Illusione 88

[H311oLHD]

I wanted to start this review out by saying that I was a huge skeptic when it came to this brand. I didn't know if it would be one of those mis-hyped cigars or not, so tonight I thought I'd try one out and form my own opinion!

Cigar: Illusione 88
Setting: Back patio on a muggy, but very peaceful evening.
Drink: None
Total smoke time: roughly 1 hr

The Illusione 88 is a very stunning cigar. I really like the white and black label and I also like it's simplicity. The wrapper was a nice milk chocolate brown color, that had a few minor veins, but nothing too serious. As all Illusiones have, it had a very nicely placed triple cap (love it!) The prelight draw had me a tad worried, it was very loose, which was surprising because the cigar didn't feel spongy at all to the touch.

I noticed over on newhavana.com that they categorized the 88 as a full bodied cigar, and I completely agree with them. It was a very complex cigar, but it was NOT a nicotine bomb. I really enjoy full bodied cigars, but I have been running into a lot of nicotine bombs as of late. I noticed a lot of spice in this cigar, as well as a hint of cream *I think?* on the aftertaste. At one point I also thought I picked up some traces of chocolate. The last 1/4 tasted only of fantastic tobacco, which was quite tasty!

The construction was top notch, which is always a plus in any cigar smoker's book. The ash was a light grey color and held on for two inches and fell off about an inch and a half away from the band. I only ashed twice the entire cigar. My only knock on this cigar (which is why it didn't get a tad higher rating) was that it didn't burn evenly the entire time. I didn't have to make any touch ups, but I easily could have if I was anal about it. That being said, whenever it did get uneven, the cigar seemed to notice this and corrected itself after a few minutes.

Overall: I would HIGHLY recommend my fellow BOTL to try these cigars for themselves (but not before I get mine!!) If I come across the money and room for a box of these, I will definitely pull the trigger! I really enjoyed this cigar, one of the best I have had this summer.

Rating: 92/100