This is one of Illusione’s finest cigars to date, if not the finest. From a master blender who already has a pile of highly rated sticks comes this absolutely beautiful 95-rated smoke, which took home the #3 cigar of the year honor in Cigar Aficionado’s 2015 rankings. It was almost a Cigar of the Year, and with a rating like that, this is sure to be one of the very best cigars on the market for a while.
Cigar Aficionado called it “memorable.” That might sound like faint praise, but you have to keep in mind that these guys smoke hundreds of cigars each year. If one stands out in memory, it’s probably a classic. For them, memorable is about as good as it gets.
So, what’s this no ligero nonsense all about?
Well, when you get a decently strong crop of tobacco, and you’re confident in your blending skill, you might be able to skip the traditional liegro leaf. For those who don’t know, tobacco stalks grow a few feet high, and the leaves found at each height have different properties and uses. The leaves at the top that get the most sun are referred to as ligero, and they’re the strongest in terms of nicotine content. Typically, a cigar will feature one or two of these leaves in the center of the roll for potency.
But not always.
In this case, Illusione founder Dion Giolito clearly thought the other tobaccos in the blend were sufficient to impart enough strength to the smoke, and so he experimented with a no ligero version. The absence of ligero allowed an uncommonly intriguing flavor profile to develop, and the enchanting Fume D’Amour was born.
Fume d'Amour, translates to "smoke of love," and without ligero, we aren’t talking about that crazy, over the top kind of love. This is the kind of subtle love that sneaks up on you, and keeps you guessing about whether or not it’s even there, until one day you realize you’re in a lot deeper than you thought.
The smoke itself is medium to full bodied. Like many of Illusione’s other blends, this is a Nicaraguan puro that relies on a blend of Criollo '98 and Corojo '99, with a focus on lower priming tobaccos harvested from the middle or bottom tiers of the tobacco plant. The wrapper is an Illusione favorite: the “AAA Grade” Cafe Corojo leaf. Light it up for the flavor of rich cashews, sweet nougat, and baking spice. It’s the exquisite treat no one saw coming.
Please browse our selection of Illusione Fume D’Amour cigars at your leisure.
