Illusione OneOff Corona (5 1/2 x 42)

Video review HERE.

(Description taken from Cigar-Coop.com website)

Last year, Dion Giolito the founder and owner of Illusione Cigars announced he was bringing the OneOff brand back to market.

OneOff was created by Andrea Molinari in 2001. Molinari was a tobacconist who ran a La Casa del Habano in Milan, Italy. After failing to get his own brand made in Cuba, he turned to the Plasencia family, who would create the cigars at Segovia Cigars S.A. A year later, Molinari turned to Felipe Gregorio (owned by Philip Wynne) to handle his U.S. distribution. By 2004, distribution would move to Paul Giacalone of Massachusetts. Eventually, Plasencia stopped making the cigars and Molinari would sell the brand to Cuban Crafters. However, being a grandfathered brand under the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Deeming Regulations, it was an appealing brand for someone like Giolito to bring into his portfolio.

While Giolito hasn’t disclosed details, production is being handled at Aganorsa Leaf’s Tabacos Valle de Jalapa S.A.(TABSA) factory in Estelí, Nicaragua. The cigar is being released in ten-count boxes in eight sizes:  +53 Super Robusto (5 3/4 x 48), Canonazo (6 1/8 x 52), Cartuchos (3 7/8 x 52), Corona (5 1/2 x 42) REVIEWED TODAY, Corona Gorda (5 3/8 x 46), Julieta (7 x 47), Piramides (6 1/8 x 52), and Robusto (4 7/8 x 52).

This cigar is very much in contrast to the piramide that I reviewed 2 weeks ago. I decided to review this cigar because of it's smaller ring gauge. I have found that different cigar diameters give different flavors so I want to see how it affects this cigar.

The cigar is nice looking and has an average feel for a cigar of this size.

The test draw after cutting the cap was good. The initial flavors were a cedar/pink grapefruit combination, whipping cream, small amount of brown sugar and cinnamon, and a ton of earthy black coffee. It is pretty much the main flavor you get initially. There was black pepper which I rated at 7 1/2. 

In the first third (19 minutes) the flavors settled down a lot. The flavors are now a somewhat dry cedar with brown sugar and cinnamon with a lot of nutmeg notes. It's a creamy type of nutmeg. The earthy black coffee has toned down to something more manageable. The creamy nutmeg almost gives a buttery flavor to the sweeter flavors. The finish is a sweet cream with nutmeg notes and decent lingering black pepper. The cigar is medium to full bodied. The smaller ring does appear to be giving better flavors in this cigar. For the first third I am rating it a 91.

The second third (40 minutes) had a very tangy, sweet cedar. There are still a lot of creamy nutmeg notes. You still have nice brown sugar and cinnamon notes and the earthy black coffee remains in a nice amount. The pepper is also very good. The cigar is still medium to full bodied. The finish now has some sweet cedar to go along with the cream and nutmeg. The lingering black pepper is still good. The sweetness in the cigar has gone up. Therefore I am raising the second third score to a 92.

The cigar lasted 58 minutes. About average for a corona. The amount of sweetness pretty much went back to the way it was at the beginning. There is a lot of tangy cedar and creamy nutmeg with brown sugar and cinnamon. The earthy black coffee holds a nice base. The pepper remained very good on both ends. The finish is unchanged. The cigar is close to full bodied. You could call it a high medium to full or low grade full bodied. This was a better tasting cigar than the piramide. I enjoyed it more. With the sweeter notes going back to the way they were at the beginning I am moving the final third score back to a 91. The piramide had a raw overall score of 89.66. This cigar has a raw overall score of 91.33. This is a better tasting cigar.

Overall Score: 91 (91.33)