It’s been a minute since we last talked to Dion of Illusione. This year we intercepted him during the early afternoon lull in the crowds to catch up. Dion’s not known for releasing new cigars every year, and this year was a light one. That’s intentional, he likes to give new lines and new brands a chance to fully develop, which means not undermining them with a new release shortly thereafter. Also, he’s very comfortable with Illusione is at. We can respect that. Fans of Illusione cigars will be happy to hear that nothing is getting cut in response to looming FDA regulation. To quote Dion, “every cigar in our portfolio has a specific design and a specific purpose.” And speaking of the FDA, Dion seems cautiously optimistic- there’s a lot the industry still doesn’t know, but he thinks they’re well positioned to handle whatever comes down the pike.

But Dion did have something new to offer retailers this year, a petit corona blend of the La Grande Classe called “The Rex”. It’s named for a customer of Dion’s retail shop in Reno. (Be advised, this blend is different than some of the earlier La Grande Classe cigars you may have had.) It features a Habano Ecuador wrapper, and Nicaraguan Jalapa filler.

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