The Illusione hl Candela started well, with a nice combination of flavors. The second third dropped a level as the flavor profile wasn't as dynamic as it was in the first third and maintained that level the rest of the way. This is probably one of the best candela offerings on the market, but with that said, it isn't a cigar I would come back to all that frequently.
The Illusione Jeremy Piven Collection PIV Robusto was a nice cigar, and it is a cigar I would come back to down the road. Really solid medium offering with good flavors. The core flavor profile had a nice level of complexity which kept the cigar entertaining throughout each third. There was not too much transitioning, but it wasn’t needed. The earth, cocoa, cream, spice and nut flavors were lovely.
The Illusione 2021 TAA Exclusive had a promising start with a complex and nuanced medley of flavors that you can often get from Illusione blends. The second third couldn't maintain the same level of complexity, and the last third was largely earth driven and monotonous. There are so many brilliant Illusione offerings that I would find myself reaching for instead of the 2021 TAA.
The Illusione PCA 2020 Exclusive is the first Illusione cigar released in the last few years in which I did not enjoy. There was no balance and complexities to the cigar. Being heavily charred red pepper spice and dry cedar oriented, it's not the typical DNA of Dion's masterful blending style that I'm accustomed to. I guess you can't win them all.
In the case of the Illusione Singularé 2019 Seven Horns, it has the baseline of what a Diademas ought to be. The cigar starts off with namely soft/white flavors, soon building up to plenty of spice and minerality, but never abandoning the soft/white flavors. This is all packaged by a building strength from medium to medium plus.
There was depth, complexity and transitioning, and that took place from start to finish. It was balanced and simply a beautiful cigar. Yes, the burn was far from beautiful, but when you have a cigar that smokes like this and tastes great, who cares. The Illusione ~eccj~ 25th is a great release from 2019 and I am not surprised that Illusione delivers another gem to the market.
The profile of the Illusione Epernay 10th Anniversary d'Aosta kept with my experience of a smooth and flavorful profile for the line. While I wish the profile from the first half had lasted longer, it still provided a good overall experience. I would have no problem mixing this vitola in with smoking the other vitolas in the line. If you're a fan of Illusione, this is a definite must try.
The first ultra premium price tagged cigar out of Illusione. The big question of course is, is it worth it? At this point in time, I'm afraid not. But the Illusione OneOff +53 Super Robusto absolutely has the potential to be great down the line.
The Illusione OneOff Corona was an overall good tasting profile but it tasted young. Not quite ready yet, but this will be something great to have a box of to smoke every few months to gauge its changing potential.
The flavor profile of the Illusione Haut 10 Gordo really declines past the first third, you could make the case for the second third and it just lacked an enjoyable smoking experience. To say I was incredibly disappointed would be accurate and for an Illusione release, I would say it is a bust.