Illusione TAA ESP 2022

While the winter months tend to be a bit quieter when it comes to cigar news, there is one fairly consistent source of stories, and that is companies announcing that they will be releasing new cigars for the Tobacconists’ Association of America (TAA) at their annual meeting and trade show, which generally happens in late March.

In 2021, Illusione joined the group of cigar makers that make cigars for the group of retailers, releasing a cigar that was simply called the Illusione TAA 2021. That cigar, a 6 3/4 x 52 toro extra limited to 3,5000 boxes of 10 cigars, was a Nicaraguan puro that used tobacco grown by AGANORSA Leaf.

 

For 2022, Illuisione would once again create a cigar for the group, this time called the Illusione TAA ESP 2022. It is a 6 x 56 toro gordo that also uses Nicaraguan tobacco grown by AGANORSA Leaf, though Dion Giolito told halfwheel that the two blends were completely different. Notably, the 2022 edition uses corojo 2006 viso in its filler, a varietal that has been used in a handful of AGANORSA Leaf-made cigars, notably the La Validación Corojo and the HVC Hot Cake.

For those not familiar with tobacco varietal terminology, corojo 2006 does not refer to the year the tobacco was grown, rather, it is generally named for the year that the hybrid was first produced.

Beyond the size and blend being different, the 2022 version was also much more limited, with just 1,500 boxes of 10 cigars being produced by Agricola Ganadera Norteña S.A., the AGANORSA-owned factory previously known as Tabacos Valle de Jalapa (TABSA) in Estelí, Nicaragua.

The TAA is a fairly small group of some of the country’s top tobacconists, about 80 retailers, as well as 40 or so manufacturers. The association gathers annually to discuss issues facing the industry and retailers, as well as to have its annual trade show, a unique event that works on a group buying format in order to secure exclusive deals for these generally high-volume merchants.

During the event—which occurred in late March in Cabo San Lucas—the organization holds two selling events, one known as the Dream Machine where the retailers collectively order to secure larger discounts, while the other is a more traditional trade show. Typically, around a dozen manufacturers release new exclusive cigars for the retail members of the organization under the TAA Exclusive Series Program banner. Those manufacturers agree to give a portion of the proceeds to the organization, a minimum of 50 cents per cigar.

Illusione joined Asylum, E.P. Carrillo, Ferio Tego, Forged Cigar Co., Gurkha, Joya de Nicaragua, La Flor Dominicana, La Palina, Rocky Patel, Tatuaje and Villiger in producing cigars for the TAA’s 2022 group of Exclusive Series Program, or ESP, releases.

• Cigar Reviewed: Illusione TAA ESP 2022
• Country of Origin: Nicaragua
• Factory: Agricola Ganadera Norteña S.A.
• Wrapper: Nicaragua
• Binder: Nicaragua
• Filler: Nicaragua
• Length: 6 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 56
• Vitola: Toro Gordo
• MSRP: $15 (Box of 10, $150)
• Release Date: September 2022
• Number of Cigars Released: 1,500 Boxes of 10 Cigars (15,000 Total Cigars)
• Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3

While the TAA logo in the center of the band is immediately familiar, seeing an Illusione cigar with a black and gold band that uses the TAA logo takes a moment to register. The company has been undergoing a rebranding that has brought about new packaging, something I’m still getting used to, so seeing this new look still feels a bit unfamiliar. And while 2022 marked the second year that Illusione has made a cigar for the TAA, I still don’t associate them with TAA releases in the way that I do other companies. The cigar has a decent amount of visual texture due to the veins and seam lines, which create a roadmap of lines for my eyes to try and follow. In terms of physical texture, the veins stand out just a bit, and the cigars range from offering a slightly dry, slightly textured feel on my fingers to one that has a bit of oiliness seemingly soaked deep into the wrapper. It is rolled densely, and having recently reviewed the Supreme Leaf Toro, which is also made at Agricola Ganadera Norteña S.A., the feeling is immediately familiar. The foot has a very subtle aroma that reminds me of plain peanuts at first, then evolving into a softer aroma that has lightly buttered wheat bread, peanut butter, and then just a touch of pepper on the finish. One cigar has a particularly bright aroma that is slightly oily and almost drawing on a floral note. The airflow is good on the cold draw, feeling neither loose nor restricted, but, if anything, skewing towards the firm side. The intensity of the flavor is a tick milder than that of the aroma and now makes me think of wheat bread or wheat crackers, particularly given how soft and chewy the flavor is. There’s a lot less pepper here, but with some work I can find the peanut butter.

The Illusione TAA ESP 2022 starts with more wheat crackers and a bit of black pepper, a combination that is a bit less than medium intensity and also fairly familiar, as both can be found in a number of cigar profiles as well as at your local grocery store’s chips and crackers aisle. The smoke adds some body right after the initial puffs, a change that seems due to creaminess joining, even though it doesn’t immediately affect the flavor. As the first third progresses, there are times when I feel like I’m tasting a latte that uses a lightly-roasted coffee and a good pour of milk. As for retrohales, they are also creamy and have a bit of pepper to accent the flavor but are far from overbearing unless I take several in succession. The final puffs of this section add a bit more body as well as a bit more wood and black pepper, giving the smoke a crisper, more upfront flavor that now goes after the taste buds as opposed to simply being received by them. This change nudges the cigar up to medium-plus territory after it spent most of the first third closer to medium. Body is medium-plus and strength is mild but seemingly building. Construction is very good, particularly in the smoke department as each puff hits with almost the perfect amount.

I really like where the profile of the Illusione TAA ESP 2022 is at the start of the second third, as the flavor is creamy and rich with accents of toast, wood, and black pepper, and retrohales are a subtler accent to that but with a lingering finish thanks to the pepper. All the flavors are crisp and clear, and while that may mean there’s not a lot of nuance in the background, the frontline flavors are all very good. Retrohales continue to serve as a fantastic accent to the profile, delivering just enough pepper to start a bit of tingle in the nostrils, while some surrounding creaminess provides a good amount of body. The midpoint of all three cigars is where some combustion issues begin to emerge; while the cigars had been burning pretty well with a regular puffing rate, now it seems like the cigars are much more prone to going out and needing a relight. The second third finishes by becoming more mouth-drying than it had been earlier, driven by a toasty initial flavor and finished off by dry black pepper. There’s a bit more smokiness, though given that this section has needed some relights, I’m wondering if those are finally having an effect on the flavor. The flavor has dialed itself back to between medium and medium-plus, body is still medium-plus and strength is holding steady in mild territory. Other than the combustion issues, the cigar still puts off plenty of smoke and holds an even burn line, but if the need for relights persists, it could turn into an issue in the final third.

The final third starts by taking on a slight amount of burnt popcorn, and then when some black pepper joins in, it really becomes a noticeable change in the profile as the creaminess can’t seem to keep up. Combustion issues continue to hamper the cigar, and with some earthiness coming in, I’m wondering if the flavor is changing or if the relights are affecting things. There’s a bit of black pepper that is a touch more intense than it had been earlier, while the creaminess is still present but seemingly not making as much of a contribution to the profile. Even with the relights, I can still taste a flavorful core with a bit of peanut and soft, rich bread. Between that and the frustration of needing to either smoke the cigar so fast that it stays hot or be forced to relight it, it’s hard to pull out any of the detailed flavors I’m hoping are in there somewhere. Not to mention there’s a bit of smoking fatigue setting in, as the burn time reaches three hours in this section and still seems to have plenty to go. Flavor ends up medium-plus, body is medium-plus, and strength is medium-minus, though all with some variance based on how many times I need to relight the cigar. If it weren’t for the relights, I’d say the cigar performed very well, as the burn line and smoke production were both very good.

Final Notes

• The burn rate seemed to really slow down at the end of the second third, as I was jotting down some notes about the section coming to a close, only to feel like the burn line hadn’t moved 10 minutes later.
• I really have to give the Illusione TAA ESP 2022 credit for its smoke production, which was about as close to ideal as I could want. There is tons of smoke to be had with some back-to-back puffs, but just the right serving size on individual puffs.
• I really don’t like dry-boxing cigars if I can avoid it, but the first two cigars suggested doing so might benefit the third. I gave it about seven hours in an empty box and with no cellophane on the cigar, and it seemed to help more in terms of burn rate, but not eliminating spots where it struggled to stay lit.
• In seeing some retailers listing this cigar for sale, the corojo 2006 in the filler has been written in ways that make it look like the tobacco is from 2006, not a varietal named for the year 2006. It’s certainly an appealing—if incorrect—selling point to offer a cigar with 17-year-old tobacco in it, but it’s also a somewhat understandable mistake given the lack of clarity and education that exists in the industry when it comes to tobacco varietals and the fact that 2006 isn’t that long ago that it isn’t plausible tobacco from that year could be in a blend.
• None of the three cigars hit me with much in the way of nicotine strength.
• Illusione advertises on halfwheel.
• The cigars for this review were purchased by halfwheel.
• Final smoking time was three hours and 15 minutes on average.
• Site sponsors Corona Cigar Co. carries the Illusione TAA ESP 2022.