The OneOff brand was originally started in the early 2000’s by Cigair Lounge operator Andrea Molinari. The original idea was to get his own brand own brand of Cuban cigar, when that failed, he turned to the Plasencia family in Nicaragua. From there, in 2004 it was acquired by Cuban Crafters, and in 2017, Dion Giolitto of Illusione Cigars purchased the brand.
This cigar was reviewed blind (no bands) by a panel of at least 4 reviewers. They did not know what they were smoking beforehand. The scores are an average of all the reviewers' scores with outliers removed. All of our cigars reviewed are shipped to the panelists with Boveda packs to ensure optimal smoking experience.
This new version, as with all other Illusione cigars, is made at Tabacos Valle de Jalapa S.A. (TABSA). It is a Nicaraguan puro and uses Aganorsa tobacco. At launch it came in 7 vitolas: Canonazo (6 1/8 x 52) — $16.95, Cartuchos (3 7/8 x 52) — $11.95, Corona (5 1/2 x 42) — $12.95, Corona Gorda (5 3/8 x 46) — $14.95, Julieta (7 x 47) — $17.95, Pyramides (6 1/8 x 52) — $16.95, and Robusto (4 7/8 x 50) — $14.95. Shortly after the launch of those, the +53 Super Robusto (5 3/4 x 48) — $30 was released with a “slightly different” blend. The phone prefix for Cuba is +53 leading to speculation that it contains Cuban tobacco. The cigar is regular production, but was limited to 120,000 at launch.
Vital Stats:
Vitola: Corona Gorda Length: 5 3/8″ Ring Gauge: 46 Country of Origin: Nicaragua Wrapper: Nicaragua Binder: Nicaragua Filler: Nicaragua Factory: Tabacos Valle de Jalapa S.A (TABSA) Blender: Dion Giolito Number of reviewers: 4 – Mickey T.(irratebass) John A.(Bostoneo) Jeff (ExpendableYouth) Ryan H.(Ryan H.) Price: $14.95 Age: 4 Months Release Date: June 2018 Contributed by: Blind Man’s Puff
Initial Impressions
Appearance: 93
“Super toothy, milk chocolate brown wrapper adorns this fine looking corona gorda ish looking size. 1, 2, 3, 4 caps! A bit veiny but eloquent looking stick. ” –John A. (Bostoneo)
Aroma: 94
“Got a bit of wood and some nutty aromas on the body & foot” –Mickey T. (irratebass)
First Third
Blind Cigar Review: OneOff | Corona Gorda
Flavor: 93 Strength: Medium Body/Complexity: Light-Medium
“After a super slow roast the foot explodes with flavors of sweet oak, leather, and tobacco goodness. Vanilla cookie wafer notes creep ever so slightly into the mix after 5 minutes in, man this is quite swell. ” –John A. (Bostoneo)
“The cigar has a strong oily black pepper, baking spice, and leather finish. The retrohale has a lot of pepper, hay, and subtle sweetness. The construction and burn are spot on with a tight ash and straight burn line. The first-third has been really enjoyable. ” –Jeff (ExpendableYouth)
Second Third
Flavor: 93 Strength: Medium Body/Complexity: Medium-Full
Blind Cigar Review: OneOff | Corona Gorda
“This is a fast burning cigar. Getting a cake like flavor now, I am not a cake fan, but if I had to choose one it would be German Chocolate without the chocolate (make sense? Probably not). Well now the draw has decided to close up on me, not cool. ” –Mickey T. (irratebass)
“With spice gone, the cigar takes a singular milk chocolate note. A very positive turn of events. Cigar has lost strength as well. Down to light medium.” –Ryan H. (Ryan H.)
Final Third
Flavor: 93 Strength: Medium Body/Complexity: Medium
“The final-third still has a lot of pepper and baking spice. There are still notes mineral, leather, and wood but by this third they have started to become a bit subdued. ” –Jeff (ExpendableYouth)
“The final third is a rehash of the same oak, leather and tobacco with hints of vanilla that come and go depending on how hot it is smoked. Definitely a solid profile as the flavors become darker and richer.” –John A. (Bostoneo)
Overall Impressions
Blind Cigar Review: OneOff | Corona Gorda
Draw: 91
“The cigar had just the right amount of resistance and smoke output. ” –Jeff (ExpendableYouth)
Burn: 96
“Burned almost perfect, only a couple of touch ups needed.” –Mickey T. (irratebass)
Construction: 96
“The construction was perfect. ” –Jeff (ExpendableYouth)
Overall Strength: Medium Overall Body/Complexity: Medium Experience Overall: 94
“I really liked this cigar. It was exactly what I needed (thank you BMP) There was a lot going on flavor wise……here’s the list: Walnuts Wood Cinnamon Cream Cake Cirtus
All in one cigar. Very curious to hear what this was. ” –Mickey T. (irratebass)
“This was a really good cigar. The draw, smoke output, and burn were perfect throughout the cigar. There were no real transitions to speak of but the core flavors just worked so well together. The pepper, baking spice, mineral, leather, wood, and subtle sweetness throughout the cigar just worked to create a really enjoyable experience. I would definitely recommend picking up at least one if not a fiver. ” –Jeff (ExpendableYouth)
“First and second third were very enjoyable. I have no clue what happend in the last third, but it was a completely diffrent cigar” –Ryan H. (Ryan H.)
"This was a great tasting cigar front to back. Rich flavors of oak, leather, tobacco with hints of vanilla that rear their head throughout the experience make this quite the delightful smoke. Flavors are rich, distinct, and spot on... this is a perfect substitute for one of my favorite blends, Epernay. Hoard these, they will age well!" -John A. (Bostoneo)
