Maybe it's that dry desert air, maybe it's the power of conspiracy theories, or maybe it's as simple as the factories he chooses to work with... whatever methods Dion Giolito of Illusione employs to continue working with such great tobacco, we hope he keeps going back to that source for a long time. This is now our fourth Illusione we've featured in the blind tasting, along with the MJ12, Epernay Le Matin, and Garagiste. It won't be the last. As the name suggests (Private Cigar in French) the Cigares Privé was released as a Limited Edition blend that was meant to end when there were no more cigars left. That ended when demand for more forced Dion to make it a regular production smoke, and we're now thankful to be reaping the benefits of that outcry. Like most Illusione cigars, there is a certain elegance to the flavors in Privé. They're bold, exceptionally rich, but also easily disinguishable and specific and balanced. That kind of smoking experience can only come from a certain level of quality tobacco that Giolito finds... however he's able to do it. 

(Tyler Hunt, of The Honest Cigar Podcast, may not know how to spell "raisin", but he's got a damn good palate and blind tastes #152 in the video below!)