According to Dion Giolito, La Grande Clase, the small batch project for the Illusione founder’s Reno, Nev. retail store, is set to arrive at FUMARE either this week or next week. When reached by phone, Giolito refused to comment on any of the details regarding the release, which has been publicly listed on the FUMARE website for over a year.

Since our July story, Giolito has added little to the public record regarding La Grande Clase, other than passing out unbanded cigars that month at Charmed Leaf’s boutique cigar party, which he hinted could be possible prototypes.

When asked, Giolito did not provide any details for how the cigars will be released.

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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.