Illusione cigars

Illusione grew out of a Reno cigar shop

Dion Giolito, a Nevada native and former punk drummer, opened a Reno tobacconist called Fumare in 2004 and built Illusione as its house brand.

Cigar Aficionado's 2016 profile tells it in order. Giolito came home to Reno in 1988, worked part-time at a Tinder Box, and got serious about tobacco in 1990. His first house cigars were 50 boxes of robustos bought from Pete Johnson of Tatuaje. In 2005 he contracted Tropical Tobacco for six sizes of his own. The first shipment was rejected. The first run that passed was 7,000 cigars.

The brand debuted quietly at the RTDA trade show in Las Vegas in 2006. Cigar Aficionado's company page says Illusione went from a local Reno name to national distribution.

Where Illusione cigars are rolled

Most Illusione cigars are made at TABSA in Estelí, Nicaragua, and Epernay is still made at Raices Cubanas in Honduras.

Raices Cubanas was the original factory. Giolito moved Original Documents and Ultra to TABSA for logistics, Cigar Aficionado reported. The Epernay page on the brand site lists Honduras as origin, which matches.

Illusione blends rest on Nicaraguan Corojo and Criollo

Illusione's core blend, now sold as Original Documents, began in 2005 with Corojo-seed tobacco from Nicaragua's San José farm.

Giolito told Cigar Aficionado he wanted the style of the pre-Sandinista Nicaraguan cigars he had smoked. The brand says he personally selects, grades and blends every tobacco. Ultra uses a grade A Corojo wrapper and Criollo '98 and Corojo '99 filler with ligero from two regions. Epernay is Nicaraguan leaf, Criollo and Corojo, rolled in Honduras. The Maduro version of Original Documents swaps to a Mexican San Andrés wrapper.

Several Epernay sizes are bench pressed, including Le Taureau, Le Matin and La Vie. Cigar Aficionado's company page also names Fume d'Amour, Garagiste and Cigares Privé.

Illusione names are borrowed from conspiracy theories

Cigar Aficionado says the Illusione name itself alludes to conspiracy theories and secret societies.

The size names follow suit. MJ 12 is a toro named for Majestic 12, a rumored secret team said to date from 1947. MK refers to MKUltra, the CIA drug-testing program. "hl" is the Holy Lance, a lancero. The robusto, 88, is the exception: it marks 1988, the year Giolito came back to Nevada.

Illusione milestones

Illusione's documented dates run from a 2004 shop opening to a 10th anniversary Epernay in 2019.

• 2004: Giolito opens Fumare in Reno.
• 2005: six Illusione sizes contracted at Tropical Tobacco.
• 2006: brand debuts at the RTDA show in Las Vegas.
• February 2019: Oettinger Davidoff begins distributing Epernay and Fume d'Amour in the UK and five European countries.
• October 2019: Epernay 10th Anniversary D'Aosta ships.

Before buying Illusione, match the code to the line

Illusione labels many cigars with short codes instead of size names, so the band code tells you the vitola and the line name tells you the blend.

Original Documents Maduro and Ultra share the same six size names, Corona Minor to Lancero, with different leaf. Epernay is the line from Honduras. Lanceros show up often: 7 1/2 x 40 in Original Documents. If a 40 ring is new to you, the ring gauge converter puts it in millimeters. Wrapper shades from a natural Corojo to a dark San Andrés line up in the wrapper color chart.

Illusione questions

Where the Illusione facts come from

1. Master of Illusione, Cigar Aficionado
2. Illusione Cigars company page, Cigar Aficionado
3. Original Documents Maduro, Illusione Cigars
4. Original Documents Ultra, Illusione Cigars
5. Epernay, Illusione Cigars