It’s been a while since I really stepped back and took a hard look at any of the Original Documents cigars from Illusione. Normally, I just sit back, relax, and smoke them. This time, I take the ~cg:4~ out or a spin on the review train.
The Good Stuff:
The Original Documents were some of the first Illusione Cigars I had. While it wasn’t his first release, the Original Documents series was Dion Gioloto’s first series to be widely found in most humidors across the U.S. The blend features an all-Nicaraguan makeup of a Corojo wrapper over Nicaraguan Rosado binder and Nicaraguan fillers which include Ciollo ’98 and Corojo ’99. The huge portfolio includes 12 different formats: ~1~ “A” ( 9.2 x 48), ~2~ Belicoso (5.2 x 52), ~33~ Ninfa (6.2 x 32), ~4/2g~ Double Corona (7.5 x 50), ~68~ Petit Corona (4 x 44), ~88~ Robusto (5 x 52), ~888~ Churchill (6.7 x 48), ~cg:4~ Corona Gorda (5.6 x 48), ~f9~ Lonsdale (6.2 44), ~hl~ Lancero (7.5 x 40), ~mj12~ Toro Gordo (6.0 x 56), and the ~mk~ Corona (5.1 x 42).
Size: 5.6 x 48
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Corojo
Binder: Nicaraguan Rosado
Filler: Nicaraguan Criollo ’98 and Corojo ‘99
Body: Medium/Full
Strength: Medium
Prelight:
The wrapper Illusione Original Document ~cg:4~ is very rustic looking with a ton of inconsistent colors of dark brown, lighter brown, and yellow-ish splotches scattered throughout. The wrapper’s texture is very oily with a good amount of tooth and grit. The wrapper feels a bit thin and delicate while the cigar as a whole is packed well throughout without any soft sports. There are some lighter veins as the wrapper is laid seamlessly over itself leading up to the cigar’s round, triple-wrapped cap. The cigar is then polished off with the elegant black and white Original Documents band that we have all grown to know and love with the ~cg:4~ crest embossed in the front.
As far as aroma goes, the wrapper on the Illusione Original Document ~cg:4~ gives off a good amount of musk and earthiness while the foot of the cigar is much more spice-forward. The cap cut clean and easily using my Xikar XO double bladed cutter. The cold draw produces a good amount of honey and natural tobacco flavors.
First Third:
The Illusione Original Document ~cg:4~ starts out with a quick little black pepper blast that only lasted through the first few draws allowing the cigar to release bold notes of musk, cedar, vanilla, and honey over some like floral and earthy flavors. There is a bit of green tea buried underneath but may just be a mixture of the other flavors. The draw is absolutely perfect as every little puff kicks out a huge cloud of thick, white smoke which dissipates very quickly while the cigar releases only mild amounts of stationary smoke while it rests in my ashtray. The burnline is dead even and razor thin leaving behind a trail of tightly compacted dark gray ash which held on for almost an inch before falling into my ashtray.
Second Third:
Into the second third of the Illusione Original Document ~cg:4~ the spice that was pretty well hidden in the first third really starts to come through. The spice, along with musk and vanilla lead the way backed by lighter cedar, honey, leather, and earthy flavors. The retrohale really brings that spice to the front of the experience and I find myself doing it pretty often. I close out the second third with no signs of nicotine.
Finish:
Into the final third of the Illusione Original Document ~cg:4~ and the flavors have remained mostly consistent with the second third. The spice, musk, and vanilla remain dominant, backed by cedar, honey, leather and earthy notes. I do feel like the flavors as a whole have ramped up into the final third though. It took me an hour and a half to take this cigar down to the nub. I experienced no harshness, nor extended heat while the cigar did leave me with a slight nicotine kick. The burn was flawless from start to finish with no help needed from my torch.
Overview:
While the Original Documents served as my introduction to Illusione, after all these years they are still some of the most often smoked cigars in my inventory. The flavor profile marries up so well with what I look for in a cigar, the experience is always perfect as I never really encounter any construction issues, and the price is something that makes it very affordable to keep these around.
