Pre-light Experience

Aaron: The wrapper on the Illusione Original Documents Habano Corona Gorda is light brown and the lightly raised veins have a hint of green to them. The seams are fairly smooth and the caps are decently applied. The band is from the new branding and is blue, silver and white and denotes the company and sub-line on front with the line name on the sides. The aroma from the wrapper is a mix of sweet hay, cedar and earth while the foot brings wood, bread and light anise. The pre-light draw is a mix of aged cedar and sweet floral notes.
Seth: Very nice in appearance, the Illusione Original Documents Habano Corona Gorda has aromas of rich spices, stone fruit, leather, tobacco, earth and barnyard. The wrapper is silky in texture and has few small veins throughout. Solid Natural in coloring., Lovely lighter brown coloring.
John: The Illusione Original Documents Habano Corona Gorda comes in cellophane and has a UPC sticker with an integrated tear space to remain intact when opened. This version features the new band design which I’ve been warming to as the print is clear and the cigar is easy to identify. Aromas from the wrapper were sweet, yeasty bread, an almost cotton candy sweetness under that, with a faint wood and barnyard as background aromas. From the foot, I was getting sweet tobacco, faint bread and some mossy wood.
Jiunn: The Illusione Original Documents Habano Corona Gorda has an in between Colorado and Colorado Maduro wrapper shade. The wrapper quality is great, given the uniformity and oiliness. Veins are well pressed, seams tight, bunch and roll even and the head is well wrapped and capped. Aromas from the wrapper tell of rich, sweet nuttiness. Aromas from the foot give the same rich nuttiness but with some added pepper spice. Cold draw reveals high levels of rich sweetness and nuttiness.

Team Cigar Review: Illusione Original Documents Habano Corona Gorda

First Third

Aaron: The cigar begins with toasted cedar and a heavy black pepper. At a half inch in, the black pepper lightens a bit, but is still quite bold. At an inch in, the cedar transitions to oak and some light earth and mustiness joins the profile. The retrohale is toasted oak, zingy black pepper and light mustiness. As the third comes to a close, the toasted oak is just ahead of the black pepper, with earth and mustiness in the background. The strength was medium-full.
Seth: The first third starts out with some stone fruit, leather, spice, earth and sharp wood notes. Medium to medium-full in strength and body. Balanced. Lovely Habano. Nice complexity.
John: Sweet tobacco on the first puff with bread to follow. The finish is medium spices and creamy wood which both carry into the post draw. A mossy soil starts to come through at the end of the draw as it continues with a full chili pepper blast building on the post draw. The chili pepper calms down to medium some time later, with soft wood in the center of the profile. There is a very satisfying creamy smoke through the retrohale. Some peanut savoriness develops between draws. A medium tannic cedar comes into the finish by the halfway point.
Jiunn: The first third has a plethora of sweetness. Delicious custard and eggy bread paired with natural creamed nuttiness. Luckily, it’s not sickening sweet, as there’s a good backbone of sharper and more rustic oak and black pepper spice. The finish is fairly long with all the same sweetness. Strength and body is medium.

Team Cigar Review: Illusione Original Documents Habano Corona Gorda

Second Third

Aaron: As the second third begins, the black pepper mellows a bit. At a half inch in, the earth picks up a bit. The retrohale is now toasted oak, earth, black pepper and light mustiness. At an inch and a quarter, the earth is now even with the toasted oak up front. As the third comes to a close, the toasted oak and earth are even up front, with black pepper in the middle and mustiness in the background. The strength remained at medium-full.
Seth: The second third is fairly similar to that of the first. Warm spices with some currants, leather and tobacco. Some meaty qualities with dry earth. Medium to medium-full in strength and body.
John: A creamy, medium-full baking spices start the second third with a spice and wood combination to finish. The profile is consistent as it continues, with no change in flavor intensity. Wood defines the post draw as the cigar moves into the bottom half, with some mild dryness to accent it.
Jiunn: The second third retains the high levels of natural sweetness in bread and nuts. The profile’s pepper is fading a bit, but not enough to make me feel like it’s not an overall complete packaged smoke. Strength is nearing medium-full, and body is medium.

Team Cigar Review: Illusione Original Documents Habano Corona Gorda

Final Third

Aaron: As the final third begins, the black pepper is now pretty smooth as it gains a light creaminess. At a half inch in, the toast level increases. The retrohale is now toasted oak, earth and light creaminess. As the cigar wraps up, the profile is toasted oak and earth up front with creamy black pepper in the middle and light mustiness in the background. The strength remained at medium-full.
Seth: The final third delivers a dryer and spicier profile. Wood and mineral spices. Leather and dry earth. Nice transitioning and depth. Still enjoyable. Medium-full to full in strength and body.
John: Creamy bread starts, followed by wood, light-plus spices and a creamy, dry wood into the post draw to linger. Sweet tobacco defines the center of the profile as it continues to the halfway point, with bread providing accent notes. A tannic wood is leading the profile by the halfway point.
Jiunn: The final third deteriorates into a mainly less sweeter version of the first two thirds. This allows for the black pepper spice and wood notes to become sharper. Strength and body overall is still medium.

Team Cigar Review: Illusione Original Documents Habano Corona Gorda

Burn

Aaron: The burn line was straight throughout, and the ash held on in inch and a quarter increments.
Seth: Perfect burn from start to finish.
John: The burn was straight in the first third, spontaneously going out in the bottom, requiring a re-light. The burn was wavy through the second third, but no intervention was required. The cigar went out in the last third, requiring another re-light.
Jiunn: Burn performance was perfect. Even burn, ample smoke production, tight ashes and cool burning temperature.

Team Cigar Review: Illusione Original Documents Habano Corona Gorda

Draw

Aaron: The draw was perfect, with just the right amount of resistance that I prefer.
Seth: Perfect draw.
John: The draw was perfect, right in the ideal zone between resistant and open.
Jiunn: Flawless draw, giving the best balance between air flow and resistance.

Overall

Aaron: The cigar began with toasted cedar and a heavy black pepper. The cedar transitioned to oak a bit later and some earth and light mustiness joined in. The final third saw the black pepper gain some creaminess. The construction was absolutely perfect. The Illusione Original Documents Habano Corona Gorda started full bodied and with a bit of strength. It mellowed a bit as the second third began and dropped a level in enjoyment and maintained that level the rest of the way. The final third was on the cusp of being good, but just couldn’t get over the threshold. This was an interesting cigar to smoke as it’s a brand I’ve really enjoyed in the past, but from a factory I haven’t really enjoyed. I’m not making a final call based on this one try, but I’m not saying the brand has found where it should go. I’d be interested in trying this in other vitolas to see if there is one that performs better, but this particular cigar isn’t something I see making my list of go to’s from the brand.
Seth: Best Habano that Illusione has ever released, and best Illusione in some time. Has San Lotano saved or caused more problems for Illusione? While this Illusione Original Documents Habano Corona Gorda is not a breathtaking Habano, there are few of those, this will be a popular and high demand release from Illusione. The flavor profile was solid throughout and there was some complexity and transitioning throughout the thirds. I would definitely smoke again, and would definitely try all of the vitolas.
John: The Illusione Original Documents Habano Corona Gorda is going to be a bit of a divisive cigar given the sometimes full bodied nature of some of the spices present through the review. For me, the flavors were engaging, interesting and developed nicely through most of the cigar. The draw was perfect, while the burn required two re-lights through the review. I would happily smoke the Illusione Original Documents Habano Corona Gorda again, both based on the flavor delivery and the price, which is well under industry average for 2023. Total smoking time was a relaxed 2 hours and 14 minutes.
Jiunn: Dion Giolito collaborates with AJF and makes a cigar out of San Lotano. This fact and smoking experience is not what I expected if you asked me about Illusione 4 years ago. But given the decline of Aganorsa tobacco year over year since then, I would believe it more and more. However, a part of me doesn’t want to believe it because I associate Dion with (great) Aganorsa tobacco. Call me an old fart but I still reminisce about those days. But overall, after smoking through this Illusione Original Documents Habano Corona Gorda, I’m pleased by this change and I welcome more blends utilizing tobaccos outside of Aganorsa.

Aaron Loomis

SCORE

6.10

Cost/Point

$1.81

Scoring System

Seth Geise

SCORE

7.17

Cost/Point

$1.54

Scoring System

John McTavish

SCORE

6.52

Cost/Point

$1.70

Scoring System

Jiunn Liu

SCORE

6.82

Cost/Point

$1.62

Scoring System

Team Cigar Review: Illusione Original Documents Habano Corona Gorda