Illusione Cigars

Illusione Cigars were created with the intent to reproduce a specific taste profile from the Nicaraguan past. Prior to the Sandinista takeover of the country in 1979, Nicaragua was known for some of the very best tobacco in the world—particularly that which was grown in the Jalapa Valley and Esteli region of the country. Both of these were known to produce cigar with a bold, clean taste. Communist rule resulted in years of neglect, however, where almost all of the original glory of the region faded in both notoriety and in quality.

However, Arcenio Ramos of Cuba moved here and re-cultivated these fields with the partnership of Fernano, Chandito, and Cuban agronomist Jacinto. This amazing team has resurrected these acres back to their full productive potential.

Today, all Illusione cigars are made from first generation Corojo 99 and Criollo 98 seeds. They are wrapped with Café Colorado wrapper and renowned for their super taste and aroma of smoke. All of these premium cigars are made in small quantities to maintain strict adherence to quality control and consistency.

Illusione cigars are quickly becoming some of the most highly sought after cigars on today’s market. This is because each and every one of them is hand-made in the Raices Cubanas factory. Being triple capped in the old Cuban style, they are something of a contemporary classic, if you will. Although they are new to the market, they have already become established in the world of premium cigars. Cigar Aficionado named them the seventh best cigar of the year in 2007.

There are three lines of Illusione cigars.

The first of these is the original line. It has a dark color, and it has flavors of spice, cedar, leather, and wood. At the finish, this cigar is also sweet and nutty, which works to balance out the other, stronger flavors. This is a strong blend of all Nicaraguan tobacco (filler, binder, and wrapper) and is intended for the experienced cigar smoker with a fully developed palate for a strong, full-body smoke.

In 2009, two other lines of Illusione cigars were launched: the Epernay, and the Cruzado.

The Epernay line is available in four different sizes. These cigars are made from a blend of Criollo and Corojo tobaccos wrapped in a Café Rosado wrapper. They are complex to the taste buds, being characterized by an array of flavors that include coffee, honey, and a creamy finish.

The Illusione Cruzado also has a medium flavor. It is balanced by a Criollo wrapper enclosing a blend of Honduran and Nicaraguan fillers and a Nicaraguan binder.

While many claim that the past is forever lost, and that it is never possible to reclaim what has been lost to posterity, Illusione cigars proves this assumption wrong. When you light up an Illusione, you are enjoying the best of a past brought forward in time in a very modern and convenient moment of present time.

Cigar Prices Vary Greatly

Why are cigar prices so different?
The way the cigar is made is the first reason that prices are so different. The least expensive kinds that you find at corner stores and drugstores are machine-rolled with short filler. Short filler does not run the entire length of the cigar, and may even be shredded. The wrappers on these cheap cigars are also of a lower grade quality. They lack the fine aging and curing methods of the more premium brands.

Fine cigars and premium cigars are an entirely different matter. These are made with whole length tobacco. Both the filler and the wrapper run the entire length of the cigar. Both are carefully cultivated, and the wrapper is painstakingly cured and treated to imbue it with a number of special scents and tastes.

Torcedores, or cigar rollers, hand-roll premium cigars, and they work especially hard to make certain that each and every cigar in the box looks and feels identical to its counterparts.

This is why premium cigar prices are so high—not only does it take longer to make the tobacco, but it takes longer for the most experienced employees in the factory to do their jobs rolling it.

What is the number one determining factor in cigar price?
The makeup of the tobacco is the number one determinant in price. Tobacco for filler, binder, and wrapper are all grown in specific countries and often specific regions of a country. Fine tobacco must be aged a certain way, and every manufacturer has its secret recipes for making the most world renowned brands.

Cigar prices can also be affected by fancy packaging. If you buy cedar or mahogany boxes, then expect to pay more.

What is the general range of cigar prices in a typical cigar store?
You can expect to pay as little as $1 a piece to over $20 a piece on finer brands. To get the best cigar prices, you really need to get a full box of cigars. If you are new to cigar smoking, try experimenting with the different types, prices, and brands to get a feel for what is offered before you buy anything in a large quantity or at an exorbitant price.

Is high cost a guarantee of premium quality?
No. High cigar prices are not always an indication of premium cigar quality. There are always retailers, both online and in brick and mortar establishments, that will charge more than is fair for certain products. Also, sometimes retailers have the very best of intentions, but they have no way of verifying their sources.

That’s why it’s always best to do business with an entity like www.seriouscigars.com that is BBB certified and that knows both its sources and the level of quality of each and every cigar in its inventory.

What are the highest cigar prices?
The most famous and well-loved cigars appreciated the world over can possibly cost hundreds of dollars. This depends on their origin, what type of tobacco was used, what was done to it, and how long it was aged.

Tips on How to Buy Cigars

What is the most economical way to buy a box or bundle of cigars?
If you are looking for a cigar deal on discount, buy online. There are all sorts of specials you can find in the form of boxes, bundles, and samplers. You can normally get much better deals on boxes, bundles, or samples of cigars when you buy from a website like www.seriouscigars.com.

This is the most economical way to buy bundles or boxes of cigars.

Many on-line stores also publish catalogs. You can order online, over the phone, or through the mail. When you buy cigars by the box (usually 25 cigars), the cost per stick can be as much as 50% less than the cost of a single cigar. Before you decide to buy a box, it is strongly recommended that you test-smoke 2 or 3 singles, first.

Why can’t I buy single cigars online?
You certainly can. However, there is something old-movie like and magical about walking into a cigar shop. Nothing beats the sheer experience of strolling through a walk-in humidor and savoring all the rich scents of the many cigar brands that are stored there. Nothing beats the tactile wonder of holding all those fine cigars as you pick that one special stogie to enjoy.

Plus, you get to talk to the owner and the helpful staff anytime you want to ask a question. It is also much less expensive to buy one or two cigars rather than to pay for shipping costs.

Is there a benefit to buying a sampler pack of cigars?
Yes. If you buy a sampler pack, it will have several brands of cigars and many different styles. A sampler pack often includes mild, medium-bodied, and full-bodied cigars. Finding a sampler pack on special gives you a great way to try several new kinds of cigars at once. It is also an excellent gift item.

You can buy cigars in sampler packs from many different tobacco stores, and you can always find a cigar retailer like us offering discounts or specials on them as well.

What are some things I need to know when I buy cigars as a gift?
· Find out what the person likes. You need to know both the brand and label they prefer. You should also find out if they like mild, medium, or full-bodied flavor.
· Go to a good source. A good cigar is sold by people who know what they are doing and who dedicate themselves to running an impeccable business. Stay away from corner stores and malls that offer cigars like trinkets.
· Remember that many good cigars are not expensive
· Don’t be fooled by packaging. If you buy a cigar sampler pack, ask an employee about what is in it, or email your questions to a member of our staff.
· If you are in a cigar store, inspect the cigars in the box and look for consistency and integrity in wrapping, size, and color.

Cigar Discount

What is a cigar discount?
It is either a cigar sold for less than the cost of a premium cigar, or it is a way of promoting a new cigar that has recently been rated highly.

Why would I want a cigar discount?
Do you want to save money? Just because you buy an inexpensive cigar doesn’t mean you can’t buy premium cigars when you can afford to indulge yourself. You might want to consider this path when buying cigars as gifts for people who normally smoke cigarettes. Cigarette smokers who are new to the cigar world are going to find an intriguing and new experience regardless of whether or not it is labeled premium or not.

This is why Serious Cigars offers so many sampler packs for the aficionado to buy for family and friends new to the world of cigar smoking.

Where would I find information in regard to cigar discounts?
The most convenient source of information is on the Internet. Our website has all sorts of specials running that you can browse through at your convenience. Another place to obtain information, if you are out and about, is from your local cigar shop or cigar lounge.

If you are embarrassed about asking staff about discounts because you are afraid of looking cheap, simply say you are considering gift options for new smokers and would like to know about cigar discounts you can either purchase for them or pass along the grapevine in the form of a recommendation.

This way the rich men in the corner who make the world turn will not think you down and out, and you will save both your money and your dignity.

Magazines are a third source of information on cigar discounts. Many magazines here in Houston are free publications that are financed exclusively by advertising dollars. You can pick them up all over the city at little news racks. These are very nice magazines and are full of ads that can give you all kinds of information on cigars and many other topics.

How long do cigar discounts normally last?
That depends on the retailer. Some lower prices on a particular brand for an extended period of time in order to increase the sales volume of that particular brand. Others may run a promotion on a new brand for a new day in order to encourage an impulse purchase and get a new product on the market quickly. Still others offer cigar discounts on brands that are good, but not rated as being particularly superb. There is an old adage that you get what you pay for, and some cigars are decent but simply not worth a lot of money.

Are all machine rolled cigars discounted because of this?
Not necessarily. In our opinion, truly premium cigars are always hand-rolled with whole leaf filler and wrapper. However, just because a cigar is machine rolled does not mean it will be the cheapest cigar in the inventory, and there is nothing written in stone that says that you can never buy a fine cigar at a special low price, either.

Fine Cigars-True Works of Art That Do Not Have to Cost a Lot of Money to be Enjoyed

A fine cigar is a work of art.
Fine cigars are always rolled by hand. This requires a great deal of skill and experience, so only the most veteran of torcedores is employed to make the best cigars. They must pack the cigar evenly so that it will burn smoothly, and the must wrap the cigar in such a way that the wrapper makes an even spiral around the filler.

How is a fine cigar rolled?
Torcedores work in small factories with very simple setups. They sit at small tables and choose anywhere from 2 to 6 leaves to use as filler. These are rolled together in a bunch, which is then rolled into a binder leaf. The wrapper then goes around the binder to hold everything in place and to put the final, finishing touches on the flavor and the aroma.

How much should a fine cigar cost?
Some costs a great deal of money because of brand reputation, but there are a good many that cost between 3 and 5 dollars.

What types of fillers are used in fine cigars?
Fillers are made from a blend of different parts of the tobacco plant. These parts are the ligero, which come from the top of the plant, are very robust. Ligero must be aged for a minimum of three years before being used. The second type of leaf is seco, which means dry, and which comes from the middle of the plant. Volado leaves come from the lower part of the plant and help cigars burn smooth and even.

Long filler is used in the most premium cigars. In other fine cigars, medium and short filler may also be used. Sometimes a blend is used to add variety to taste and aroma.

What type of wrapper is used to make a fine cigar?
The best wrapper tobacco is usually grown in Connecticut, Cameroon, Cuba and The Dominican Republic. You may be surprised to learn this, but as much as 75 percent of the cigar’s taste comes from the wrapper.

What type of taste characterizes a fine cigar?
The best way to say this is, “ a taste that leaves an impression on your mouth.” After a mild cigar you will have a soft impression where the taste and aroma gently linger on the tongue and throat. A full-bodied cigar, on the other hand, will leave a full, satisfying feeling in your mouth and throat after you have finished smoking.

What is the texture of a quality cigar?
It will be characterized by a slightly oily texture and a lustrous sheen. It feels firms to the touch.

Do I need really need to use a cigar humidor?
Yes. Cigar humidification is an absolute must when it comes to preserving the taste and aroma of a cigar. Even the very best cigars will last for no more than a week if you do not store them in a humidor. Once your cigar dries out, it will burn too fast, taste stale, and possible even fall apart