Illusione 888 Candela

This week's review is another green cigar from Dion, the Illusione 888 Candela! Previously he had released the Holy Lance in a candela, which I loved, and has now released the 88 and this 888 with a bright green Candela wrapper. Like the HL, this is a Nicaraguan Puro and as far as I know it is the same blend as the regular 888 with the addition of the Candela wrapper. The 888 is a Churchill measuring in at 6.75X48. 

This cigar really stands out with its bright green wrapper. The wrapper is flawless and smooth with a very even color to it. The overall feel to this cigar is a little soft and squishy, which means it might be a little underfilled or on the wet side. Now that I think about it though, the HL Candela was on the soft side as well so maybe it is just the feel of the elastic Candela wrapper. Like all Illusione cigars this appears to be very well constructed. The prelight has a clean flavor with a little bit of barnyard to it. The draw is perfect, which makes me dismiss my initial thoughts that this might be a little underfilled. Once lit, the 888 Candela starts out with some spice on the tongue and a mild herb flavor, probably from the Candela wrapper. There is also an underlying woody/earthy flavor. It still amazes me how much just switching the wrapper changes the flavor profile of a cigar. The finish is crisp and clean, leaving a light grassy flavor on the palate. Normally I am not a fan of a grassy taste in a cigar, but its really working with this one. It isn't a youthful grassyness, its more herbaceous. Through the nose this has a really different aroma/flavor that is spicy but has an almost spearmint quality to it. The ash fell at just under an inch and the burn has been even so far. This is off to a great and unique start. 

At the halfway point the flavors have remained consistent and tasty! At this point I would say this is a solid medum bodied cigar but full flavored. The herb/grassy flavor is more prominent in the last third of this cigar, but it is a really pleasant flavor. By the end of this cigar the strength has picked up a bit, moving into the full range. This is more what I expect from an Illusione, it just sneaks up on you with the crisp flavor of the Candela wrapper. 

The Illusione 888 Candela was a nice cigar! This has a very different flavor profile than the normal 888, which goes to show just how much the wrapper impacts the flavor. This is a nice change of pace cigar, not one I would smoke everyday but one I would definitely have again. The crisp flavors that come out of this are very pleasant, and surprisingly I enjoyed the grassyness it offered on the palate. If you see these in your local shop, give them a try! I am going to pick up the 88 Candela as soon as I can. Ive smoked more of the regular 88s than any other Ilusione and I want to see how the candela wrapper tastes on a cigar I have smoked a ton of. The 888 sells for about $9.50, a price I would happily pay again after smoking this one. 

Illusione hl Candela

The Illusione hl Candela is one part of a special run of lanceros Dion decided to put out in small quantities. The other being a Maduro. (which I will be reviewing soon). These are both the same blend as the original hl (holy lance), but with different outer wrappers. This cigar measures in at 7.5x40. Honestly, I can't remember the last time I lit up a Candela wrapped cigar. As you can see, a Candela wrapper is bright green. This is traditionally done by using a heat-curing process that fixes the chlorophyll content in the wrappers before fermentation, preserving the green color. I am not sure if that is the process used to achieve this specific wrapper, but that is the only way I know to achieve this shade of wrapper. Candelas used to be a popular style of cigar, but isn't one you see much of anymore. I have to applaud Dion for trying something like this. 

This is obviously a unique cigar to look at. Its not often you see a cigar this color. The construction looks great, but i did notice a few soft spots around the middle of the cigar. The prelight draw shows a great draw, which is always a relief when lighting up a Lancero. The prelight aroma is really unique, and I can't quite place my finger on the smell coming off of this wrapper. The cold flavors seem to be a little bit of earth and spice. After lighting, this lancero starts out very flavorful with a ton of peppery spice. There is also some floral flavors underneath all the spice. I am loving the long and spicy finish on this. For some reason I had it in my head that this would be a mild cigar, but after the first inch I would put it down as a solid medium bodied smoke. The floral undertone provides a nice contrast to the spicy finish. The burn has been dead even and the snowy white ash holds on for a little less than an inch. Lanceros don't tend to hold a really long ash because of how thin they are.  At the halfway point, the spice backs down and it becomes nice and creamy. This ended up being a solid medium/full bodied cigar loaded with flavor.

Yet again, another really tasty cigar from Illusione! Im starting to think its not possible for Dion to make a cigar I don't like. I need to go back and taste the original holy lance to see how this one differs, but I would definitely smoke more of these. If you smoke one of these in public, I guarantee it will be a conversation starter because of the bright green coloring.  I am not sure exactly how many of these are being made, but I think its a pretty small run of them. They sell for the same price as the regular hl, which is right around $9. I am really looking forward to trying the maduro version of this. Don't let the candela wrapper scare you away from trying this cigar. If you see these in a shop, pick a few up!

Heres a shot of the Candela next to the maduro version. Keep an eye out for a review of the hl maduro!