Illusione Epernay Cigars

This blend originally debuted in 2008. Illusione Epernay Cigars are made with a combination of Criollo and Corojo tobaccos and finished with a superior grade Café Rosado overleaf. The Illusione Epernay Cigar blend is very complex and perfectly balanced treating the palate to hints of coffee and honey, floral notes, and a creamy finish.

Epernay is named for a town in France that is built upon chalk rock in the heart of the Champagne region, and the line is meant to be lighter and sweeter than the original Illusiones. (It has no ligero in the blend.) When Illusione first appeared in our Top 25 in 2007, we wrote: "Consistency is the tough trick to the cigar business, so the real test is ahead for Giolito-maintaining the impeccable quality of these cigars so they live up to the early ratings." He certainly has.

Rated 92. Beautifully rolled with an oily wrapper and round head. The first puffs have an incense and leather character, then take on spice and Sauternes notes on the finish.

Rated 92. Made with a richly colored wrapper and triple-seam cap. Cocoa and leather flavors turn cedary sweet. Pleasant lavender notes emerge before the long, honeyed finish.

The Le Matin was released in 2010, and was found to be balanced and medium bodied #7 Best Cigar of the Year 2010 scoring a 94. A box-pressed smoke with a perfectly even draw and burn. The smoke is creamy in texture, full of toast, nuts, some pepper and an underlying sweetness.

Dark and oily with a reddish hue to the wrapper. This cigar has a notably uneven burn, though it imparts some caramel notes and spice. Rated 89.

Rated 91. A nearly flawless wrapper covers this cigar, which smacks of nuts and honey once it warms up. Some woody notes also come through, leading to a graham cracker finish