Illusione Haut 10

[CBoukal]

I was gifted this awesome cigar from a great brother @jshupp and he asked me to review a few of the cigars he sent.

I smoked this one last night (11-29-21) around 7pm. I've never heard of these before receiving it so I did a little reading so I knew what to expect.
1st third - Strong start, lots of pepper, some salt and maybe stray nut in there. Reviews said the retro is where a lot of the flavors come alive. So on my third puff I retro'd all the smoke which immediately showed me the error of my ways. That retro may have been the most pepper ever in my nose. Only way to describe it would be if you went to one of those Mongolian BBQ's and took their hottest sauce, put a straw in it and sucked in!!!! HOLY MOTHER OF GOD!!!!!

After I recovered and returned from the hospital (not really) I continued, I waited until the second third to try the retro again and this time I either didn't have any hairs left to burn or it had calmed down quite a bit. The cigar itself isn't overly strong but the retro is. Now I am getting hints of plum and more nut. @cabaiguan juan I would guess Walnuts if you need me to be specific.

Final third is finishing with the same fruit, some more pepper is back and coffee, The coffee is a really nice finish. Paired this with water only.
Total smoking time was 75 minutes plus the drive to and from the ER
Rating: 93/100
I would certainly buy some, I would just be a little more careful on the retro.
Thanks for the experience Justin

 

[Thoughts]

Nice review!

 

[cabaiguan juan]

@CBoukal i appreciate the specifics.

 

[JoeMO]

Great review. Hopefully Justin can do the same with one of his new sticks. Though the twins might have something to say about that.

 

[ConDaddy]

Great review! I will say it’s not very responsible of you to post such a positive review. Now I want to buy some!

 

[kann]

Great review, and good call on self-driving vs. taking an ambulance -- you aren't allowed to smoke in the back of the hospital truck.

 

[jshupp]

I was gifted this awesome cigar from a great brother @jshupp and he asked me to review a few of the cigars he sent.

I smoked this one last night (11-29-21) around 7pm. I've never heard of these before receiving it so I did a little reading so I knew what to expect.
1st third - Strong start, lots of pepper, some salt and maybe stray nut in there. Reviews said the retro is where a lot of the flavors come alive. So on my third puff I retro'd all the smoke which immediately showed me the error of my ways. That retro may have been the most pepper ever in my nose. Only way to describe it would be if you went to one of those Mongolian BBQ's and took their hottest sauce, put a straw in it and sucked in!!!! HOLY MOTHER OF GOD!!!!!

After I recovered and returned from the hospital (not really) I continued, I waited until the second third to try the retro again and this time I either didn't have any hairs left to burn or it had calmed down quite a bit. The cigar itself isn't overly strong but the retro is. Now I am getting hints of plum and more nut. @cabaiguan juan I would guess Walnuts if you need me to be specific.

Final third is finishing with the same fruit, some more pepper is back and coffee, The coffee is a really nice finish. Paired this with water only.
Total smoking time was 75 minutes plus the drive to and from the ER
Rating: 93/100
I would certainly buy some, I would just be a little more careful on the retro.
Thanks for the experience Justin
View attachment 49546
View attachment 49547

Glad you liked it, a d was able to give you something new. One of my favorites from them

 

[xyz123]

I smoked this one last night (11-29-21) around 7pm. I've never heard of these before receiving it so I did a little reading so I knew what to expect.

Great review! If I could suggest one thing on future reviews... it's what I call the "gazebo effect". It's where you're in a gazebo (or anywhere) enjoying a cigar you read about (wherever), so you grabbed one at your local B&M. You do all your pre-light ritual stuff and after a few moments in.. you start your flavor journey. First, the nougat, just like the article said. After a few minutes.. oh, there it is.. the red pepper they mentioned. Next is the dark chocolate he mentioned...

And so it goes... the Gazebo Effect. Everything you read ahead of time is there waiting for you.. just as you were told. I actually go out of my way to not read up on a stick I'm reviewing or trying for the first time. That's not to say I won't taste or experience the exact same thing as the reviewer.. but I want to go in as blind as possible.

If you ever read CA's rules for deciding their annual Top 25 and COTY, even the bands are removed and replaced with temp ones only indicating a number. They know ZIP about what they're reviewing (in theory).

And while I often disagree with a lot of their top picks, I do agree with their reviewing methodology. Hence, avoiding any potential Gazebo Effect.

Again, it's just a suggestion and I do know people who don't even want to spend an hour+ without knowing EXACTLY what they're getting first. But for me, I like to go in cold.

Literally.
(maybe it's a Wisconsin thing)

 

[kann]

Great review! If I could suggest one thing on future reviews... it's what I call the "gazebo effect". It's where you're in a gazebo (or anywhere) enjoying a cigar you read about (wherever), so you grabbed one at your local B&M. You do all your pre-light ritual stuff and after a few moments in.. you start your flavor journey. First, the nougat, just like the article said. After a few minutes.. oh, there it is.. the red pepper they mentioned. Next is the dark chocolate he mentioned...

And so it goes... the Gazebo Effect. Everything you read ahead of time is there waiting for you.. just as you were told. I actually go out of my way to not read up on a stick I'm reviewing or trying for the first time. That's not to say I won't taste or experience the exact same thing as the reviewer.. but I want to go in as blind as possible.

If you ever read CA's rules for deciding their annual Top 25 and COTY, even the bands are removed and replaced with temp ones only indicating a number. They know ZIP about what they're reviewing (in theory).

And while I often disagree with a lot of their top picks, I do agree with their reviewing methodology. Hence, avoiding any potential Gazebo Effect.

Again, it's just a suggestion and I do know people who don't even want to spend an hour+ without knowing EXACTLY what they're getting first. But for me, I like to go in cold.

Literally.
(maybe it's a Wisconsin thing)

CA's bands are marked with dollar signs like a Yelp review, though denoting sponsorship and donations to the magazine: "$, $$, $$$, $$$$, $$$$$"

 

[xyz123]

CA's bands are marked with dollar signs like a Yelp review, though denoting sponsorship and donations to the magazine: "$, $$, $$$, $$$$, $$$$$"

Right?? What they need is an independent 3rd party to administer the whole reviewing process. With their positions as king makers or breakers, I would take not just their COTY "winners" more seriously, but ALL their reviews in each issue, if they had a reputable 3rd party company conducting them.

Otherwise, yeah... it's just a big $$$ maker... provides everyone's year-end bonus. CA is purely entertainment for me at this point. Great for the throne and the cover stories are usually great too. The article with Brian Cox makes me like him and his work even more. Oh yeah, and... who knew boy-bander Nick Jonas was a big time BOTL?? Anyone else read that issue?

For those wanting entertainment, PLUS any and ALL things stick/stogie/cigar related... well Brother... look no further... for you are in Elysium!!

 

[kann]

I need to add to this one, as well. This was possibly the best NC I've smoked this year. Definitely a box in my future. The retro wasn't as bad as I was expecting, but I did still feel it in my sinuses the next day.

 

[xyz123]

I need to add to this one, as well. This was possibly the best NC I've smoked this year. Definitely a box in my future. The retro wasn't as bad as I was expecting, but I did still feel it in my sinuses the next day.

It's like a good bottle of Sex Panther... It stings the nostrils. In a good way.