Turk10mm
Just smokin
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- Jul 16, 2007
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- 782
Illusione M7
Origin: Honduran made Nicaraguan Puro
Size: 6 1/2 x 58
Vitola: Perfecto
Smoke Time: 65 minutes
Look and feel: 88
Flavor and Aroma: 90
Burn: 90
My rating: 89-90
To preface this review, this is one of the smokes that Cira sent me to review. What a fine selection of smokes he's sent me, so I'll start with one that I haven't smoked before. This weekend is the peak of the Orionids meteor shower. I spent the hour watching shooting stars and relaxing on the porch with my dog, smoke, and tall glass of sweet tea.
The Illusione M7 is made with Criollo 98 and Corojo 99 hybrids and a rosado oscuro Corojo wrapper. This smoke has a double binder which is actually evident at times during the smoke. The wrapper is a lightly mottled dark Corojo with just a hint of reddish tints to it. The color is almost that of a Hershey bar. The construction appears to be great; however, you can see some lines of the bunch pushing into the wrapper giving a tactile feel to what's inside. The perfecto shape is wonderfully created. The nose of the cigar is light with a sweet tangy and buttery scent. It isn't as powerful a scent as other wrappers I've smelled. The foot is too small to really get a sense of the nose.
I used my Xikar cutter to cut the cap, albeit at a bit of an angle because I wasn't paying attention. The prelight draw is perfect. I used my triple flame blue rhino lighter to gently light just the tip of this perfecto. The first puffs are immediately full flavored and powerful. This cigar is definitely not for the faint of heart. There is a sweetness that is immediately recognizable. There are also some senses of oak and spice with a light creamy finish.
Into the first third of the cigar, for some reason, the draw tightened up. I spent a good ten minutes fighting the draw before I began massaging the smoke. After a firm massage about 2 inches from the cap I felt the plug that was causing my problems. I rolled the cigar a bit between my fingers until this plug worked its way loose allowing thick aromatic smoke to finally be pulled through the smoke. I wonder if I pinched it when I was lighting because the prelight draw was perfect. The first third of this cigar (after the plug was massaged out) produced thick intoxicating powerful smoke. There are flavors of earth, tobacco, and dark chocolate. The sweetness fades in and out of the cigar and brings some complexity to the smoke. Overall the smoke is very enjoyable, however, when the sweetness kicks up I find that I enjoy it much better. There are moments of bitterness that really lack the sweetness that I want to go with it. There's a finish of fresh barnyard hay that also reminds me of a Partagas ISOM.
Into the second third of the smoke the bitter sweet chocolate is the predominant flavor along with rich tobacco, earth, and oak. The hay finish has subsided and has been replaced with what reminds me of the nose of buttered toast. The creaminess is still present, although muted and more buttery. I've been purging the cigar since the beginning of the second third and this brings intense flavors of leather and peanuts that last for a few puffs and then subside back to a bitter sweet chocolate and earthy flavor. Purging really brings out the complexity in this cigar. It definitely reminds me of the 68 at times, which I have much more experience with. Without purging the smoke, the flavors have up until this point, not been very complex. Although, as I near the last third of the smoke, there is a revival of flavors.
The last third of this smoke has gone from good to awesome. The flavors are extremely complex with loads of chocolate, earth, a touch of spice, sweetness, oak, leather, cedar, and butter. I have continued to purge the cigar under flame. This technique has brought out the best in this cigar. You'll notice one of the photos below shows the self-sustained flame that I get as I purge after touching the torch to the ash for just a moment or two. As I puff through the cigar the end lights brightly and stays lit as long as I keep purging. The flame you see is only a small amount of flame that I was getting for the first 15 seconds while I put the lighter down and picked the camera up. I'm assuming that the flame is burning off excess tar and other junk, as the flame will only sustain for 20-30 seconds before going out on its own, even with a constant puff outwards.
The last 3 inches of this cigar have truly made this smoke a great smoke. I don't know what it is, but my experience with the Illusion line has always been that the best flavors come at the end. I smoked this guy all the way down to the cap and enjoyed the last 20 minutes as if it was the greatest moments in life. I will say that this cigar would have gotten a higher rating had the flavors been this complex and intense throughout the cigar. But sometimes, the best comes to those who wait. I will suggest putting this cigar down. I found that if I smoked at my usual pace (which is pretty fast during a review) that the cigar became bitter. If I slowed down and let the cigar cool a bit the sweetness returned and the bitterness subsided. This cigar in particular I noticed you want to smoke cool.
This is a great smoke, give it time, take your time, and purge baby!
Origin: Honduran made Nicaraguan Puro
Size: 6 1/2 x 58
Vitola: Perfecto
Smoke Time: 65 minutes
Look and feel: 88
Flavor and Aroma: 90
Burn: 90
My rating: 89-90
To preface this review, this is one of the smokes that Cira sent me to review. What a fine selection of smokes he's sent me, so I'll start with one that I haven't smoked before. This weekend is the peak of the Orionids meteor shower. I spent the hour watching shooting stars and relaxing on the porch with my dog, smoke, and tall glass of sweet tea.
The Illusione M7 is made with Criollo 98 and Corojo 99 hybrids and a rosado oscuro Corojo wrapper. This smoke has a double binder which is actually evident at times during the smoke. The wrapper is a lightly mottled dark Corojo with just a hint of reddish tints to it. The color is almost that of a Hershey bar. The construction appears to be great; however, you can see some lines of the bunch pushing into the wrapper giving a tactile feel to what's inside. The perfecto shape is wonderfully created. The nose of the cigar is light with a sweet tangy and buttery scent. It isn't as powerful a scent as other wrappers I've smelled. The foot is too small to really get a sense of the nose.
I used my Xikar cutter to cut the cap, albeit at a bit of an angle because I wasn't paying attention. The prelight draw is perfect. I used my triple flame blue rhino lighter to gently light just the tip of this perfecto. The first puffs are immediately full flavored and powerful. This cigar is definitely not for the faint of heart. There is a sweetness that is immediately recognizable. There are also some senses of oak and spice with a light creamy finish.
Into the first third of the cigar, for some reason, the draw tightened up. I spent a good ten minutes fighting the draw before I began massaging the smoke. After a firm massage about 2 inches from the cap I felt the plug that was causing my problems. I rolled the cigar a bit between my fingers until this plug worked its way loose allowing thick aromatic smoke to finally be pulled through the smoke. I wonder if I pinched it when I was lighting because the prelight draw was perfect. The first third of this cigar (after the plug was massaged out) produced thick intoxicating powerful smoke. There are flavors of earth, tobacco, and dark chocolate. The sweetness fades in and out of the cigar and brings some complexity to the smoke. Overall the smoke is very enjoyable, however, when the sweetness kicks up I find that I enjoy it much better. There are moments of bitterness that really lack the sweetness that I want to go with it. There's a finish of fresh barnyard hay that also reminds me of a Partagas ISOM.
Into the second third of the smoke the bitter sweet chocolate is the predominant flavor along with rich tobacco, earth, and oak. The hay finish has subsided and has been replaced with what reminds me of the nose of buttered toast. The creaminess is still present, although muted and more buttery. I've been purging the cigar since the beginning of the second third and this brings intense flavors of leather and peanuts that last for a few puffs and then subside back to a bitter sweet chocolate and earthy flavor. Purging really brings out the complexity in this cigar. It definitely reminds me of the 68 at times, which I have much more experience with. Without purging the smoke, the flavors have up until this point, not been very complex. Although, as I near the last third of the smoke, there is a revival of flavors.
The last third of this smoke has gone from good to awesome. The flavors are extremely complex with loads of chocolate, earth, a touch of spice, sweetness, oak, leather, cedar, and butter. I have continued to purge the cigar under flame. This technique has brought out the best in this cigar. You'll notice one of the photos below shows the self-sustained flame that I get as I purge after touching the torch to the ash for just a moment or two. As I puff through the cigar the end lights brightly and stays lit as long as I keep purging. The flame you see is only a small amount of flame that I was getting for the first 15 seconds while I put the lighter down and picked the camera up. I'm assuming that the flame is burning off excess tar and other junk, as the flame will only sustain for 20-30 seconds before going out on its own, even with a constant puff outwards.
The last 3 inches of this cigar have truly made this smoke a great smoke. I don't know what it is, but my experience with the Illusion line has always been that the best flavors come at the end. I smoked this guy all the way down to the cap and enjoyed the last 20 minutes as if it was the greatest moments in life. I will say that this cigar would have gotten a higher rating had the flavors been this complex and intense throughout the cigar. But sometimes, the best comes to those who wait. I will suggest putting this cigar down. I found that if I smoked at my usual pace (which is pretty fast during a review) that the cigar became bitter. If I slowed down and let the cigar cool a bit the sweetness returned and the bitterness subsided. This cigar in particular I noticed you want to smoke cool.
This is a great smoke, give it time, take your time, and purge baby!
