Just before the 2016 IPCPR Convention and Trade Show, Illusione announced that it would be moving three of the previously released Singularé sizes into regular production, while also adding one more size to the mix: the Kadosh. As of now, that puts the Singularé line at six separate releases, with the Kadosh the newest and smallest of all the sizes.

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  • Illusione Singularé 2016 Kadosh (4 1/4 x 48) — $8.80 (Boxes of 30, $264)

*The 2011 and 2012 versions were released at the same time and in the same box, with boxes featuring seven of one cigar and eight of the other depending on the box you got.

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  • Cigar Reviewed: Illusione Singularé 2016 Kadosh
  • Country of Origin: Nicaragua
  • Factory: Tabacos Valle de Jalapa S.A.
  • Wrapper: Nicaraguan Corojo
  • Binder: Nicaragua
  • Filler: Nicaraguan Criollo 98 & Corojo 99
  • Length: 4 1/4 Inches
  • Ring Gauge: 48
  • Vitola: Petit Churchill
  • MSRP: $8.80 (Boxes of 30, $264)
  • Release Date: July 25, 2016
  • Number of Cigars Released: Regular Production
  • Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3

The Singularé Kadosh is very reminiscent of the Miserere, only shorter of course. The wrapper is luxuriously soft, supple and slightly oily with the cigar only have a slight bit of give when squeezed. A slight departure from its larger counterpart though is the almost nonexistent aroma off the wrapper. If anything there is only the slightest hint of graham crackers. The cold draw however is exactly how I remember, with delicate chocolate, dried cherries, faint hay and a bit of sweet spices.

The first third starts with some sweet, but bold spice out front, followed by cocoa, dried cherries, light leather and just a touch of black pepper. Unfortunately it appears that the burn line is starting to go astray after only a quarter of an inch, though nothing a quick touch up can’t fix. The snug draw is requiring me to pull on the cigar slightly more than I would normally prefer, however each draw still produces plenty of aromatic smoke, making it less of an issue. As I’m continuing with the Kadosh, the black pepper seems to be growing, making itself slightly more known and settling down in the middle. The sweet spice remains out front, with cocoa shifting to more of a chocolate note and the dried cherries and leather remaining the same. About an inch in the burn has taken a really weird run, with only one section burning and needing the remaining three quarters of the cigar touched up.

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Moving into the second third, the sweet spice remains out front, with chocolate, black pepper, cherries and leather following behind. The burn isn’t perfect, but has kept mostly even after my last major touch up. The ash isn’t extremely dense, more towards the middle between dense and loose, with only a little bit of ash falling off where it shouldn’t. Dried cherries have developed into more of a generic fruit note, still mixing well with the spice, chocolate, pepper and leather.

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As I get to the final third of the Illusione Singularé 2016 Kadosh, a mellow cedar note has shown up, pairing nicely with the sweet spice, chocolate, fruit, leather and a more relaxed black pepper. Another quick touch up is needed, as half of the Illusione doesn’t seem to want to keep up with the rest. Interestingly, with about an inch to go, the profile gets bolder and more flavorful, really highlighting each note. Instead of dying down or getting harsh, the profile continues to shine until I can hold the cigar anymore, forcing me to end the experience despite not wanting to.

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Final Notes

  • After a brief google search, Kadosh is defined as holy, according to the Jewish English Lexicon.
  • The three samples I smoked all performed quite similarly in terms of flavor, however the construction varied slightly. One two samples I had some pretty bad burn issues that required multiple touch ups, ranging from minor to significant. On the third, the burn line mostly cooperated only requiring one minor touch up.
  • I’m really happy to see a shorter size in the Singularé line-up. This certainly fits the bill for when you only have an hour or so to smoke.
  • You can see our coverage of the Illusione booth at IPCPR 2016 here, which includes Dion Giolito speaking about the new releases in this video.
  • Illusione advertises on halfwheel.
  • Cigars for this review were purchased by halfwheel.
  • Final smoking time averaged about an hour and fifteen minutes.
  • Site sponsor Atlantic Cigar Co. has the Illusione Singularé 2016 Kadosh in stock.
89 Overall Score

I’m sure the first answer you want to know is how the Illusione Singularé Kadosh stacks up against the Miserere, and the answer is it’s very similar. Of course as they share the same ring gauge, the assumption is that the ratio of tobacco inside the blend is the same. It certainly produced very similar flavors, though the main difference in the profile I seemed to notice is the Kadosh ended with an intensification of flavors, really making me want the experience to continue. As far as the construction goes, it left a little to be desired. I’m not sure if I happened to get an off batch or if there was something else going on, but I was having a terrible time keeping the burn line remotely even for the majority of the cigar. Luckily it didn’t seem to adversely affect the profile too much, so in the end it’s not something that will keep me from returning to this cigar again. I can certainly suggest seeking these out, so if you run across them, don’t hesitate to pick a some up.

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Brian Burt

I have been smoking cigars since 2005 and reviewing them as a hobby since 2010. Initially, I started out small with a 50-count humidor and only smoking one or two cigars a month. Not knowing anybody else that smoked cigars, it was only an occasional hobby that I took part in. In March of 2010, I joined Nublive and Cigar Asylum, connecting me with many people who also shared an interest in cigars. Reading what they had to say about brands I had never heard of, I quickly immersed myself in the boutique brands of the industry and it was then that cigars transformed from a hobby into a passion.