Illusione Fume D'Amour Viejos 2022 (SRW23)

[ayedfy]

Picked this up from a recommendation last year by @Achilles1318 (I also picked up a Southern Draw Rose of Sharon from that same recommendation post, and loved it).

Illusione Fume D'Amour Viejos. Nicaragua Puro, 5x50.

Opening third: medium bodied. Initial notes are cream and oaky vanilla, which then give way to roasted hazelnuts and sweetness of fresh plums. There’s also a light floral note dancing in and out adding further complexity. Slight draw resistance, initially uneven burn corrects itself without intervention. I want to note that this feels unusually heavy for the size for reasons beyond my understanding, and the smoke output is significant.

Middle third: ash falls off and makes way for a burst of vanilla, again in a somewhat woody form. The fruity note is changing from plum to fresh white grapes; along with the woody vanilla it’s calling to mind a chilled chardonnay. There’s a white pepper element developing, but I still wouldn’t call it notably spicy yet. Body has lifted a rung up from medium now. Construction is faultless at this point, even burn, and you get this feeling you could set this down for 15 minutes and come back without a relight.

Final third: bit of tunnelling now just to spite my earlier praises of construction, requiring a couple of corrections to the wrapper. Body steps back down to medium. Cedar and cream dominating the flavour profile now. The fresh fruit sweetness fades, and is replaced by a savoury character, with notes of cured meats and garlic. Some tar buildup towards the end, finished smoking just before the band.

Perhaps it was the slightly cooler weather we had tonight, but something that really stuck out about this cigar was that it felt "cold". The "chilled chardonnay" note I mention in the middle third is important - alongside the necessary flavours, this cigar felt bright, crisp, "refreshing", much like the sensation of drinking a glass of chilled wine. It's something I have never consciously experienced to this degree in a cigar before.

Concluding thoughts - something about the flavour profile didn’t “click” with my personal taste, but barring a couple of minor missteps this was still a very fine cigar, offering real complexity and development throughout. I’ll be interested to try some of the other Illusione offerings in future.

87/100

[KCCubano]

Nice review. I have only tried the Epernay line and have liked them all. Need to give HL and Haut lines a shot

[Tunkat92]

Thanks for the review. I need to dive deeper into Illusione. Only tried a few

[Monterey]

The D'Amour line is one of my favorites.  In terms of volume, I smoke more of this cigar than any other.  Though usually the clementes size.  Has a cinnamon edge with nutmeg.  I oddly describe it  as tasting like Christmas.   Amazing morning cigar with Coffee.

[SCgarman]

4 hours ago, Monterey said:

The D'Amour line is one of my favorites.  In terms of volume, I smoke more of this cigar than any other.  Though usually the clementes size.  Has a cinnamon edge with nutmeg.  I oddly describe it  as tasting like Christmas.   Amazing morning cigar with Coffee.

Sounds like a good profile

[Capn_Jackson]

Awesome! I just got a few Fume d’Amour viejos in the Mail, and looking forward to trying them.

[KnightsAnole]

Been through much of illusiones offers and this was one never did it for me personally, but I liked the smaller rothschilds that come in 50 counts at around $250. Liked the epernay line too.

[KCCubano]

Just ordered 5er of Fume d' Amour Lagunas. Their Petit Coronas of the line. Will let em rest a few months once received