Ashton Virgin Sun Grown Illusion

My second favorite non-ISOM, I wish they had a little more consistency in the boxes. Great smoke.

Creamy smoke, peppery finish, leaves a sweet taste on the lips & tongue. Great construction and looks.

The more I smoke cigars, the more I can appreciate a nice lonsdale size. It's not too much and with a cigar like the Ashton VSG, I'd say it's the perfect size for this little heater. Great construction, burned evenly with a dark, solid ash that didn't fall off until 3 to 4 inches, and smoked cool...never too hot. A bit pricey though.

These have excellent construction and spicy character that I like.Good but not great.

Love these, better than the larger ring sizes. One of the best out there, even though they are spendy. I buy all of them I can.

I stocked up on these a couple years ago when I could get them easily -- now I can't find them anywhere! With 2 years on them they're smoking a little milder, but still lots of full tobacco flavor and a beautiful fragrance. It starts out straightforward without too much drama but by the last third it's considerably more spicy. The burn is perfect and the ash is a solid light gray. The lonsdales are not as powerful as the larger sizes, but they have the same elegance and fantastic aroma. There's a reason why they're scarce, despite the price. A fine smoke.

It started harsh and ended harsh. Ashes fell off after an inch. There is nothing special or unique about this cigar. Very average- at best

Best in the ashton line. MMMMM

Just a great smaller ring gauge VSG. Compared to higher priced cigars, it's a bargain. Only had one minor burn problem.

Burns and draws consistently. Blend is well balanced with smoothness, coffee, leather, cocoa. Wrapper is nice too. Always a favorite in the personal collection.

im from Europe,so ive been smoking nothing but cubans so far.finally in usa i have possibility to try all best non cuban cigars,opus anejo diamond padron etc(they are much cheaper in usa than europe and available to buy.got 5 sticks of each brand and thats my first review of this ashton vsg illusion .had 5 of them and i have to say that i like them.they much better than maximus or padron 1964 that i had.they have that special sweetnes in them that one can surely enjoy.unfortunately they are very boring with same taste all the way to end,very very mild sticks,no complexity,no power,no spice just sweetness.the price is definately too high,they should be around 5$ per stck,that would justify the quality.will i buy some again?yes i will,just to have once a month an afterbreakfast dominican cigar.construction was very good with even burn but i hate this flaky ash,just drives me crazy.the only dominican cigar that had good firm ash was opus,anejo and davidoff.everything else just plain sucks.overall experience was ok.recommended to all.

Starts off with mild leather and exotic spices. Never overpowers you though and is creamy. Then smooths out and finishes with a nice peppery kick. Construction is top notch. Ash was 3" long. Tons of smoke. Recommend this if you like this size. Wrapper is somewhat fragile though.

This cigar absolutly is one of my favorites. Out of all of the VSG series, i like this one the best. It burns totally strait, and just has a beautiful, full, sweet taste. One of a kind

I love these. Great flavor strong tobacco flavor with spice and a hint of sweetness. This size is the only size I have had that has that sweetness to it. It just adds to the overall complexity to this stick. Great construction and draw.

First appearance, this cigar is nice but has a few noticeable veins. The prelit draw was good with a lit sweetness to it. Lit rather easy with some nice pepper. It seemed to be more medium-full then full. The flavor was fantastic. The draw and burn were both very good, the only problem i had was it needed to be relit twice. Not a huge deal. A very good stick, just a little pricey. Paid nearly $13 at my local shop. I could see picking one up a few times a year, but not more often then that.

These are very good sticks (got the sampler), no doubt, with excellent construction, burn, smoothness, and full bodied flavor. But the price...........whew!!

I've been trying to find "my cigar" for years now.....this is it.

The X factor-a criteria used in my rating system for cigars.....that special something that just captures my attention and commands my respect; this definately scored points in that category. Getting harder and harder to find full boxes countrywide and for good reason. This has already become a classic in my book, I think the price is great for the quality, when considering I could have a cuban partagas or rafael gonzales lonesdale, which on most days I find myself passing up and smoking these instead. I docked points for appearence, simply because I've seen a flawless box of Lusitanias before, still a good looking stick, even burn, great (but not tooo much) draw.

not as good as i remembered overall.
looks good, nice construction and burn.
strong, spicy, but simple; mellows down a bit every so often, but pretty hard on. a little harshness down the line.
i can find a bunch of better cigars for this price

These have excellent construction and a unique spicy character that I like. Smoked in very heavy competition, this cigar held its own in most respects.

Good but not great. I was expecting a lot more out of this cigar. Good look, good burn. Full flavored and bodied but just not very complex to me. I am not a huge fan of full flavored cigars and was not impressed.

Very good construction, dark, uniform.
Medium draw.
Not very complex, in short, i didn't care for it so much.
Medium to full bodied, leaning towards full.
Spice in the beginning.
In the middle this odd taste/flavor that i can't really place. I thought of that flou/white stuff they put on bubble gum like Bazooka Joe.
In the last half a farm taste/smell, and a slight espresso aftertaste.

Earthy leathery with some cocoa and spice flavors too. This is a well made and very taste smoke. A little pricey but they are very good. This is a full bodied smoke not for beginners.

Good quality cigar with an earthy spicy flavor, I liked it better than the first VSG I smoked. Still not what I'd spend $10 for, I'd be more inclined to go with a Fuente or two.

This pressed cigar is veiny and somewhat rough in appearance but is oily and has a rich dark color. While the burn is a bit uneven and requires a retouch or two, it has a perfect draw and fills your mouth with lots of velvety smoke. A fairly strong smoke that's leathery and spicy with a touch of sweetness, but it manages to stay smooth and balanced. Some harshness towards the end due to the small ring size. A hard-to-find cigar that's even harder to find at a good price, but it's a top-notch smoking experience.

This is the only cigar I'm smoking right now. On my third box and it has remained consistent throughout. Awesome constructioon and a bold rich taste. Not chearp but worht every penny in my book.

This is a good cigar. You won't be disappointed, strong and balanced....but...for the money this cigar is over-hyped. Sancho Panza Ex-Fuerte is a better cigar line and much cheaper.

wellmade cigar i.e.Ashton quality (Fuente),rich aroma, hint of cocoa, excellent draw but a bit uneven burn

For the money these are truly overated cigars. what is all the hype?

This cigar is one of my favorites. It has a very good taste with a nice clean draw. It is a little pricey but it is worth the money. Very even burn.

This is a great cigar. It has a very good draw and burns evenly. The flavor is fantastic especially after a little aging. It is a bit pricey but it is one of the best.

I wish I had the experience that others here are having. I love a good lonsdale (hard to find though). Mine are pretty much dull and flat, - not bad, but I had hoped for better. Hoping for improvement in the 'dor . . .

Spicy, left my lips somewhat numb. Great flavor, great draw, even burn. Stronger than Ashton Cabinet Pyramid; not quite as strong as the Ashton Aged Maduro.

perhaps the best constructed of the VSG's I love the almost liquidy look of the cherry and the best draw in the world. Illusions rock man and I would recomend them even to the macanudo-monticristo wusses

Ashton finally paired some flavor with their construction and price.

Hard to find, hard to pay for. I am not at all enthralled by this stick. It is good. Burns fine and a slightly tight draw. Has a earhty tone with some strength after the halfway mark. The last 5 draws were xlnt. alot of dough for 5 xlnt puffs.

One of my top-two non ISOM's. Beautiful oily wrapper is dark brown marbled with darker brown. Excellent pre-light aroma. Smoke is tangy sweet, spicy, chocolate cream. High power. At a cost comparable to ISOM's, definately worth trying. Sit down for this one, and enjoy.

I've had only one of these, but it was a perfect cigar. I had it with a 750ml bottle of Belgian wheat beer. By the time I finished both, I was in bliss. Perfect construction, draw and burn. Flavor was fantastic. Not quite as strong as I expected, but plenty strong.

Very well constructed, but then again most ashtons are. Dark wrapper, but the Vsg's seem to be inconsistent last box was a much darker wrapper. Even burn, Very good smoke. I prefer the scorcerer.

had a mild vegetable taste with very spicy overtones. a little harsh on the finish, probably do better with some aging. careful or this one will put you on your arse. 😉

I bought a box of these and when I opened them I was a little concerned -- the wrapper was a duller color than the VSG Belicoso's I've smoked in the past. When I lit it up, though, my fears vanished: this is an excellent cigar. Powerful flavor, well constructed, and my guess is that it will evolve substantially with time in the humidor. As with most Fuente cigars, I'm not too happy with the price. But if you have money to burn, or someone gives you some of these, you'll be happy.

A pretty good cigar, very well made, burns good. I made the mistake of smoking one after experiencing a padron 64th so I was a little disappointed in this smoke after hearing all the hype. for the price buy a 64.

Pulled another out of the humidor after a few months age. Flawlessly constructed, very handsom cigar. Burn and draw were perfect. Full flavored with spice which has improved since purchased.

Prety well made cigar, the wrapper is very oily and silky, the color was uniform. The combustion was perfect and draw explendid. To me its flavor was a little bit spicy. A complex smoke.

A strange looking smoke but MMMM Tasty! One of my favorites by far-try one you will not be disappointed

arguably the best cigar available in the US today

There is something of an variation from dark to light in wrapper colors in this vitola. The darker, oily ones are more flavorful and are what I am reviewing here.

These have to be some of the most beautiful cigars that I have ever seen. I'm even thinking of a way to hide a humidifier behind a nice picture frame to display this one.