If you don’t read Cigar Insider, CIGAR AFICIONADO’s sister publication, you may have never heard of the brand Illusione. All nine cigars in the line were rated in an August issue of the newsletter, and all but one size scored 90 points or higher, about as impressive a debut as we’ve ever witnessed. The Central American cigars are powerful Nicaraguan puros with quirky names. The cg:4, which measures 5 5/8 inches by 46 ring, has balance as well as strength, with sweet leather, nuts and cocoa on the palate. The cigars are the brainchild of Dion Giolito, owner of the Reno, Nevada, cigar store Fumaré. Giolito doesn’t own his own factory, but the Illusione brand is small enough that he can visit Central America to testsmoke each batch of new tobacco before it is made into his cigars. Production was recently shifted from Nicaragua to Honduras. Consistency is the tough trick to the cigar business, so the real test is ahead for Giolito—maintaining the impeccable quality of these cigars so they live up to the early ratings

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