Illusione Adds Garagiste, Revamps Cruzado, Expands Others

It’s the 10th anniversary of Illusione and the company is about to unveil its largest change on the portfolio.

At next week’s IPCPR Convention & Trade Show, the company will unveil one new line, two national releases of previously private blends, a revamped brand and multiple extensions.

Garagiste is the new line from Illusione. Described as medium-full line that concentrates on two tobaccos: corojo viso and criollo viso, both from a specific farm in the AGANORSA fields of Nicaragua. On top of that, it uses an Ecuadorian habano wrapper.

Finalized sizes have not been announced, but it’s believed to be Short Robusto, Robusto, Toro and Gordo.

Next on the priority list is Cruzado.

There’s a cryptic message associated with Cruzado:

The earthly and the not-of-this-earth. Houdini struggled with the concept of the afterlife. Did Houdini excape his toughest shackles in death? Were secret coded messages received and sent back from beyond the physical world?

Below that is information that there will be four sizes—Short Robusto, Robusto, Gordo and Churchill—priced between $8-12 per cigar. What this means to the other sizes remains to be seen.

The blend is listed as a combination of Nicaraguan criollo 98 and corojo 99 with a “AA grade rosado corojo” wrapper.

Fans of the ~eccj~ blend can rejoice, it’s now regular production. Three sizes will be produced: Robusto, Corona Gorda and Churchill priced at $11-13 per cigar.

That’s also the news with Singularé: three popular previous releases—Anunakki, Miserere and Phantom—return along with the new Kadosh, 4 1/4 x 48.

Each blend is different, but the unifying factor is a focus on using specific lower priming tobaccos from an AGANORSA farm.

Cigares Prive, the name for Illusione’s single store releases, will now be sold nationally in two different wrappers: San Andrés Maduro and Corojo.

Interestingly, the line will use new sizes: Robusto (5 x 52), Prensado Suave (5 1/2 x 56) and 660 (6 x 60). These are not the same as the previous Cigars Prive releases.

Illusione’s Rothchildes (4 1/2 x 50, $5) and Gigantes (6 1/2 x 56, $8) lines will receive Connecticut  offerings using an Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper.

The Fume d’Amour line will receive a new Concepcions size, it measures 5 5/8 x 46 and retails for $9.

Finally, Ultra will receive two additions: Ultra Op No. 3, an $8 short robusto, and No. 8, a $13 Churchill.

All new lines are produced at Tabacos Valle de Jalapa S.A. (TABSA).

Charlie Minato

I am an editor and co-founder of halfwheel.com/Rueda Media, LLC. I previously co-founded and published TheCigarFeed, one of the two predecessors of halfwheel. I have written about the cigar industry for more than a decade, covering everything from product launches to regulation to M&A. In addition, I handle a lot of the behind-the-scenes stuff here at halfwheel. I enjoy playing tennis, watching boxing, falling asleep to the Le Mans 24, wearing sweatshirts year-round and eating gyros. echte liebe.