When Andrea Molinari founded the OneOff brand of cigars in 2001, it was one of a number of different businesses that Molinari was involved in, a list that also included a La Casa del Habano retail shop, the Cigair lounge and restaurant and Lauda Air S.p.A., an Italian airline. Molinari originally wanted his OneOff cigars to be made in Cuba, but after realizing that was not possible, he searched out other alternatives until eventually connecting with the Plasencia family to create his cigar at the Segovia Cigars S.A. factory—now known as Plasencia Cigars S.A.—in Nicaragua.

Eventually, OneOff was purchased by Cuban Crafters—the Miami-based retailer also known for its humidors and cutters—which kept the brand for almost a decade before it was acquired by its current owner in 2017, namely Dion Giolito of Illusione. The next year, Giolito began shipping a reblended version of the OneOff line made at Aganorsa Leaf’s Tabacos Valle de Jalapa S.A.(TABSA) factory in Estelí, Nicaragua using all Nicaraguan tobacco.

During the 2021 PCA Convention & Trade Show, Giolito mentioned—but had nothing physical to show off—that he was planning on releasing a “sister brand” to OneOff named Allegria, which translates to Joy from Italian. Like OneOff, the Allegria brand was founded by Molinari—albeit three years later in 2004—and the trademark was included when Giolito purchased the OneOff trademark.

Earlier this year, Giolito was ready to talk more specifics about the Allegria line at the 2022 PCA Convention & Trade Show, although physical specimens were still notably absent from the Illusione booth. According to Giolito, the blend of the newest incarnation of the Allegria brand is a Nicaraguan puro that incorporates specific farm lots of corojo 99 and criollo 98 tobaccos and the cigars are being made at Agricola Ganadera Norteña S.A., the factory formerly known as TABSA.

The Illusione Allegria debuted in five different vitolas.

Note: The following shows the various Illusione Allegria vitolas. Some of these cigars may have been released after this post was originally published. The list was last updated on Nov. 27, 2022.

91 Overall Score

Considering the history that binds the OneOff and Allegria brands together, it is natural to want to compare them to each other. With that said, the two cigars are very, very different: while I found the OneOffs that I smoked to be fairly linear, the Allegria’s profile is more complex, with creamy almonds and cinnamon combined with fondant sweetness and some obvious white pepper on the retrohale. The Allegria also has a bit more strength than the OneOff—it hits a point just above the medium mark—while also coming in at a noticeably lower price point. In the end, although the Allegria does not come close to the upper echelon of Illusione blends, it is a very enjoyable cigar at a competitive price point and one that fans of full-flavored profiles that feature a bit of strength at the end will want to try out for themselves.

All five sizes are packaged in 25-count boxes that started shipping to retailers in July.

  • Cigar Reviewed: Illusione Allegria Lonsdale
  • Country of Origin: Nicaragua
  • Factory: Agricola Ganadera Norteña S.A.
  • Wrapper: Nicaragua
  • Binder: Nicaragua
  • Filler: Nicaragua
  • Length: 6 1/4 Inches
  • Ring Gauge: 44
  • Vitola: Lonsdale
  • MSRP: $10.60 (Box of 25, $265)
  • Release Date: July 2022
  • Number of Cigars Released: Regular Production
  • Number of Cigars Smoked For Redux: 3

Covered in a milk chocolate brown wrapper, the Illusione Allegria Lonsdale is both smooth and dry to the touch, with almost no oil visible. In addition, all three cigars are nicely firm when squeezed and while there are some veins visible, none are even close to distracting. A strong peanut shell note leads the aromas emanating from the wrapper, followed by creamy cedar, earth, cocoa nibs, leather and slight vanilla sweetness. Aromas from the foot include almonds, leather, sawdust and raisin sweetness. After a punch, the cold draw brings flavors of more almonds, sawdust, gritty earth, nutmeg and milk chocolate sweetness.

There is a noticeable mineral saltiness on my lips as well as white pepper, spice on my tongue and a freshly roasted espresso bean flavor that quickly moves to the background as the burn line progresses, replaced by the main flavor combination of almonds and earth. Secondary flavors of cinnamon, saltine crackers, cedar, leather tack, roasted espresso beans and slight citrus peel flit in and out, while the retrohale features both white pepper and fondant sweetness, the latter of which starts off fairly strong before beginning to fade slightly. Flavor starts at medium, body is at mild-plus and the strength is halfway between mild and medium. In terms of construction, the draws are excellent on all three cigars after I use a punch cutter and the smoke production is about normal, and while the burn line is a little wonky, none of the cigars become problematic enough to need correcting.

Creamy almond remains the top flavor during the second third of the cigar—the earth note from the first third is not quite as strong—but there is a bit more spice on my tongue than before and the mineral saltiness on my lips has increased as well. Additional flavors include more cinnamon and cedar, along with hay, sourdough bread, espresso beans, leather tack, cedar and a bit more citrus peel. There is also an increased amount of white pepper on the retrohale and less fondant sweetness, albeit only slightly less. Flavor bumps up slightly to a bit above medium, while the body and strength have increased to just under medium and a solid medium respectively. Smoke production and draws continue to give me no issues whatsoever, but all three cigars need at least one touchup with my lighter to keep things on track.

The cinnamon flavor that has been in the background for the first two thirds takes a leap forward during the final third—where it joins the almond flavor at the top of the profile—followed by sourdough bread, powdery cocoa nibs, creamy hay, cedar, citrus peel and leather. On the retrohale, the fondant sweetness has bounced back, overtaking the white pepper that is still present in both distinctness and strength. Flavor increases again to end the cigar at medium-full, the body remains at a point just under medium and the strength increases enough to hit medium-plus. Finally, two of the cigars that had burn issues in the second third even up enough to give me no more issues—the third needs one minor correction—but the smoke production and draws on all three cigars continues along their excellent paths until I put the nubs down with about an inch remaining.

Final Notes

  • The peace symbol on the right edge of the Allegria band is a reference to the OneOff line, which uses the same symbol as its brand logo.
  • The wrapper on all three Allegria cigars I smoked for this review developed small cracks during the second third, but none of them caused any major issues with the draw and the burn line eventually overcame them.
  • All three cigars were remarkably consistent, not just when it came to the amount of strength but also when specific flavors showed up in the profile.
  • Along with the above, the strength does hit a point just over medium by the end of the cigar, but the increase is at a nice and steady pace.
  • Interestingly, our score sheet does not have any specific notation for what happens if a wrapper cracks like what happened here. So long as the flavor, draw and ability to stay lit are not affected, the score won’t be affected.

  • At least on the Lonsdale vitola, the band is too wide for the size of the cigar, meaning it does not lay flat against the wrapper on both sides.
  • Illusione advertises on halfwheel.
  • The cigars for this review were purchased by halfwheel.
  • Final smoking time for all three cigars averaged out to one hour and 56 minutes.
  • If you would like to purchase any of the Illusione Allegria cigars, site sponsor Atlantic Cigar Co. has them in stock on its website here.
91 Overall Score

Considering the history that binds the OneOff and Allegria brands together, it is natural to want to compare them to each other. With that said, the two cigars are very, very different: while I found the OneOffs that I smoked to be fairly linear, the Allegria’s profile is more complex, with creamy almonds and cinnamon combined with fondant sweetness and some obvious white pepper on the retrohale. The Allegria also has a bit more strength than the OneOff—it hits a point just above the medium mark—while also coming in at a noticeably lower price point. In the end, although the Allegria does not come close to the upper echelon of Illusione blends, it is a very enjoyable cigar at a competitive price point and one that fans of full-flavored profiles that feature a bit of strength at the end will want to try out for themselves.

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Brooks Whittington

I have been smoking cigars for over eight years. A documentary wedding photographer by trade, I spent seven years as a photojournalist for the Dallas Morning News and the Fort Worth Star Telegram. I started the cigar blog SmokingStogie in 2008 after realizing that there was a need for a cigar blog with better photographs and more in-depth information about each release. SmokingStogie quickly became one of the more influential cigar blogs on the internet, known for reviewing preproduction, prerelease, rare, extremely hard-to-find and expensive cigars. I am a co-founder of halfwheel and now serve as an editor for halfwheel.