Wrapper: Mexican San Andres Maduro
Binder: Nicaraguan Corojo ‘99
Filler: Nicaraguan Aganorsa
Size: 4.5 x 50 “Petite Robusto”
Body: Medium/Full
Price: $4.00-$5.25

This cigar is the first in a handful of reviews in which the cigar was not aged for over a year in my humidor. It is only 6 months old. Cute little baby.

Blender, Dion Giliotto has always been a mystery to me. Some of his cigars are bona fide genius and others, pretty good; but really just OK. The inconsistency befuddles me.

The Illusione Rothchildes is Illusione’s latest release. This is the first new release since late 2011. Illusione did not debut a cigar at the 2012 IPCPR Trade Show.

All of his cigars are made in small batches at the Raices Cubanas Factory. So, generally, they never last long on the shelves…sometimes weeks, days, or even hours.

The Illusione *r* Rothchildes is something new and old at the same time. Here is how the Illusione folks describe it:
“New is old. Forward is backward. Making arrangements is necessary when confronting the all-controlling. We have here, for the loyal masses – a cigar – ‘Illusione Rothchildes’ – a classic 4 1/2 x 50 ring of long filler Nicaraguan tobacco led by a decadent maduro wrapper. New yet familiar, our new release will please the palate and the pocketbook. A stand-alone cigar. a stand-alone size. A stand-alone brand. The powers that be deliver this cigar to you during the Ides of March.”
I had to clean up some of the grammar and spelling so you can understand the gist of what they are saying. I’m sure they will forgive me. Quite a lofty statement. And maybe too many times on the road following the Grateful Dead.

Construction is rustic. But solid. Superbly constructed with hidden seams but loads of veins. There is a mottling that looks like a Brindle. The triple cap is flawless. There is a nice oily sheen and the cigar is as smooth as my tushy.

I sniff and detect mint leaves, cocoa, spice, anise and coffee. I now cut the cap to the aroma test. That newly bit of tobacco that is exposed gives off a lot more aroma than the foot. The anise is very strong.

I light up.

The first puffs are full of flavor. There is a cereal component that my first reaction was Tony the Tiger. There is a delightful sweetness not attributed to anything quite yet. The draw is a bit tight. Lots of cocoa. The anise proves to be an aroma and not a flavor. The sweetness turns out to be driving the bus during the first little bit. The char line is a bit wavy. The cigar is so packed with tobacco that it becomes a very slow burner. I bet this small cigar is a 90 minute occasion.

There are a lot of smart blenders out there using the San Andres wrapper. Not long ago, everyone stayed away from Mexican leaves. Now they show up on some of the best cigars.

A spiciness, black pepper, has been there from the beginning but ratcheting up very slowly. And I’m only at the half inch mark; which has taken me almost 10 minutes. There is also a hay component. I don’t like hay. Along with the sweetness, the cocoa pushes itself to the forefront. The char line is almost a perfect geometric parabolic line…wavy in unison.

Creaminess jumps on board early. Mixed with the tobacco sweetness and the cocoa; now we are having a party. The draw continues to be a bit tight, but not aggravating. I hesitate to use my tool for opening an airway because sometimes it causes the wrapper to crack. And since this is my only stick, I cannot afford that kind of trouble.

The first third ends with a minor flourish. Nice flavors. Nothing really expansive but really solid cigar making. Don Giliotto had a 1950’s Cubanesque idea when he blended this; right down to the cigar band. My grandfather slipped me Cubans at the age of 12 in 1962. He spent time with me teaching me how to enjoy cigars. Yet I’ve never smoked a single cigarette in my life. I was a natural. And each time Grandpa came to stay with us in California; twice or three times a year, from Pittsburgh; he brought cigars for my stash. He instructed me not to share them but I did. With my best friend. We would go down to the L.A. river bed which was all concrete and sit below an overpass and light up and enjoy all the graffiti on the wall of the bridge upright. It was our first method of getting high. Weed didn’t come til our senior year in high school.

The second third sees more definitive flavors like the coffee. A mocha latte, to be exact. The spice is still not very strong and hangs back. The hay is gone, thankfully.

Apparently, I was a little too careless with the humidity for this stick as I am getting small wrapper cracks. I found this great cigar repair glue that has replaced my trusted El Ligador. It is cheaper and works better; and quicker. It is called Kingpin. You can get it here: http://www.rollingpaperdepot.com/Kingpin-Cigar-Glue-White-Chocolate It comes in different flavors which is a little distracting while it dries, but once it does dry, the aroma and flavor disappear completely. While El Ligador works with a brush attached to the cap, Kingpin works more like Crazy Glue with an applicator. It also allows you to glue the kink in the wrapper by just applying it over the tear instead of trying to apply it underneath the wrinkle; and possibly making it worse.

Even better? El Ligador costs $4.95 while a much bigger quantity of Kingpin is only $1.49. I bought two bottles. I applied it to the two cracks I am experiencing and because it lies on top of the wrapper, makes a lousy photo.
But fortunately, the tears are on the back side of the band side.

The spice is almost gone now. Sweetness, cocoa and coffee dominate. This is not a complex cigar but at this price point, you do get to enjoy an Illusione. All the cigar makers are hip to the rotten economy and have all put out lesser priced blends. They had to keep their fan base happy.
I approach the halfway point and it’s taken me 40 minutes to do so.

The second half is losing its appeal. The flavors are muted. No more pepper. What is going on here? The first third saw a much more vibrant flavor profile.

I guess I shall be patient. I should also add that this stick is almost shy of being medium bodied. No power at all.

The cocoa makes a measly surge. But I am beginning to think you get what you pay for. Although, I have smoked some fine cigars in the same price range. This cigar is supposed to appeal to the masses; albeit a small batch entity.

More small cracks appear. The difference between Kingpin and El Ligador is that the Kingpin doesn’t leave a white pasty look to the fix. The wrapper maintains its original color.

I am now into the last third. Tea is an Illusione standard flavor in all its cigars. So far, it has not shown up here.

The last couple of inches find the stick making a run for it with emboldened flavors. The spiciness comes back and ratchets up. The trifecta of cocoa, creaminess and coffee are more prevalent. And the body becomes a classic medium. But still not what I expected.

I am not overly impressed with this cigar. It’s not bad, but I had higher expectations because of the breeding. It has turned out to be any number of cigars in the $4 range. Not bad, but nothing special either.

Maybe the 6 months aging time in my humidor took some of the life out of it. I don’t know. I’m a big fan of some of the original blends. And of course, they are much more expensive but, again, you get what you pay for.

The body makes a push to just shy of full bodied but I don’t think it will get there.

The flavors are good as I reach the last inch and a half but not spectacular. I plan to smoke as much as I can towards the nub but I pretty much feel the cigar has shown me all it is capable of showing.

I probably won’t buy another. I’m a big Casa Fernandez freak. And they have a new blend called Copacabana. It too, is a $4 stick but what a difference. The Copa is a flavor bomb almost from the beginning; so if I spend $4 a stick on a box of cigars, I will opt for the Copacabana: http://www.atlanticcigar.com/cigars/Casa-Fernandez-Copacabana.asp

You can read my Copacabana review at this link: https://kohnhed.com/2013/05/03/cigar-review-casa-fernandez-copacabana/
The band just won’t come off without destroying it and this makes me laugh. A perfect ending for an imperfect cigar.

Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS