Illusione Epernay

Le Elegance

I recently realized that my experience with Honduran smokes is pretty limited, so it was time to jump on one of the Honduran CotMs. Illusione is aged and rolled in Honduras, although the tobacco is all grown in Nicaragua, so I don’t know how good of a representation of Honduran cigars it was, but it sure looked (and smelled) nice.

Statistics

CotM: December 2012







Chosen by: stogiesontherocks

stogiesontherocks





Shape: Parejo







Size: 5″3/4 x 40







Country of Origin: Honduras







Wrapper: Shadegrown Corojo ’99







Binder: Nicaraguan







Filler: Nicaraguan Corojo & Criollo







Color: Rosado







Strength: Mild-Medium







Price Paid: $8.15







Smoke Date: 7/04/2013

7/04/2013





Age: 2 months

Accessories Used

Cuban Crafters Perfect Cutter (Silver & Carbon Fiber), Bugatti B-2002 lighter with “pyramid” double-flame torch, Handmade English walnut ashtray made by wedgewoodrings.

Pairing

Rohini Estate 1st Flush Darjeeling Indian loose leaf black tea, served in a Japanese blue dragonfly teapot with matching cup. The tea’s light floral and grassy notes matched the stick perfectly.

Appearance/Nose

This was a fancy looking cigar. The wrapper was a mottled caramel and chocolate brown, which was silky smooth. The white and gold label was quite elegant. The nose was full of cedar, caramel, and spice.

Construction

This seemed like an impeccably constructed cigar. It felt firm and springy throughout, with no hard or soft spots. The triple cap was applied with skill. The ash was gray and black, and hung on for about 3/4″ at a time.

Cold Draw

The cold draw was medium-tight, with floral and grassy tastes.

Smoking

First third

It started with a very rich flavor I couldn’t quite put my finger on. Pie crust? Graham cracker? Caramel? All of those were definitely present with a big blast of floral honey. I immediately knew this would be a favorite.

There was a sort of flowery spice on the retrohale. The ash dropped off at about 3/4 inch, which is respectable for a 40 ring gauge stick.

The flavors continued to be full and tasty. The word I kept coming back to was “delicious”! The floral, vanilla, honey, and pastry notes continued into the next third.

Second third

Pie crust, honey, and vanilla, oh my! Not a lot of change here at the start of the middle third, but that’s okay. I found myself hoping that it would not change, as I was enjoying it so much. What a tasty smoke!

The burn was even and sharp, and the smoke production was about medium. The draw was still medium-tight, which I enjoy quite a bit. The flavor did mellow out a bit, about halfway in, but retained a wonderful buttery honey finish.

Final third

Coming into the final third, what was originally a light, honeysuckle floral taste became a rich, deep rosy floral taste, which took over some of the pastry and honey notes. By the time I reached the band, the honey and pastry were all but gone, but the floral taste remained, with a bit of an earthy tang.

The burn got a little uneven towards the end, despite my attempts to correct it with rotation.

Notes

Draw: Medium-tight

Medium-tight





Body: Medium-full

Medium-full





Primary Flavors: Honey, flowers, vanilla, buttery pastry

Honey, flowers, vanilla, buttery pastry





Smoke Output: Medium

Medium





Smoke Time: 1 hour, 35 minutes

Overall

This cigar was amazing–I was utterly blown away. It burned for a lot longer than I expected, being a narrow stick. The flavor in the first two thirds was some of the best I’ve ever had, though the flavor faded a bit in the final third. The experience was completely enjoyable and intend to get more of these–whenever I can. This is one of my favorite CotMs so far, and one my favorite cigars I’ve ever had.

Rating