In 2017, Dion Giolito, owner of Illusione Cigars, purchased the rights to OneOff Cigars. OneOff Cigars enjoyed quite the following in the early 2000s and was created by the Italian Andrea Molinari and made in Nicaragua by the Plasencia family. Dion presented the revamped line during 2018 that now consists of seven sizes.
The only similarity between the old line and the new one is that of Nicaragua being the producing country. They are now made at the TABSA factory and are Nicaraguan puros. In the original blend, the wrapper came from Honduras. Instead of the 25-count boxes of the past, all the new sizes come in 10-count boxes.
This short and stout cigar is rolled in a Colorado shaded wrapper that has some tooth to it. There is also a decent amount of oil present on the wrapper. Construction is uniform, and the filling is generous.
- Country of Origin: Nicaragua
- Size: 52 x 98 mm (3.875″)
- Wrapper: Nicaragua
- Binder: Nicaragua
- Filler: Nicaragua
- Price: $12 | € –
Illusione OneOff Cartuchos: earth and spices are revealed in the cold draw. Once the cigar is lit, it opens with intense notes of black pepper and earth.
The first half circles around a trio of flavors consisting of black pepper, earth, and coffee. They are all of equal intensity—the strength already at a medium-full (4/5).
There isn’t much changing in the second half, which goes for the flavors and the strength. The finish is quite harsh.
Overall, the Illusione OneOff Cartuchos comes straight to the point. The flavors are few but intense. Considering the size, the limited flavor profile wouldn’t be an issue, but the strength tends to overpower the flavor profile most of the time. Some downtime in the humidor should hopefully balance that out. That being said, while we don’t factor in the price in the final rating, at this point, it is difficult to make a good case for this Cartuchos, being that there are better Petit Robustos out there for less, even in Illusione’s own portfolio of brands.