Illusione’s Allegria Makes Its Way To Retail
First shipments of Allegria, the sister line to Illusione’s OneOff brand, went out to retailers last week. Like the OneOff series, the cigars are Nicaraguan puros rolled at the Aganorsa Leaf factory. But according to brand owner Dion Giolito, Allegria is a stronger cigar.
“The blend still uses Corojo ’98 and Corojo ’99 Nicaraguan tobaccos, but headier and fuller bodied, with a nice fennel-like snap to them on the finish,” Giolito tells Cigar Aficionado. While the Corojo ’99 wrapper is the same leaf used on OneOff, some of the tobaccos in Allegria are from higher primings on the plant.
Allegria comes in five sizes: Corona, measuring 5 1/8 inches by 42 ring gauge; Lonsdale, at 6 1/4 by 44; a 5-by-52 Robusto; Churchill, at 6 3/4 by 48; and a Gordo that measures 6 by 56. They come in 25-count boxes and have suggested retail prices ranging from $9.80 to $12.35. The peace symbol on the lower part of the band references the core OneOff line.
The history of the OneOff brand is an unusual one. In 2001, it was created by Andrea Molinari, who ran a La Casa del Habano in Milan, Italy, and wanted a cigar brand of his own. At the time, the cigars were made by the Plasencias in Nicaragua. The Allegria line, which was also owned by Molinari, came out in 2004. OneOff and Allegria had always intrigued Giolito, who was taken by the brand’s cult-like status among smokers.
By 2009, the trademark ended up out of Molinari’s hands and in the possession of Cuban Crafters, who produced and sold the cigar as a value brand. Giolito eventually acquired the trademark in 2017 and released his version of OneOff the next year.
For a vertical brand tasting of Allegria, see a future issue of Cigar Insider.
