Illusione Oneoff

If this brand name sounds vaguely familiar, there’s a good reason for that. OneOff cigars were one of the first cult brands of the modern cigar era. The term...

If this brand name sounds vaguely familiar, there’s a good reason for that.

OneOff cigars were one of the first cult brands of the modern cigar era. The term is tossed around a lot nowadays, but some of the real signs of a cult cigar are unavailability, mostly nonexistent marketing, high prices (sometimes, but not always), and fans who ask for it by name at cigar retailers, hoping to be notified if a box ever becomes available.

So it was with OneOff.

It was launched in 2001 by Andrea Molinari, who ran La Casa del Habano in Milan. Like some in the tobacco industry, he eventually decided he wanted his own brand. Making a Cuban was a no go, but he was able to find an excellent, world-class partner in the Plasencia family, located in Nicaragua. They blended up a cigar with a peace sign on the band, and the smokes caught on, selling in small quantities in Europe and Asia. It was pretty unclear to the market where these cigars were coming from, or if they’d even be able to find them again in the future.

People thought they were “one offs,” and so the brand was named.

After some time, the brand faded and moved into the hands of new owners, passing after some years into the hands of Illusione’s Dion Giolito, who bought the brand in 2017. He bought it because it was one of the sources of inspiration for his own company – an elusive, boutique cigar line that carried mystery in every box, and that led smokers to exhale uncertainty in every cloudy puff.

Working with Eduardo Fernández (who also produces blends for Foundation, HVC, Warped, Viaje, and others), he created a blend that would become the revival of OneOff cigars. Naturally, because Giolito has a gift for sniffing out tobacco that will serve as the core of a great blend, the reborn OneOff cigar was a hit. This Nicaraguan puro became Cigar Aficionado’s #23 cigar of 2018, with a strong 92 rating. Smoke it and you’ll be treated to a nice fresh peppercorn bite, plus welcoming graham cracker and almond croissant flavors. It’s a high quality blend of tobaccos that offers a smoking experience you’ll almost certainly want to enjoy more than once.

It’s not a one and done, despite the name.

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