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.

Ashton Cigars

Who makes them?
Ashton Cigars was founded by Robert Levin in partnership with the Fuente family. They are known to be the best cigar manufacturers in the world. Their brands are the most highly ranked, and often very hard to find. Levin’s business sense and Fuentes’s expertise in cigar-making create an award making synergy that has made cigar history.

Are they mild, medium or full bodied?
Ashton cigars are known for their mild to medium taste. Many people like them as after dinner smokes. Of the six different lines, a few are robust, but none are ever harsh.

Are they considered premium cigars?
Yes.

Where are they made?
Ashton cigars are made in the famous Fuente factory in the Dominican Republic.

Where is the filler grown?
Almost all of the filler used in Ashton Cigars is grown in the Dominican Republic.

Where is the wrapper grown?
Ashton Cigars are wrapped in Connecticut shade-grown wrappers. There have been past limited releases using Connecticut Broadleaf, Ecuadorian cloud leaf, and Cameroon leaf wrapper.

What flavors do they come in?
Ashton cigars come in six distinct blends, each of which offers something unique and distinguished.

VSG
VSG stands for Virgin Sun Grown. It was released in 1999 and has been the most popular blend to date. It has a full-bodied flavor and a deep, smooth draw. It is the personal creation of Carlos Fuente, Jr. himself. He took two years working with Ashton to perfect this fine blend. The Dominican filler and Ecuadorian wrapper create a full-bodied taste with a deep, smooth draw.

ESG
ESG stands for Estate Sun Grown and uses a Dominican wrapper grown on the Chateau de la Fuente itself. It has never been used on any other cigar. The ESG is meant for very special occasions and is one of the rarer and highly sought after cigars in the world.

Ashton Heritage
The Ashton Heritage Puro Sol has a smooth, calm draw resulting from a Dominican filler and binder surrounded by a Cameroon wrapper. All tobaccos are 100% sun-grown. This is a mellow and medium-bodied smoke with notes of wood and graham cracker.

Ashton Aged Maduro Cigars
This is a rare blend because it uses extremely limited Connecticut broad-leaf wrapper. The filler and binder are grown in the Dominican Republic. It has a taste that is sweet in the beginning that turns rich and nutty as you continue smoking.

Ashton Cabinet Series Cigars
This cigar is known for its even draw, smooth and creamy flavor, and rich aroma. It shows subtle hints of oak and earth. The Dominican filler is aged four to five years, and the Connecticut shade-grown wrapper is aged for an extra year.

Ashton Classic Cigars
This cigar is made with Dominican filler and a Connecticut shade-grown wrapper. It has a mild to medium body with a touch of peppery spice.

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.

How to Select a Premium Handmade Cigar

What is a handmade cigar?
It is a cigar that is bunched, rolled and trimmed by a skilled individual worker. This worker can either be one person who works alone on a single cigar, or the labor can be divided between a buncher and a roller who works on the same cigar. The point is that the entire cigar is completely made by hand from start to finish.

How do I find a handmade cigar that is just right for me?
Consider your own personal preferences for taste, first. There are mild cigars, medium cigars, and full-bodied cigars. You can usually tell the difference by the color of the wrapper. Normally, the darker the wrapper, the more full-bodied the cigar’s flavor will be.

A handmade cigar should have a mild sheen to its appearance. There should be no veins in it. There are, of course, different colors of wrappers. There are candela, which is greenish in color, natural, which is light brown in color, Colorado and Rosado, which is red in color, and Habano, Maduro, and Oscuro, which are all dark brown.

What causes wrappers to have different colors?
The way tobacco is grown changes the color of its leaves. The more direct sunlight the plants receive, the darker they are.

How should a fine handmade cigar feel when I hold it?
A fine cigar should also feel smooth when you hold it, and it should be firm with no soft spots. Soft spots are bad because they make cigars burn unevenly. The cigar should not be too tight, either. If it is, the draw will be very difficult.

How is a cigar handmade?
There are three parts to a handmade cigar—the filler, the binder, and the wrapper. Every one of these parts has a specific purpose.

The most distinguishing characteristic of truly good cigars is that they all have long filler. This means that the tobacco leaf inside the binder spans the entire length of the cigar. Every one of these leaves is one half of an entire tobacco leaf. The vein that runs down the middle of the leaf is taken out, and both halves are then used to make cigars.

The binder is used to contain the filler. It is pliable and silky, and actually rougher than the wrapper. It has no flavor, but it is very important because it helps give the cigar its shape and firmness by containing the filler at just the right density.

The wrapper on a handmade cigar is made from very high quality tobacco. It has a smooth texture and is slightly oily to the touch. It is made to burn steady and contribute to flavor.

Are handmade cigars more expensive?
Yes. They are usually priced higher and are often classified as premium or super premium cigars.

Can I be guaranteed I am getting a premium cigar?
Unfortunately, this is not the case. Purchasing a handmade cigar will not guarantee a premium cigar. Although premium cigars are all handmade, there are always individual cigars that are flawed, and there are cheap imitations everywhere. Inspect what you buy and ask questions before you spend your money on something that is less than the best.

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.

Online and Storefront Cigar Stores: The Choice is Yours

What is the nature and purpose of a cigar store?
It offers a wide variety of cigar brands, humidors, and accessories. If it has a website, it can operate beyond geographical boundaries and offer products at a fraction of the cost. Such an establishment provides a wide range of brands to choose from. Some are offered at a discount, while others represent the utmost in premium quality and pricing.

The most important accessory you will find in a store is the cigar humidor. Without a humidor, there is no way to store fine cigars and maintain their quality for very long. Other accessories you can normally buy include, but are not limited to, cigar lighters, cigar coffee mugs, and cigar cutters.

What distinguishes a good cigar store?
Customer service is one thing you should always expect when you go to the time and expense of waking into a storefront establishment that sells cigars. Customer service in our world is defined by two things: establishing the atmosphere of aficionado pleasure, and providing detailed information on cigars and cigar accessories.

When dealing with an online store you should also expect customer service in the form of community management. This basically means that every customer that does business with us is someone we want to stay in touch with and assist in finding maximum satisfaction in their pursuit of fine cigar enjoyment.

Feel free to email or call with any questions, and always be brave enough to ask about discounts. We like brave people. That’s one reason we sell Hemingway cigars here.

Other than customer service, what else makes Serious Cigars such a good in store?
More than anything, it is the selection we offer. You can find practically any brand of cigar in our store that can be legally purchased in the United States. You can find premium cigars at premium prices, and you can find cigar discounts for those occasions when less means more. We have worked very hard over the years to forge strong partnerships with our suppliers and are able to obtain many brands that other cigar stores may find it difficult to keep in stock.

We also take very good care of our cigar inventory. We have a 1400-square foot walk-in humidor. You can count on quality being assured at every puff of any fine cigar you buy from us.

What does a cigar store do?
A cigar shop offers a wide variety of cigar brands, humidors and accessories, but knows no geographical boundaries and offers products at a fraction of the cost. This brings incredible convenience to the world of smoking never before experienced until now. You no longer have to go hunt for a cigar store if you live in an area where there may not be one in your immediate vicinity.

Also, as smoking period becomes more and more discouraged in society at large, having the freedom to order online from the convenience of your own home makes www.seriouscigars.com the best friend of the smoker who may live in a municipality where smokers simply no longer feel welcome and where all the cigar stores have gone away.

When should I go to a cigar store storefront and when should I purchase online?
That depends greatly on how much you like to get out of the house. If you want face-to-face experience you will have to come to the store. If you are new to smoking cigars it may help you to talk to a kind and friendly staff member who can teach you about cigars and cigar etiquette. If you are a veteran smoker, you may want to sit and visit with other smokers. Then again, you may want to explore the world of cigar smoking from within your own four walls and utilize the convenience of an online cigar store as a portal to the world.

The choice is yours, the freedom is yours. Remember, as fellow smokers, we are all about choice and freedom at the end of the day.

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

What Makes a Premium Cigar Truly PREMIUM?

What is a premium cigar?
Premium cigars are always made by hand, and when you look at two premium cigars of the same type, they are consistent from one to the next. It takes a great deal of skill to roll such a cigar in order to make certain that that it will burn smoothly and at just the right rate.

What type of filler is used in premium cigars?
Long filler is used. Long filler is made from full leaves that run the entire length of the cigar. They are carefully picked, carefully handled, stored, and aged intact. Aging is the most important component to this process. Just like fine wine, fine tobacco must go through a carefully timed and monitored process to truly offer the level of excellence that justifies a cigar being called “premium.”

In most cases too, a single country of origin, such as Cuba, Honduras, or Cost Rica, is used exclusively to make the filler in a specific brand or line of cigars. This, again, guarantees that the taste of each and every cigar in the box will be consistent with that of the previous one smoked.

What kinds of wrappers are used in premium cigars?
The wrapper is a high-quality tobacco leaf that is wrapped around the finished bunch and binder. A truly excellent wrapper will have no visible veins on its leaves, and no blemishes of any kind. The colors of wrappers are generated by the aging process. Basically, there are three shades of wrappers used in premium cigar rolling. The first is CANDELA or DOUBLE CLARO, which is a light yellow-green shade. It is known for the mildest flavor and the sharpest aroma. The second shade is NATURAL, also known as ENGLISH MARKET SELECT. It is a light or medium brown. The taste is more rounded, as they say, and the aroma more laid back. Most aficionados prefer the EMS shade in their cigars. Finally, the MADURO wrapper is the darkest in color (being sometimes almost mahogany black) and has the fullest aroma and taste.

What type of taste is a premium cigar known for?
There are many different flavors that have become famous with cigar aficionados over the years. Experienced smokers generally agree that the best tobaccos have a distinctively mild or rich taste with subtle overtones of additional tastes as well. Some of these subtle overtones come from the wrappers as well as the fillers.

Popular flavors include spice, leather, earth, toast, nut, berry, almond, pepper, woods, and even grass. Yes, all of these are aromatic overtones that an experienced smoker not only likes, but genuinely loves.

As a general principle too, lighter colored wrappers are characterized by milder flavors and fewer aftertastes. Darker wrappers are normally much richer in flavor. This is not a hard fast rule though. It really all depends on the manufacturer and the blend more than anything else, because a truly premium cigar is a masterpiece that defies stereotype.

What type of aroma characterizes a premium cigar?
Aroma comes from additives that create scents like apple, orange, cherry, chocolate, coffee, and whisky. Properly storing a cigar in a humidor is necessary to keep it in the very best condition.