garvey
New Member
- Joined
- Dec 19, 2007
- Messages
- 281
I woke up this morning and decided I wasn't going to let today get off to the frenetic pace life seems to be going lately. A cup of coffee, a quick walk with the dogs, and a decision to do some work prep on my deck with a cigar I haven't tried yet.
I went to my basement, looked through my "smoking" humidor and saw the Illusione M7 I bought a few months ago. My initial reaction: "find a smaller cigar, you have work to do." And that reaction made up my mind -- work can wait. Out came the M7 and upstairs to the deck I went.
I carefully looked over the Illusione M7 and just cannot get over how much I like the look of this cigar. The prelight aroma was pleasant, the construction was solid, and I was hoping the time spent smoking this Honduran-made Nicauraguan beauty would be equally as enjoyable. I pulled out my Palio cutter, made a clean cut, toasted the cigar and was off and running.
I figured since I was going to just kick back and enjoy my morning I would do some research on the Illusione M7 while I smoked. It was a great idea -- so here is some of what I learned:
The Illusione M7 is made from tobacco grown from a hybrid of the first generation Corojo ’99 & Criollo ’98 seeds. According to several sites, the tobacco is from some legendary fields in Nicaragua that were neglected following the Sandinistas took over the country in 1979. According to the Illusione website, the fields were :re-cultiviated by the legendary master grower Arcenio Ramos of Cuba. Along with Fernano, Chandito and famed Cuban agronomist Jacinto, Arsenio has assembled the varitable “dream team” of tobacco production. They have re-grown these humble acres to yield their fullest potential once again."
The M7 fits the following profile:
Size: 6 1/2 x 58
Vitola: Figurado
Strength: Full
Don Giolito of Illusione says: "My cigars are the kind of cigars I like to smoke - clean, bold, strong and aromatic - the way that Pre-Sandinista (1979) Nicaraguan cigars used to be."
My experience with this cigar was wonderful.
After clipping the cap, I pulled an effortless leathery earthen predraw. Once toasted and fired up I never had to worry about the burn (but I needed to relight twice).
The first draws on the M7 were creamy and full of smoke. There really is nothing like a cigar that provides such tremendous volume of smoke for experiencing the full flavors of the leaf. My initial thoughts were that the M7 was going to be a medium smoke -- because the creamy caramel and light sweetness of the initial draws didn't show the signs of the flavors to come -- and that made me happy. After a few draws, the flavor really emerged – spicey, earthy flavors, and a continuous beautifully full smoke.
As I made my way into the second third, the spice kicks in. Here is the full flavored smoke everyone wrote about. The flavors were smooth, the smoke still full, and a much stronger leather profile emerged. My only regret is that I felt that I was missing a great glass of merlot to complement this cigar -- I could have corked one, but not at 10:30am!
The final third of the M7 was a great experience -- still strong spice, but a return to the creaminess that started off this cigar. The creaminess was more subtle, but it was a sweetness that had a mocha flavor. I kept this smoke going until I burned my lips -- that was a pretty good sign I should end a great start to my morning.
If you can't tell, I really enjoyed this cigar. I am going to break down and buy a couple of boxes -- this is a cigar I can see myself going to often. This is the third NC cigar I have fallen in love with; the Illusione M7 joins the Fuente Anejo Sharks and the Diamond Crown Maximus #3 at the top of my list. Really, the amazing volume of smoke, the flavor profile, and the beauty of the cigar have won me over....
Appearance: 15/15
Ash: 8/10 beautiful at times, but a bit weak
Draw: 10/10
Burn: 8/10
Smoke: 10/10
Flavor: 18/20
Uniqueness: 8/10
Finish: 15/15
My Score: 92/100
Smoke Time: 95 minutes
I went to my basement, looked through my "smoking" humidor and saw the Illusione M7 I bought a few months ago. My initial reaction: "find a smaller cigar, you have work to do." And that reaction made up my mind -- work can wait. Out came the M7 and upstairs to the deck I went.
I carefully looked over the Illusione M7 and just cannot get over how much I like the look of this cigar. The prelight aroma was pleasant, the construction was solid, and I was hoping the time spent smoking this Honduran-made Nicauraguan beauty would be equally as enjoyable. I pulled out my Palio cutter, made a clean cut, toasted the cigar and was off and running.
I figured since I was going to just kick back and enjoy my morning I would do some research on the Illusione M7 while I smoked. It was a great idea -- so here is some of what I learned:
The Illusione M7 is made from tobacco grown from a hybrid of the first generation Corojo ’99 & Criollo ’98 seeds. According to several sites, the tobacco is from some legendary fields in Nicaragua that were neglected following the Sandinistas took over the country in 1979. According to the Illusione website, the fields were :re-cultiviated by the legendary master grower Arcenio Ramos of Cuba. Along with Fernano, Chandito and famed Cuban agronomist Jacinto, Arsenio has assembled the varitable “dream team” of tobacco production. They have re-grown these humble acres to yield their fullest potential once again."
The M7 fits the following profile:
Size: 6 1/2 x 58
Vitola: Figurado
Strength: Full
Don Giolito of Illusione says: "My cigars are the kind of cigars I like to smoke - clean, bold, strong and aromatic - the way that Pre-Sandinista (1979) Nicaraguan cigars used to be."
My experience with this cigar was wonderful.
After clipping the cap, I pulled an effortless leathery earthen predraw. Once toasted and fired up I never had to worry about the burn (but I needed to relight twice).
The first draws on the M7 were creamy and full of smoke. There really is nothing like a cigar that provides such tremendous volume of smoke for experiencing the full flavors of the leaf. My initial thoughts were that the M7 was going to be a medium smoke -- because the creamy caramel and light sweetness of the initial draws didn't show the signs of the flavors to come -- and that made me happy. After a few draws, the flavor really emerged – spicey, earthy flavors, and a continuous beautifully full smoke.
As I made my way into the second third, the spice kicks in. Here is the full flavored smoke everyone wrote about. The flavors were smooth, the smoke still full, and a much stronger leather profile emerged. My only regret is that I felt that I was missing a great glass of merlot to complement this cigar -- I could have corked one, but not at 10:30am!
The final third of the M7 was a great experience -- still strong spice, but a return to the creaminess that started off this cigar. The creaminess was more subtle, but it was a sweetness that had a mocha flavor. I kept this smoke going until I burned my lips -- that was a pretty good sign I should end a great start to my morning.
If you can't tell, I really enjoyed this cigar. I am going to break down and buy a couple of boxes -- this is a cigar I can see myself going to often. This is the third NC cigar I have fallen in love with; the Illusione M7 joins the Fuente Anejo Sharks and the Diamond Crown Maximus #3 at the top of my list. Really, the amazing volume of smoke, the flavor profile, and the beauty of the cigar have won me over....
Appearance: 15/15
Ash: 8/10 beautiful at times, but a bit weak
Draw: 10/10
Burn: 8/10
Smoke: 10/10
Flavor: 18/20
Uniqueness: 8/10
Finish: 15/15
My Score: 92/100
Smoke Time: 95 minutes
