Pre-light Experience

Aaron: The wrapper on the Illusione Epernay Tuonela Le Monde is a marbled medium brown and has a network of raised veins present. The seams are raised in some places and the caps have some lifting edges. There are two bands, both in a white, gold and red color combination. The primary is the new design, with the company and line, while the secondary denotes the sub-line. The aroma from the wrapper is wood, earth and some smokiness while the foot brings wood and earth along with light amounts of meatiness and spice. The pre-light draw brings an airy cedar with a bit of earth.
Seth: The Illusione Epernay Tuonela Le Monde is beautiful in appearance. The bands and the wrapper. The wrapper is silky in texture and finished with a lovely Colorado-Maduro to Maduro wrapper. Milk chocolate coloring. There are small to medium sized veins present throughout, and the cigar is firm in hand. There is a lovely triple cap to the cigar, and the wrapper has aromas of rich earth, chocolate, coffee, leather and tobacco. The foot shows more earth notes with sweet baking spices.
John: The Illusione Epernay Tuonela Le Monde comes in cellophane and has a UPC sticker with the cigar information and an integrated tear space that remains intact when opened. The cigar is double banded with an ‘Illusione Epernay’ primary band and a ‘Tuonela’ secondary band. I weighed the cigar at 17.4 grams and measured the humidity with the CigarMedics Humidimeter Pro at 62.2%. Aromas from the wrapper included bread, sweet tobacco and fresh wood, while from the foot I was picking up raisin and sweet tobacco.
Jiunn: The Illusione Epernay Tuonela Le Monde has a Colorado Red wrapper shade with various darker brown spots spread throughout the wrapper. Some minor lumps but all else feels and looks good. Pre-light aromas give rich cedar and barnyard.

Illusione Epernay Tuonela Le Monde

First Third

Aaron: The cigar begins with toasted cedar, earth, some black pepper and a bit of effervescence. At a quarter inch in, the effervescent departs and is replaced by a light creaminess. At three quarters of an inch in, the earth now has a slight lead over the toasted cedar. The retrohale is earth, toasted cedar and mild black pepper. At an inch and a quarter, the black pepper increases a bit. At an inch and a half in, some minerality joins the profile. As the third comes to a close, the earth is just ahead of the toasted cedar, with black pepper and minerality in the middle of the profile and some creaminess in the background. The strength was right at medium.
Seth: The first third opens with a soft mocha flavor profile. Coffee, cream and chocolate are present with some light baking spices. Tobacco, earth and leather are present as well. The cigar is right around the medium level for strength and body, and it is balanced and flavor focused.
John: The first third opens with sweet tobacco followed by wood and spices, which then linger into the finish. As the first third settles in, more defined cinnamon is present on the post draw. Some dryness settles into the center of the profile as the first third continues. The profile remains consistent moving towards the halfway point.
Jiunn: The first thing I notice is the dryness of the profile. In terms of flavors, cedar, black pepper spice and leather. The flavors really exacerbates the dryness. Retrohaling gives a bigger hit of black pepper spice. The finish is short with primarily spicy cedar and leather. Medium strength and body.

Illusione Epernay Tuonela Le Monde

Second Third

Aaron: As the second third begins, the black pepper and minerality mellow slightly. At three quarters of an inch in, the creaminess departs. The retrohale is now toasted cedar and earth with some lightly zingy black pepper. At an inch and a half in, some creaminess rejoins. As the third comes to a close, the earth is just ahead of the toasted cedar, with black pepper and minerality just behind the middle of the profile and some creaminess in the background. The strength remained at medium.
Seth: The second third continues to deliver that coffee, cream and soft chocolate flavored profile with warm baking spices. Pepper notes are on the rise, and they are followed up with some leather, earth and faint mineral notes. Like before, tobacco qualities are present on the end with some further spices. Medium in strength and body.
John: The second third begins with a combination of spices and wood that linger into the finish. On the finish, the dry wood takes over to define the post draw. Mild bread and baking spices combine on the retrohale with wood to finish. Cinnamon returns to the post draw as the cigar approaches the halfway point. Spice and wood are the primary flavor components through the bottom half of the second third.
Jiunn: The second third is unchanged from the first third. Still a dry profile with accompanying dry flavors of cedar, black pepper spice and leather. At this point, I’m looking for the profile to pick up because it’s becoming taxing on the palate. Strength and body remains medium.

Illusione Epernay Tuonela Le Monde

Final Third

Aaron: As the final third begins, the black pepper and minerality mellow a bit more. At a half inch in, the black pepper picks back up to the middle of the profile. The retrohale remains toasted cedar and earth with some lightly zingy black pepper. As the cigar wraps up, the earth is just ahead of the toasted cedar, with black pepper in the middle of the profile and some creaminess and minerality in the background. The strength remained at medium.
Seth: The final third is right in line with the second. The mineral notes are about the same, and the flavor profile has that mocha profile. Coffee, cream and soft chocolate. Warm baking spices present as well. The cigar continues to smoke at a medium level in strength and body to the end. Cool finish.
John: The last third greets me with creamy wood and earth, with a tannic wood and spice combination through the finish. Earth moves to the front of the profile by the halfway point, with tannic wood and earth combining to define the post draw.
Jiunn: At this point there’s palate exhaustion as my palate is caked with the dry mouthfeel and dry contributing flavors of cedar, black pepper spice and leather. I need this final third to burn faster.

Illusione Epernay Tuonela Le Monde

Burn

Aaron: The burn was a bit wavy at times, but never needed any attention. The ash held on in one inch increments.
Seth: The burn was very good from start to finish.
John: The burn was razor straight through the entire review process.
Jiunn: Perfect burn performance, providing an even burn, tight ashes and cool burning temperatures.

Illusione Epernay Tuonela Le Monde

Draw

Aaron: The draw was perfect, with just the right amount of resistance that I prefer.
Seth: The draw was good throughout.
John: I measured the draw at 60 inches of water with the CigarMedics draw machine. Subjectively, I found the draw to be 2½ to 3 notches towards the resistant spectrum.
Jiunn: The draw was also perfect, providing a great balance between air flow and resistance.

Overall

Aaron: The cigar began with toasted cedar, earth, some black pepper and a bit of effervescence. The effervescence departed fairly quickly and was replaced by some creaminess. Later, the earth took a slight lead in the profile and some minerality joined in even with the black pepper. Then, the black pepper increased a bit. The second third saw the black pepper and minerality mellow a bit. The creaminess then departed and then came back three quarters of an inch later. The final third saw the pepper and minerality move to the background. Later, the black pepper moved back to the middle of the profile. The Illusione Epernay Tuonela Le Monde had an average flavor profile throughout, focused around the earth and toasted cedar. I was hoping this cigar would dodge the earth driven profile most Mexican San Andres offerings provide, but that wasn’t the case. I prefer the original Epernay offering over this and don’t really see myself coming back to this one.
Seth: The Illusione Epernay Tuonela Le Monde is a good cigar. It is better than the classic Epernay, at least for the past seven years, but it is far from how great the old Epernay offerings smoked. 15 years ago, I would have told you that the Epernay brand was the best brand on the market. With that, Le Monde was one of the better vitolas in the brand. Not trying to be a hater, but that is not the case anymore. The brand has lost those qualities. But Epernay Tuonela is an improvement and while the Mexican wrapper may take the brand in another direction, it is a very nice Mexican San Andres offering. The cigar delivers a complex profile that is balanced from start to finish. It is more earth, cocoa and coffee focused with the Mexican offering, but it is a balanced and complex blend. Lovely burn, draw and construction as well. I am interested in smoking the blend in other vitolas, but it is a blend I would come back to the in the future.
John: The Illusione Epernay Tuonela Le Monde delivered an overall balanced, if somewhat restrained, flavor experience. The profile showed consistent notes of wood, sweet tobacco and spice, with occasional highlights of cinnamon and bread. While the construction was flawless with an amazing burn, the resistant draw and lack of flavor progression kept it from reaching higher levels. Still, a pleasant and well-made cigar that reflects the refined Epernay blending style. My total smoking time was 2 hours and 13 minutes.
Jiunn: I’m disappointed in this Illusione Epernay Tuonela Le Monde. The consistent dryness and mundane flavors were a chore to take in for the entire smoking experience. I think fans of Illusione will be perplexed by this cigar as it’s nothing like anything else Dion has even done. But personally, I’d like to request Dion to re-blend this. Please.

Aaron Loomis

SCORE

5.65

Cost/Point

$2.28

Scoring System

Seth Geise

SCORE

6.42

Cost/Point

$2.01

Scoring System

John McTavish

SCORE

5.45

Cost/Point

$2.37

Scoring System

Jiunn Liu

SCORE

5.40

Cost/Point

$2.39

Scoring System

Team Cigar Review: Illusione Epernay Tuonela Le Monde