Illusione hl Candela

The Illusione hl Candela is one part of a special run of lanceros Dion decided to put out in small quantities. The other being a Maduro. (which I will be reviewing soon). These are both the same blend as the original hl (holy lance), but with different outer wrappers. This cigar measures in at 7.5x40. Honestly, I can't remember the last time I lit up a Candela wrapped cigar. As you can see, a Candela wrapper is bright green. This is traditionally done by using a heat-curing process that fixes the chlorophyll content in the wrappers before fermentation, preserving the green color. I am not sure if that is the process used to achieve this specific wrapper, but that is the only way I know to achieve this shade of wrapper. Candelas used to be a popular style of cigar, but isn't one you see much of anymore. I have to applaud Dion for trying something like this. 

This is obviously a unique cigar to look at. Its not often you see a cigar this color. The construction looks great, but i did notice a few soft spots around the middle of the cigar. The prelight draw shows a great draw, which is always a relief when lighting up a Lancero. The prelight aroma is really unique, and I can't quite place my finger on the smell coming off of this wrapper. The cold flavors seem to be a little bit of earth and spice. After lighting, this lancero starts out very flavorful with a ton of peppery spice. There is also some floral flavors underneath all the spice. I am loving the long and spicy finish on this. For some reason I had it in my head that this would be a mild cigar, but after the first inch I would put it down as a solid medium bodied smoke. The floral undertone provides a nice contrast to the spicy finish. The burn has been dead even and the snowy white ash holds on for a little less than an inch. Lanceros don't tend to hold a really long ash because of how thin they are.  At the halfway point, the spice backs down and it becomes nice and creamy. This ended up being a solid medium/full bodied cigar loaded with flavor.

Yet again, another really tasty cigar from Illusione! Im starting to think its not possible for Dion to make a cigar I don't like. I need to go back and taste the original holy lance to see how this one differs, but I would definitely smoke more of these. If you smoke one of these in public, I guarantee it will be a conversation starter because of the bright green coloring.  I am not sure exactly how many of these are being made, but I think its a pretty small run of them. They sell for the same price as the regular hl, which is right around $9. I am really looking forward to trying the maduro version of this. Don't let the candela wrapper scare you away from trying this cigar. If you see these in a shop, pick a few up!

Heres a shot of the Candela next to the maduro version. Keep an eye out for a review of the hl maduro!

Comments

[Craig Vanderslice]

I actually have enjoyed the occasional candela cigar for years, so I look forward to coming accross one of these. I also like lanceros so this would be a double win for me. Very nice review.