Illuminati Crusade
Monday, June 27th, 2011Thanks to Joel for getting me some samples for today’s review. I obtained these while attending Ed’s grand opening at his new shop earlier this year. Illuminati is a fairly new brand that is blended and made in Rocky Patel’s factory in Nicaragua. I am always curious and reluctant to try new brands. A few times I was forced to give undesirable reviews due to cigars that were sub-par. So I figured I’d let my samples rest for a good 5 or so months. With that, here is how the Illuminati Crusade treated me.
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Size: 6 x 54
Price: $7.50
Pre-Smoke & Construction:
The wrapper looked nice, with a few small veins and a nice consistent look. The odor from the wrapper was natural tobacco and earthiness. The foot had more of a woody smell to it. The cigar was evenly packed and bounced back nicely when squeezed. The pre-light draw had minimal resistance, and had an earthy, natural tobacco flavor.
The burn required two minor corrections, and the ash held for around an inch.
Flavor:
The first third started off with a simple earthiness. It didn’t take too long before a black coffee joined in. When passing smoke through the nose, there was an easy pepper. The smoke feel became thicker as time went on. The aftertaste was a simple woody notes with earthiness.
The second third had the same flavor profile as the first third. The only addition was a slight creamy sweet smoke feel. I should add that the smoke volume was plentiful and nice.
The last third kept the same flavor profile as previous thirds. The only change was a tingle on the lips when exhaling.
Conclusion:
This was a decent medium bodied cigar. The positive aspects were simple and good flavors, good smoke volume, and construction. If I were to complain, it would be about the price. For the price range I expected more complexities. Price aside, this was a pleasant experience. I think it could be a solid five to six dollar cigar.
