Saturday Cigar Survey

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FTNYC Exclusive Review! Illusione “Pactum”.

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Illusione Pactum

Last night I had the pleasure of smoking the Illusione/Smoke Inn collaboration which marks the 9th edition of SI’s Microblend series. The Illusione “Pactum” which gets its name from the Latin verbiage “Agreement”, or at that time in ancient Rome it came to mean a “Gentleman’s Agreement”. I can say knowing Abe and Dion personally these are two true gentlemen who seek to provide the highest quality in a cigar for the connoisseur. Being a big Illusione fan I was very excited to try this smoke and here is the first exclusive review you will find. Enjoy!

Blend Specifics:

Vitola: Boxed Pressed Robusto

Wrapper: San Andres Capa Fina Maduro

Binder: Nicaraguan

Filler: Nicaraguan

Dimensions: 5 1/2 x 56

Appearance & Construction

The Illusione Pactum has a gorgeous chocolate wrapper with a nice sheen and slight veins on the sides. The box press is perfect and there are no soft spots with a feel of well packed tobacco inside. The dry draw yielded raisinated flavors and a cocoa sweetness.

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Taste & Smoke Characteristics:

Lighting up the Pactum greeted me with earthy characteristics and a distinct sweetness from the wrapper. The first third of the cigar brought on some full tobacco flavor due to the higher priming from the Nicaraguan filler leaves. The ash was sliver and gray and fell off on its own. Midway the cigar brought out a bit of wood, hay and a slight gingerbread note. All the way the Pactum gave the sweetness from the San Andres ‘Capa Fina’ maduro cover leaf which really balances out the smoke. The final third gave a lot of the similar flavors as the last half which is not a bad thing at all. The combination of wood, sweet and rich tobacco hit all parts of the palate and gives you an excellent example of what a balanced smoke is all about.

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Conclusion:

I have been continuously impressed with Abe’s Microblend series not just as a concept but knowing the personal attention he gives to each blend and working with the brand owners. Dion of Illusione is a master craftsman and a perfectionist in what he puts out. When these two make a “Pactum” you can rest assured you are getting a smoke worthy of the Roman Empire. Pick these up before they sellout as other Microblends have.

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Avialble at Smoke Inn shops and their website if you are intrested:

http://www.smokeinn.com/eshop/Illusione-Pactum-SI-Exclusive-Product.html

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Saturday Cigar Survey: Who Will Win Super Bowl XLV?

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It is that time of year again.  As the Super Bowl nears, the percentage of silent time in any given day dwindles as more and more peace is consumed by Steelers and Packers fans spouting statistics and dropping well-placed insults toward the other side. In the end though, trash talk is worth about as much as a rain-soaked Dutch Master.

Still, it’s always fun to speculate! So what’s it going to be – a Packers game or a Pittsburgh blowout?

[polldaddy poll=4504776]

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Saturday Cigar Survey: How Big is Your Cigar Collection?

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First, a thanks to @KelvinB for his suggestion for this week’s Saturday Cigar Survey! This week’s survey is a simple inquiry about the average online cigar smoker. How many do you have in your personal stock at any point in time?  Most cigar smokers will start with a few cigars on hand, realize they need a humidor and buy a 25-100 cigar humidor. From there, who knows?  I’ve got my eyes on a much larger humidor (300 count), though I won’t be able to afford it as long as I’m in college.

[polldaddy poll=4429912]

The results from last week’s survey regarding whether or not Cuban cigars are overrated. Of course, the statement itself is a bit of a generalization, but people have strong feelings on the subject.  The result of the survey was that 70% (14 votes) of participants found Cuban cigars to be overrated (as compared to their Dominican, Nicaraguan, etc counterparts).  30% (6 votes) claimed Cuban cigars are worth the hype.  You can view and vote in last week’s survey by clicking here.