled in the Raices Cubanas factory in Honduras out of Nicaraguan tobacco, the Illusione MK Ultra is an amped-up version of the regular Illusione MK. Back in the early days of Illusione, there were two versions of the MK, with the stronger of the two called the MK Ultra. Apparently, brand owner Dion Giolito was not as happy with this version of the MK, but did end up releasing a small number of them in 2008.
The cigar was originally named after an old United Sates military project where soldiers were given LSD to make them more susceptible to subconscious suggestion, and to turn them into a breed of zombie soldiers.
In 2011 the MK Ultra was rereleased, and Illusione lovers are sure to enjoy this Illusione on steroids as well.
Pre-light:
The wrapper was a rich dark color, and it had an almost reddish hue. There was one small vein running the length of the cigar, and a small hole in the wrapper near the band, but I suspect that this was due to the handling and transport of this cigar during its trip from the factory in Honduras to the Cigar Snapshot Herfquarters here in California.
The cigar was very firm to the touch, with no soft spots at all. The band on this cigar stands out because it is the opposite of the regular Illusione band. Instead of being a white band with black writing, this cigar had a black band with white writing.
AROMA: The prelight aroma was surprisingly unassuming. There were light hints of hay with a note of black currant. These aromas were very subtle without any overpowering characteristics at all. There was a slight sweet aroma at the foot.
TASTE: The prelight tastes were mainly rich earthy and barnyard flavors. There was a slight spicy tingle at the back of my palate, and the prelight retrohale was extraordinarily earthy and peaty.
1/3:
The cigar started off with a creamy character overall, with a very noticeably nutty undertone. Despite the mild start to the flavor profile, there was an unmistakable underlying strength that was quite evident. There was a very slight touch of sweetness on the wrapper as well, which was a nice counterpoint to the strength component.
As the first third started to progress, the flavors really started to evolve and build exponentially.
2/3:
In the second third, the strength continued to build, but not in the way that the currently trendy ligero bombs throw out all strength and no flavor at all. Rather, this strength had an overall fullness, but with a sense of finesse as well. There was a rich earthy component that entered the profile with the nuttiness of the first third. The ash was dark gray and firm, and the burn was perfectly razor-sharp.
3/3:
The flavors leveled out a bit in the final third, and this allowed the subtle sweetness to emerge a little bit more in the profile. At the same time, the strength continued to build as the cigar progressed through the final third. I also started to detect a slight tingling spicy sensation on my lips, which was almost a full circle to the spicy tingle that I noted in the prelight taste. These flavors continued to build right up until I smoked the cigar to the nub.
Overall:
In the current market where a lot of manufacturers seem to add as much ligero as possible to yield a cigar with tons of strength with no real flavor components to speak of, the Illusione MK Ultra stands out. The cigar did indeed have a healthy dose of ligero, and it also had an evolving and complex flavor profile to go along with it.
In my opinion, this blend matched perfectly with the vitola, and if you like a cigar on the stronger side of the spectrum that can also deliver a blend with finesse, you owe it to yourself to give the Illusione MK Ultra a try to experience strength done correctly.
Click HERE to link to the page and listen to the entire episode.
.
