Quick Smoke: Illusione Singulare Rose Croix LE 2013

Each Saturday and Sunday we’ll post a Quick Smoke: not quite a full review, just our brief verdict on a single cigar of “buy,” “hold,” or “sell.”

With the new 2014 Illusione Singulare now shipping to retailers, I thought it would be a good time to revisit the previous Singulare: the Rose Croix LE 2013 (7 x 46), a Nicaraguan puro made at the Jalapa TABSA factory. Considering how well past Singulares have aged, I wanted to see if 6 months of humidor time made any difference. The answer? Not really. This is still a good, medium-bodied smoke with wood, lots of leather, and hints of crisp vegetable, aluminum, and earth. It’s not that this is definitely not a cigar worth aging, it’s just that six months don’t seem to have made an appreciable difference to this well-made limited offering.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys