Haut = high, in French, and the ten in the name of this cigar is for ten successful years in business for Dion Giolito and his company, Illusione. It was a stellar first decade for the talented blender, and we’re happy to celebrate with him though this tasty smoke!
In 2003, Giolito was working at a cigar shop and had done some touring with a punk band called the Atomiks. The cigar side of things called him in a bit more, as history would have it, and he tried to buy the shop he was working at. When no deal was struck, he simply went off on his own, and in 2004, the Fumaré Fine Cigar Boutique in Reno opened its (humi)doors.
Giolito started off with a huge stock of Davidoffs, which was a decent bit of exclusive smoke to be selling in that location. He also began to dabble in blending his own cigars, and Illusione 88 took over a small spot in the shop. It was a decent cigar, and showed promise, but few could have guessed what would come next for the company, as one line after the other started popping up on Cigar Aficionado’s annual Top 25 cigars list. Some examples include cg:4 from the Original Documents line, and Epernay, a perennial favorite of the CA judges. The second decade has been even more illustrious, with Ultra OP earning accolades and Fume D’Amour nearly taking home a Cigar of the Year award in 2015 with its 95 rating.
But let’s get back to the cigar at hand. This company offers an embarrassment of riches and it’s easy to get sidetracked.
The Illusione Haut 10 cigar features a seco dominant blend combining Nicaraguan Corojo and Criollo tobaccos. The outside is a handsome Nicaraguan “café claro” AAA grade wrapper leaf. This Nicaraguan puro offers mild to medium bodied smoke, and carries more gentle flavors than some of the more punchy and spicy Nica sticks that can be found out there. You’ll taste a confident cedar note, however, along with touches of graham cracker and baking spices. It’s fairly complex and will give you enough to think about, especially as you ponder why Giolito chose the Great Pyramid of Giza for the box art. (It is quite high, but is there a deeper meaning?)
For those of you who aren’t into ancient wonders of the world, you can simply note that this was Halfwheel’s Cigar of the Year in 2016. If that ain’t enough to bring you on board for at least one puff, you’re quite the mystery yourself.
Please browse our selection of Illusione Haut 10 cigars at your leisure.
