Illusione Nosotros Robusto

I wandered into my local B&M and was perusing the new releases and came across a much heralded cigar amongst my fellow BOTL's. This joint release from Illusione and Jonathan Drew is new and has been much revered amongst the cigar men that I hang around with. In all fairness, I approach with trepidation any cigar that has the taint of Drew Estates, I have just never liked their smokes. This smoke is very unassuming to look at, with a simple presentation in both band and cigar. The wrapper is a kind of flat visual experience that has the hue of uncured leather. There are some prominent veins, but I do not detect any construction issues that would give me concern. The pre light aroma is floral and sweet. The pre light draw is sharp with notes of cedar and an interesting floral bite that has some hints of pine.

The cigar opens with a profile that screams of cedar, there are some floral undertones that border on being bitter. At the back of the palate an interesting, tangy flavor comes forward and it has some citrus zest to it that threatens to mull the core profile. There is not much complexity or depth here, the flavors are a bit thin and bitter. The draw is nice, it has an appropriate firmness while still producing nice smoke. The burn is sharp, but the ash is flaky and dark.

The first half of the cigar develops little. The profile continues to be a presentation of cedary notes with bitter floral essences appearing in the background. At the back of the palate the early citrus impressions give way to a more vegetal tone with earthy textures. The draw tightens slightly and I begin looking for a plug in the smoke, but I do not find any. The burn continues to perform well, but the ash stays flaky.

The final half of the cigar shows some interesting transitions, but it all ends up being too little too late. The core profile shows some nutty flavors as the cedar tone fades into the distance. There is still some persistent bitterness. At the back of the palate some blasts of coffee come through and I wish they were more prominent in the overall mix. The draw is acceptable, but now a but tighter than I would like. The burn deteriorates in the final two inches, but I avoid a relight and fight my way through.

The finish has some bitterness, but shows nice notes of cedar and roasted nuts.

Appearance- 87 a very plain looking smoke
Taste- 86 an acceptable profile that needs more depth and complexity
Construction- 88 aside from small draw and burn issues this smoke performed well
Strength- 87 a very unremarkable medium
Overall- 87 a solid smoke that was slightly above average