REVIEW: Illusione HL Maduro

It has been awhile since I have done a review of a stick from Illusione Cigars,so when I got my hands on a limited edition version the HL "Holy Lance", I thought it perfect for a review. If you are a follower of cigar news, you may have heard about two new limited releases from Dion (@vudu9 on twitter) in the HL line. One in particular stands out  because it is wrapped in a bright green Candela wrapper, but the other (which is the one I am smoking for review) is different because of its wrapper too -- because it is a Maduro.

Some more info on the HL Maduro from the New Havana Cigars website: A special run of -hl- available with a maduro wrapper! Limited availability. Dion Giolito blended these cigars using tobacco from first generation Corojo '99 and Criollo '98 seeds. They are beautifully constructed, featuring a Maduro wrapper and a cuban style triple cap. Made at the Raices Cubanas factory in Honduras from 100% Nicaraguan tobacco.

This stick was given to me by Dan (@nhcdan on twitter) owner of New Havana cigars. If it tastes as good as it looks, I think we might be in for another fantastic cigar from Illusione. Let's get to smoking.
 
Specifics

Vitola: Lancero
Length: 7.5
Ring Gauge: 40
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Maduro
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Price: $9.35 each in full boxes of 24
Smoking Location: Explorer Lounge
Beverage: water
Manufacture's Website: http://illusionecigars.com/

Pre-Light 

My HL Maduro was a very rustic-looking cigar with a fantastic pig tail sticking out of the triple cap. The wrapper was a nice medium brown with a lot of tooth and oil. There were some pretty sizable veins in the leaf, but all seemed to be smoothed out nicely. The aroma off of the wrapper was faint, but smelled slightly earthy. The cap clipped easily and the cold draw was free with just a little resistance. I have smoked my fair share of lancero-sized cigars and the draw on this stick was one of the best I have had in awhile. The flavors of the unlit cigar were a mixture of floral and black cherry notes. The wrapper itself left a very sweet taste on my lips that is hard to describe, but I would say it was almost like a sweetened Chap-stick.

First Third

After lighting the HL Maduro, my taste buds were hit right away with some very refined white pepper that zinged all over the front of my palette. I, literally, looked at my smoking partner Mario and said, "Wow, that's a lot of flavor." Within the white pepper kicks were hints of black cherry, which melted nicely and balanced out what could have been a spicy start. The draw was fantastic, producing an average amount of smoke on each puff. About an inch into the cigar the flavors had already started to add a new dimension -- a chocolaty sweet finish. The burn was a little wavy, but did not require a touch up; it corrected itself going into the second third. The body was a solid medium.
     
Second Third

 Starting into the second third, that switch up of flavors to this new sweet chocolate finish was really in full gear. In my opinion, there was no mistaking that this wrapper was complimenting all that I love in the HL blend just that much more flavor to play with. The front still had the white pepper mixed with the black cherry, and now, like I wrote above, the sweet chocolate was strongly present on the finish. Even with the amount of flavor happening, the tastes were very clean on the palette. I would describe the texture of the smoke as syrupy, but not heavy. The construction was top notch, now with the burn line having straightened itself out. As far as the amount of smoke I was getting on each draw, it was average and on par with what you would expect from a lancero.The body was still in the medium range.

Final Third and Final Thoughts

The final third of my HL Maduro was similar to the second third in that it had all of the flavors, but the white pepper picked up quite a bit and started to slightly overpower the black cherry.On the finish was the sweet chocolate that cooled off any spice from each draw. During the final third, I felt a significant increase in the body and would put the end of this smoking experience more into the med-full range. Something I did not mention above was just how slow this stick burned for me. I was drawing on the cigar at a normal rate and it still took me a good hour and forty five minutes to nub. I've found a lot of lanceros burn quickly because of the small ring gauge, but that is not the case with the HL Maduro. This long, thin stick is packed full.

My final thoughts on the Illusione HL Maduro? This is a complex flavor bomb of a stick. In the first few puffs, my palette got kick started with the white pepper zing and then was encased with enjoyable flavor after flavor the rest of the way. I would say the best part of the stick for me was right in the middle when all three of the most prominent flavors were really kicking in full gear and keeping me very interested with every draw. Even though the smoke was very clean and light feeling, I can still taste the sweet syrupy flavors from the finish an hour after putting the cigar down.

Would I buy it again? Unless Dion plans on releasing this as a full line it's going to be difficult to keep any significant stock of these in my collection. Dan at New Havana Cigars still has some up for sale on his site so I'm sure I will grab a few more before they are all gone.

Would I buy a box?  I would say that this is a box-worthy purchase if you can afford it and can find them..

Dan

Review: Liga Privada JD#4

Thursday September 9th, 2010 was the official release and launch party date of the much anticipated Liga Privada JD #4. Held at Casa de Monticristo in Chicago, the party was attended by Jonathan Drew (@jonathandrew1 on twitter) and a few others from the Drew Estate company.  I was unable to attend the party this time, but my partners at Cigar Explorer were there in full force and kindly brought back one of these sticks for me to review.

From what I am told, the LP JD#4 uses the same wrapper as the LP T52 but an entirely different binder and filler. The make up of the stick was not fully disclosed at the party and a lot of it seems to still be a "secret" that has not been made public (or even leaked).

Personally, I have not been overly impressed with the Liga line of cigars, but I am always excited to try any new blend from a top manufacturer in the business. Let's see how the LP JD#4 burns.

Specifics
Vitola: Toro
Length: 6
Ring Gauge: 52
Wrapper: Connecticut Habano "stalk-cut"
Binder: ?
Filler: ?
Price: $? each
Smoking Location: Explorer Lounge
Beverage: water
Manufacture's Website: http://www.drewestate.com/

Pre-Light 

When first inspecting my LP JD#4 I noticed immediately how big the triple cap was on this stick. Almost all of the cigars I smoke these days seem to be triple-capped, but none have caps this big. I wonder if people will hack off close to a quarter inch of this vitola when cutting it because of this. This should go without saying, but DON'T DO IT! The wrapper was a nice dark brown with a lot of tooth and some decently-sized veins running around the middle of the leaf. The pre-lit aroma coming off the wrapper was very strong and had a perfume-y scent to it that reminded me of the Drew Estate Acid cigars. Don't let that scare you away because this is not a flavored cigar; when taking a whiff of the open foot, the aroma was much more normal and tobacco scented. The cold draw was nice, free, and tasted of mixture of cedar notes and sweet tobacco flavors.

First Third

My LP JD#4 opened up with almost an obscene amount of smoke, both off the draw and while resting. I know I have said a lot of cigars I have smoked recently have large volumes of smoke, but I am sure this is the biggest. The initial flavor I got from the stick was a very muted pepper note and I actually felt them smoke more than tasted it. By that, I mean the taste buds on my tongue tingled a lot on each draw and my mouth salivated quite a bit, but as far as flavor goes, there was not much to write about. About an inch into the stick, I picked up some cedar tastes to mix with the pepper, but again, these were very muted and secondary to the physical reaction my palate was having. The construction/burn on the stick was perfect and the ash held strong for about an inch before I knocked it easily into the ashtray. The body was in the medium to full range.
     
Second Third 

Starting into the second third, those minor flavors started to change up, producing more sweetness in the smoke, as opposed to the pepper from the first third. I was still picking up some cedar hits on the front, which mixed nicely with the sweetness, but the strength of the flavors were still very weak. What was not, however, was the body of the stick. Right from the beginning of the second third, the power of the nicotine kick this cigar was putting off became very apparent. It wasn't extremely uncomfortable or sickening, but it did have me waiting between puffs an extra minute or two that I wouldn't normally take. Again, the construction was dead on, and the ash was solid and never worried me that I could be wearing it if I was not careful. Toward the end of the second third, the flavor on the finish of the stick delivered some coffee notes.

Final Third and Final Thoughts

The final third of my LP JD#4 finally brought that long, lost stronger flavor, which had been missing up to this point. The coffee taste that ended the second third were now dominate, not only on the finish, but also on the front. I have to say this was the most enjoyable and exciting part of this cigar for me. Truth be told: If this final third had continued in the same manner as the first two, I would have been very disappointed. Near the nub some of the pepper flavors reappeared, but only for a handful of draws before the cigar had to be put down. The body was way into the full range and I was glad I ate a big beefy dinner before I smoked this stick. I never had to relight this cigar; the burn/draw were perfect the whole way so A+ for construction.

My final thoughts on the Liga Privada JD#4? Overall this was a decent cigar, but far from anything to write home about. This stick, in my opinion, is better than the T52 and the #9 from LP, but not as good as the Flying Pig. I wish the first and second third had produced as strong a flavor as the final third, but it just wasn't there for me. Myself not being the biggest LP fan, I'm sure there are others that will call me crazy, and this will be on the money for them. I've still not tried the Dirty Rat, so maybe that will be the gem in the LP line for me.

Would I buy it again? This would depend on the price. If I'm not mistaken, these are not currently for sale and only come as a gift when you buy other boxes of Liga Privada cigars. If this stick falls  in line comparatively with the others from LP, I think I would pass on buying more.

Would I buy a box?  See above comments.

Dan

REVIEW: Viaje Satori

Today's cigar review is for a stick which was brought back from the IPCPR trade show by one of my partners at Cigar Explorer. (@Cigarexplorer on twitter, please follow us!) Many people are beginning to recognize the Viaje name and understand that Andre Farka's cigars are primarily micro-batch releases. Yes, Viaje does have 3 core lines (Platino, Oro, 50/50), but it's in these highly-limited releases that the company has been making the biggest impact. The Satori, meaning state of sudden spiritual enlightenment in Japanese, falls right in line with only 150 boxes of each of the three sizes being made. I'm not sure if the samples from IPCPR count towards that exclusive 150 box count, but I'm pretty excited to get my hands on one either way.

For more information on Viaje there is a great interview with Andre in this months Cigar Press magazine.

I'll admit upfront that I have truly enjoyed everything I have smoked from Viaje and hold them to a pretty high standard. The Skull and Bones and the Double Edged Sword are most likely going to end up in my Top 10 (if not Top 5) cigars of the year -- both of which I am out of, so if any readers have some they want to trade please let me know. Let's see how the Satori stacks up against my expectations.

Specifics
Vitola: "Nirvana" (Toro)
Length: 6
Ring Gauge: 50
Wrapper: Nicaragua "Super special" Oscuro
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Price: $? each
Smoking Location: Explorer Lounge
Beverage: water
Manufacture's Website: http://viajecigars.com/

Pre-Light 

My Satori from Viaje was a very different looking cigar. The "super special" Oscuro wrapper was very dark and reminded me of black leather. The cigar felt smooth to the touch, which added to that leather description, but when inspected closely had a lot of tooth and tiny bumps. Another aspect of this cigar that stood out right away was just how tightly this stick was rolled. I was a little nervous about the draw before testing it, but after clipping the head, all those worries went away. The draw was just how I like it, free with some light resistance. The cold draw tasted sweet with raisin and coffee flavors. The pre-lit aroma was faint, but what was there was of typical aged tobacco.

First Third

This Satori lit up easily and started producing bold flavors from the first puff. On the front of the flavor profile was a nice black pepper note that woke up my taste buds and, on the finish, was a weaker sweetened black coffee taste. The cigar produced a lot of smoke, both on each draw and while resting, which easily filled up the lounge within minutes. After getting about an inch into this stick, the flavors started to change up. The black pepper faded off a bit and was balancing more evenly with the coffee taste on the finish. Simply put -- it mellowed out a bit. The burn on the stick was a little wavy but not problematic, with the body falling right into the medium range. 

Second Third 

The second third was different than the first third in that the smoke seemed to get very creamy and have a smooth feeling on my palette. I'm not saying the first third was dry or harsh, I'm just saying the cigar was noticeably smoother in the second third. To go along with the very enjoyable smoothness were very strong flavors that even a beginning cigar smoker would pick up on. On the front of each draw, I tasted a lot of milk chocolate notes, which blended awesomely with the black coffee finish. The second third of this cigar was just like a mocha, frappa, whatever they call them at Starbucks...very enjoyable and relaxing. Another difference in the second third from the first third was the body, now rocking more into the full range. Not so full that it gave me the spins, but I could definitely feel the nicotine kicking in. The burn remained slightly wavy all the way through the second third, but again, nothing that needed a touch up with my lighter or anything like that.

Final Third and Final Thoughts

In the final third of my Viaje Satori, the creaminess from the second third faded off a bit, but the strong flavors of milk chocolate and black coffee kept on coming. The flavors were possibly even stronger now than they had been the entire stick and almost made me wish I could eat the cigar -- it was that good. Something I have yet to mention about the finish on this stick was just how clean it left my mouth feeling after each exhale. For such a strongly flavored stick, I would've expected more of a heavy after-smoke taste, but this cigar left none of that. The body in the final third was just like the second third in that it was FULL body. Much like the Viaje Daisy Cutter boasted a "be warned" stamp on the box, I think the Satori could warrant that same packaging. A very relaxing cigar, but not for beginners.


My final thoughts on the Viaje Satori? Another winner for Andre. The flavor profile is maybe not the most complex stick I've ever had, but the strength of the chocolate and coffee flavor blend make for a very enjoyable smoke. I am very interested to get my hands on the other sizes and see how they stack up. Specifically, the box pressed double torpedo which looks to be a truly masterpiece of a cigar (just as I thought the Viaje Double Edged Sword was, which is of a similar shape.)

Would I buy it again? If I get the chance and my cigar budget is there, I will buy more Satori. These are not an everyday smoke, but great for a calm evening after dinner on the deck.

Would I buy a box?  I'm not sure I would run out and buy a box right away (like I would if there were more Skull and Bones released, hint, hint), but after trying the other sizes I wouldn't put off buying a box in the future.

Dan