Illusione MK Corona

[meatcake]

Illusione MK Corona

Origin – Nicaragua
Ring Gauge- 42
Filler- Nicaragua
Binder- Nicaragua
Wrapper- Nicaragua
Paired with: Nothing
Smoked: Outside
Smoke time: 1 hour 15min
History: Bombed to my by a buddy via USPS mail, rested in humidor at 65 humidity for a month before it was smoked.

Pre-Light:
This was my FIRST Illusione and I have heard nothing but good things about them so I was a bit nervous going in that I wouldn’t like it. Seldom do cigars that are over hyped meet, much less exceed, expectations.
The pre-light led me down a somewhat dark path. The cigar was pretty toothy, with a splotchy wrapper that just screamed “this isn’t going to end well.”
After a quick cut and cold draw, things were looking up. The cold draw produced a nice amount of spice, a hearty tobacco flavor and I swear a bit of citrus even though the draw was a bit hard.
Reminder to self, don’t judge a book by its cover.

1st Third:
Right off the bat I am hit with a flavor BOMB!! Lots of cocoa and woodsy notes. The draw was still a bit touch but after a few good chomps on it the cigar loosened up quite nicely. On the retrohale, I was getting a slight floral note but only on the first few retrohales that I did. After that, it morphed into more of an Asian spice. Almost like a cross between ginger and maybe nutmeg.
The burn is razor sharp but the wrapper did crack a bit on me. It did not effect the burn at all so no harm, no foul.

2nd Third:
Whoohoo is what I said out loud when I hit the 2nd third. The amount of flavor packed into this cigar is something that needs to be experienced first hand. The slightly floral/Asian spice flavors have melted into leather and spice with a good amount of body. The mouth finish has a slight earth to it but not in a dirty, gritty way. While moving the smoke around in your mouth you can taste the earth mix with the leather quite nicely. Like a fine wine, this cigar begs for you to take your time with it and explore the nuances it has to offer.
When a cigar is as complex as this, I tend to blow the smoke out very slowly through my lips, letting only very small amounts of smoke escape a little at a time, so I can taste all the flavors as the smoke dissipates. The smoke seems to produce a sweetness on the lips as well which is a nice addition to all the power this cigar delivers.

Last Third:
I nubbed the ever loving crap out of this cigar. This is most definitely a full bodied, full flavored smoke. The last third moved into more of a gut puncher than I expected but I powered through it and was rewarded with a solid smoking experience I will not soon forget.
The leather and spice intensified and added to it a good amount of white pepper. I was beginning to think I may have smoked this too fast but then I realized It has already been over an hour. To me that just means that this is not for the faint at heart. If you are an experienced smoker, looking for a lot of flavor, power and a great deal of complexity, this is the cigar for you. If you are newish to cigars and still smoking mild to medium, I would recommend you hold off on trying one of these as you might just turn one of the walls in your house into a Jackson Pollock painting with your mouth (if you catch my drift).

Last word:
If you’re looking for a great shortish smoke with loads of flavor and complexity, you should rush out and get one of these. I would recommend it to any seasoned cigar fan looking for a good journey. This cigar has a great story to tell, with a beginning, middle and end that are separate experiences unto themselves and THAT my friends, is worth every penny you paid for it.