Cigar Review: Illusione cg4
Size: 55/8x46, White Horse
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Café Colorado
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Strength: Full
Price: Box of 25, $145.95
Grade: 8.8
Dion Giolito of Illusione Cigars is well known among cigar smokers, and is especially known by those who enjoy Nicaraguan tobacco and boutique branded cigars. The cg4 utilizes first generation Corojo ’99 and Criollo ’98 seeds and it utilizes a Café Colorado wrapper and a cuban style triple cap. The cg4 is produced at the Raices Cubanas factory in Honduras and it is a Nicaraguan puro. The Raices Cubanas factory is referred to by Cigar Aficionado as an up and coming factory, currently producing Di Fazio and the Alec Bradley Tempus, among others.
Each of Don’s blends have one vitola and a different brand naming. The available vitolas are:
1, Dark Prince: 9.25×48
2, And Crowned of Thorns: 5.25×52
2/3, tre in uno: 6.5×33×3
4/2g, Church: 7.5×49
68, Bombone: 4×44
88, Robust: 5×52
888, Necessary and Sufficient: 6.75×48
cg, White Horse: 55/8x46
f9, Finesse: 6.25×44
hl, The Holy Lance: 7.5×40
m7, Magdala: 6.50×58
mj12, The Majestic 12: 6×54
mk, Teaching Machine: 51/8×42
We reviewed the 88 here and posted a guest review of the ~mk~ here.
You can visit Illusione online or follow Dion on Twitter. Now, on to the review.
Pre-light, 1.7:
The White Horse is a tasty looking smoke with a medium brown wrapper that is nice to the touch with minimal veins. The triple cap is well constructed and the smoke is well packed, but it is a bit lighter in the palm than I anticipated. The band is simple, as you can see from the pictures, but fits the story of the smoke well. Along the wrapper I pick up notes of dark Nicaraguan tobacco with a sweet barnyard at the foot. The cold draw is airy with a bit of sweet spice and earthy tobacco.
Burn, 1.7:
The Illusione cut well with the cap popping right off. The draw is a bit loose but produces a ton of smoke with minimal effort. The burn is even throughout the length of the smoke and does not require any touch ups or re-lights. Smoke temperature is solid and only heats up in the last third. The ash holds well and is consistent in color as it fell off in the tray.
Flavor, 2.7:
The first puff on the cg4 is nutty, earthy, and spicy. The first third reveals an airy flavor with spice, earthiness, and a hint of chocolate on the medium finish. Moving into the second third the flavor profile is full of spice; I can’t really pick out the particular notes, but spicy tobacco is the dominant flavor. Now at the end of the smoke, there is not a lot of change in the profile, just solid tobacco with a nice spicy finish on the palate.
Overall, 2.7:
I enjoyed this cigar for the most part. It was medium to full in body to me, but could lean toward full for some. The draw was a bit airy but it didn’t seem to take away from the spicy tobacco profile. Nicaraguan puros are some of my favorite smokes and this one fit that profile and was enjoyable smoke on a muggy summer night. Though not as complex as some smokes, it was a solid smoke with a consistent flavor profile. At just under $6, the price point is good and fair, so if you like a earthy but spicy smoke, pick a few of these up in your local B & M.
(Total: 8.8)
There are 4 Comments to "Cigar Review: Illusione cg4"
I, too, like these cigars. But, why does Giolito use such a bizarre naming methodology for his smokes? It makes it very difficult to remember which one you particularly liked when you go into a b&m to purchase a stogie.
Going from his story on the Illusione website, Dion spent his formative years in a gaming community (Reno, I believe), is into numerology, and is a self-professed “bad Catholic.” He puts all those together to come up with strange and unusual vitola names that are a bit confounding at first but are nevertheless unique. I think the “uniqueness” factor was the major player overall…a desire to create something no one else had and build up a mystique around it.
I’ve smoked 4 different vitolas from the Illusione line myself and keep coming back to the MJ12 as my favorite. I’ll get to the cg4 eventually, I’m sure.
I am a huge Illusione and Dion fan. I love all of his smokes so far. I like the CG4 and agree with your profile. When you smoke an Illusione, you know it is an illusione. -88- is my favorite of this line. Now the Epernay’s are truly something special…
I like the mj12, m7, and the ECCJ (if you can find it) the most. The cg4 is good and the 88 is good, though I’ve had major burn and draw issues with some of the 88′s. Not a fan of all his stuff, but certain cigars find a spot in my rotation…