Illusione Fume D'Amour is one of my favorite smokes in the Illusione cigars line-up.
The name of this Nicaraguan puro translates as "smoke of love" and with good reason, as its medium body and medium-full strength leave you with that familiar head rush.
Vintage aged tobaccos and handmade expertise add to an experience well worth putting on your list of boutique cigars to try this year.
What you need to know about Illusione Cigars
Illusione Cigars was created by Dion Giolito, a cigar shop owner with ambitions to produce his own premium cigars and bring back the spirit of Nicaraguan pre-Sandinista smokes.
Giolito teamed with Casa Fernandez Company and created Illusione Cigars using fine tobaccos from Nicaragua's Esteli and Jalapa Valley regions.
The result is a range that successfully restores those forgotten flavors to the US market, which had been all but lost under the Sandinista government.
A look at the Illusione Fume D'Amour range
Illusione Fume D'Amour is a handmade cigar available in five vitolas and in boxes of 25, with the exception of the 4.25 x 42 Lagunas which ships in a box of 50 sticks.
Aged vintage Nicaraguan filler, binder and wrapper give each premium cigar that distinctive and instantly recognizable Nicaraguan flavor, including Corojo '99 and Criollo '98 tobaccos.
Cigar Specs
- Country of Origin: Nicaragua
- Strength: Medium Full
- Wrapper: Nicaragua
- Binder: Nicaragua
- Filler: Nicaragua
- Sizes available:
- Illusione Fume D'Amour Juniperos (7.25 × 40)
- Illusione Fume D'Amour Lagunas (4.25 × 42)
- Illusione Fume D'Amour Capistranos (6 × 56)
- Illusione Fume D'Amour Clementes (6.5 × 48)
- Illusione Fume D'Amour Viejos (5 × 50)
My thoughts on the cold draw
The initial draw of Fume D'Amour is woody, with a cedar aspect, as well as a creamy sweetness. I enjoyed cherry fruits and just the hint of pepper prepare the palate for an olfactory journey that starts out subtle, but builds up and up as you progress through the cigar.
In this sense, the draw does not really give you a full indication of what to expect, but only signposts you in the right direction.
Flavors I enjoyed from this cigar
Illusione Fume D'Amour has the clearly defined flavors of a Nicaraguan puro, but beyond the cold draw, the burn brings out unique tastes and scents to transport you back to those pre-Sandinista days.
Here's what to look out for on the palate and in the retrohales as you move along the length of this premium handmade cigar.
First third
Immediately I noticed the cedarwood, along with a sweetness similar to that of toasted marshmallows. Pepper hits next, developing throughout the first third as you work your way through the cigar.
The pepper is particularly noticeable on the retrohales, adding complexity to the scent of the smoke as well as the taste on the tongue.
Second third
Into the second third, a new flavor joins the party. Nuttiness starts to show through, combining with the sugary sweetness to produce a taste not too different from that of a fluffernutter.
There's also a rich caramel background and a continuation of the pepper, which you can control by focusing more on the retrohales or on taking lighter puffs.
Final third
Toward the end of the stick, Illusione Fume D'Amour really begins to blossom. The flavors don't change significantly here, so you can still expect that caramel fluffernutter background, with an increasingly spicy aspect to it.
Pepper, previously found mainly on the nose, is now more prominent on the palate. This is the strongest and fullest part of the Fume D'Amour experience, so savor the final moments of this brief encounter.
A look at the strength and body
Fume D'Amour is a rare treat, a boutique cigar that delivers not only in terms of its flavor profile, but also its consistent medium strength and medium to full body.
The body continues to grow throughout the second half of the cigar, so you're left with an experience that builds and builds, without ever overpowering the flavors.
Like first love, it's sweet and heady, and blooms to a crescendo that will leave you wanting more. It's a good thing there are 25 sticks in each box!
In conclusion
I love this cigar. It manages to pull off what so many try and fail to achieve, combining a recognizable Nicaraguan puro flavor with a complex blend of top notes, sweetness, and spices.
The peppery retrohales add an interesting 'Choose Your Own Adventure' element as you opt to puff or inhale more deeply, and change the strength of the spice as a result. You'll need to knock off the loosely packed ash several times, so be prepared to do this before it drops and scatters.
But doing so just unleashes the next peppery punch, allowing the body to build to its satisfying finale. To relive this Illusione Fume D'amour review many more times, choose the 4.25 x 42 Lagunas vitola, with a box of 50 sticks to work.