PCA 2022: Illusione

Way back in the top right corner of the show floor lies Illusione’s PCA 2022 trade show booth. While the booth looks the same from the outside, the cigars inside look very different.

Shortly before the trade show started, Dion Giolito texted me a picture of a cigar wearing a new band. It seemed clear that a rebrand was coming, but I thought maybe it was just for one brand. Turns out, the entire Illusione portfolio is changing its looks, one line is changing completely, and there are two entirely new lines as well.

I got to hear Giolito explain the changes to the team from Harrisburg Beer and Cigar/Black Lion Luxuries, and it was interesting to hear Giolito, a retailer, explain it to a group of retailers. The short of it is, it was time to get Illusione’s presence more unified, easier to identify as Illusione for consumers, as well as easier for retailers to manage. Giolito said the changes were made after years of feedback from retailers that sell Illusione and he mentioned subtle changes like moving to 25-count boxes, which will help retailers with things like data entry for inventory purposes.

Illusione Original Documents Corojo

The eponymous Illusione line that you know from sizes like ~88~ and ~888~ will now be known as Original Documents Corojo. The blend is not changing, the sizes are not changing, and it will still be made at been made at AGANORSA Leaf’s Agricola Ganadera Norteña S.A., formerly known as TABSA.

What is changing is the packaging and the names of the cigars. Gone are the ~88~ and ~hl~, instead replaced by names like “Robusto” and “Lancero.”

All of the sizes, including two SLAM sizes, will remain. In addition, there will be a 6 x 50 Toro size added next year, which will be sold in tubos.

Production: Regular Production

Release Date: Q1 2023

Illusione Original Documents Maduro 

You will notice that while the packaging looks similar to the Corojo, there are subtle differences including the color scheme. Giolito said that the cigars he currently sells in foil will continue to be sold in foil, meaning the mj12 Maduro will be sold in foil as well as the Illusione Maduro Gordo.

Like the Corojo, the blend and production details remain the same.

Production: Regular Production

Release Date: Q1 2023

Illusione Original Documents Candela

Illusione will continue to offer four cigars with a candela wrapper. Blend and production details remain the same. If you are wondering, Illusione is continuing to ship these cigars—and pretty much everything else mentioned here outside of OneOff—in the current packaging.

All of the new packaging includes specific medals for each line, which can be seen from the front-facing parts of the box. The idea here is that it should help consumers better understand that all of these lines are part of Illusione.

Production: Regular Production

Release Date: Q1 2023

Illusione Original Documents ULTRA

ULTRA is now moving into the Illusione Original Documents family, but the blend and production numbers remain the same. It will continue to be sold in six sizes.

Production: Regular Production

Release Date: Q1 2023

Illusione Original Documents Habano

For the first time in its history, Illusione will be working with AJ Fernandez, though Giolito points out the relationship between Illusione and the factory that is making this cigar is more than a decade old. Alberto Padilla worked at AGANORSA before moving to Ocotal to manage AJ Fernandez’s San Lotano factory. That meant that he and Giolito worked together for years inspecting tobaccos for the Illusione blends.

Giolito said he didn’t just want to make “another habano cigar,” so when he went to talk to with Abdel Fernández and Padilla about making a cigar, they ended up opening up bales of habano leaves and found a proprietary sun-grown habano-seed wrapper grown by Fernández that he blended with tobaccos from Condega, Estelí and Jalapa, Nicaragua. It will be known as Original Documents Habano and is expected to ship in the first quarter next year.

• Illusione Original Documents Habano Corona Minor (4 x 44) — TBA
• Illusione Original Documents Habano Lancero (7 1/4 x 40) — TBA
• Illusione Original Documents Habano Robusto (5 x 52) — TBA
• Illusione Original Documents Habano Corona Gorda (5 5/8 x 46) — TBA
• Illusione Original Documents Habano Churchill (6 3/4 x 48) — TBA
• Illusione Original Documents Habano Gordo (6 x 56) — TBA

Production: Regular Production

Release Date: Q1 2023

Illusione Singularé ‘Origen’

Historically, Singularé was one vitola released each year as a limited edition. In 2016, three of the earlier Singularé releases returned, and now the line is going through a complete overhaul.  Giolito said he took his favorite Singularé blend and blended it for four sizes which will head to stores by the end of this year. It comes in all-new packaging that is inspired by the Owl of Ramses II, who considered the owl his favorite bird, at least until it slapped him in the face with its wing.

Giolito said that while these four sizes will be regular production, the other sizes he used for limited editions in the past could return as future limited editions. Like all Singularés since the 2010 release, it is made at Agricola Ganadera Norteña S.A.

• Wrapper: Nicaragua
• Binder: Nicaragua
• Filler: Nicaragua

• Illusione Singularé ‘Origen’ Robusto (5 x 52) — TBA (Box of 15)
• Illusione Singularé ‘Origen’ Gordo (6 x 56) — TBA (Box of 15)
• Illusione Singularé ‘Origen’ Corona Gorda (5 5/8 x 46) — TBA (Box of 15)
• Illusione Singularé ‘Origen’ Churchill (6 3/4 x 48) — TBA (Box of 15)

Production: Regular Production

Release Date: Q4 2022

Not pictured.

Illusione OneOff +53 Extensions

The first new Illusione packaging that consumers will be able to buy will be the updated OneOff +53 boxes, which weren’t on display. There will also be two new vitolas added to the line, which was previously sold in just the Super Robusto (5 3/4 x 48) size. In addition, the OneOff line is also getting new packaging which uses a completely different color scheme compared to the OneOff +53 line.

• Wrapper: Nicaragua
• Binder: Nicaragua
• Filler: Nicaragua

• OneOff +53 Robusto (5 x 52) — $30 (Box of 10, $300)
• OneOff +53 Gordo (6 x 56) — $36 (Box of 10, $360)

Production: Regular Production

Release Date: July 2022

Not pictured.

Illusione Allegria

Also not on display but shipping this month is Allegria, which is considered the sister brand of OneOff. Giolito reimagined the blend using specific farm lots of corojo 99 and criollo 98 tobaccos. I wasn’t able to get specific MSRPs, but am told it’s $10-13. It too is made at Agricola Ganadera Norteña S.A., formerly known as TABSA.

• Wrapper: Nicaragua
• Binder: Nicaragua
• Filler: Nicaragua

• Illusione Allegria Robusto (5 x 52) — TBA (Box of 25)
• Illusione Allegria Gordo (6 x 56) — TBA (Box of 25)
• Illusione Allegria Churchill (6 3/4 x 48) — TBA (Box of 25)
• Illusione Allegria Lonsdale (6 1/4 x 44) — TBA (Box of 25)
• Illusione Allegria Corona (5 1/8 x 42) — TBA (Box of 25)

Production: Regular Production

Release Date: July 2022