The Good Stuff:

The Espinosa Alibi is the first of a new series called “The Backroom Series” which shipped to 3 lucky Espinosa retailers who feature Espinosa Lounges in December. The Alibi is a 6 x 48 cigar which features a Ecuadorian Habano Oscuro wrapper along with some undisclosed binder and fillers produced at the La Zona factory in Nicaragua. The Alibi comes in a single size, packed in boxes of 10 running $90 a box with only 200 boxes produced. The 3 retailers who carry the Alibi are Casa Belicoso in Walnut Creek California, Cordova Cigars in Pensacola Florida, and Smoke Inn VI in Margate Florida with more to be expected as Espinosa Lounges are established across the country. (Thanks to Halfwheel for the info) Samples were sent to us from our friends at Espinosa for review.

Size: 6 x 48
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano Oscuro
Binder: Undisclosed
Filler: Undisclosed
Body: Full
Strength: Medium/Full
Price: $9
Pairing: Founders Backwoods Bastard (Bourbon Barrel Aged Scotch Ale 10.2% ABV)

Prelight:

The Espinosa Alibi starts out with a very dark, very beautiful toothy, veiny, web wrapper. Seriously this thing feels like it’s wrapper in sandpaper. The wrapper is very a very dark, very consistent brown and feels very dense with little give as I squeeze it between my fingers. the long body leads up so a shallow, round, double cap. The Alibi is polished off with a simple, elegant beige band with the word “Alibi” on the front, “Backroom Series” on one side, and “Espinosa Lounge Exclusive” on the other while the foot sports a simple black band that blends in with the darkness of the wrapper.

The wrapper on the Alibi gives off tons of pepper, spice, and raisin while the foot of the cigar lets looks a generous blend of spice and tobacco. The cap cut clean and easy using my Palio double bladed cutter. The cold draw produces some really bold raisin, spice, sweetness and a whole mess of pepper left my lips tingling.

First Third:

As I expected the Espinosa Alibi starts off with a strong black pepper boom which leaves both my tongue and lips with a tingling sensation. The pepper began to simmer down a bit after about a half inch in and the Alibi’s flavors began to take shape with a really strong raisin leading the pack backed by some dark cheery, leather, spice, and sweetness on the finish. The draw is a bit loose but I can dig it as each little puff produces a ton of thick smoke. The burn line has a few slight waves, but nothing too serious as it leaves behind a trail of medium gray, compacted ash which held on for a bit over an inch before falling into my ashtray.

Second Third:

The black pepper is still quite resident into the second third of the Espinosa Alibi. The raisin is still rocking solid with the cherry and sweetness backing while the spice has ramped up quite a bit. The Alibi started in the medium category but is now venturing into the full-bodied zone. The retrohale is very sharp and much to spicy/peppery for my liking. The burn is still slightly wavy but hasn’t needed any extra attention from my lighter while I am feeling a slight bit of nicotine while closing out the second third.

Finish:

The pepper has finally cleared way for the other flavors in the final third of the Espinosa Alibi. The flavors are pretty consistent leading with the raisin and cherry backed by sweetness and spice with a ramp up in leather and oak. The draw is been a bit wavy the entire time but I never once had to touch up or relight the cigar so I’m not complaining. It took me about an hour and forty five minutes to smoke the Alibi down to the nub and while the strength really stepped it’s game up towards the end, there was no harshness or heat finishing very bold and proper with a beautiful little nicotine kick.

Overview:

The Espinosa Alibi is a solid cigar in every category. I usually gravitate towards full-bodied cigars and this is the perfect example on full-bodied done right. The flavors are bold, yet balanced while I wasn’t overpowered by the higher strength this cigar yields. The size chosen is incredible as I usually go for smaller ring gauges as I feel the wrapper, in most cases, delivers more of the flavors I look for. This probably isn’t going to be something that novice cigar smokers are going to be chasing down but I think it’s perfect for the seasoned smoker looking for a great full bodied experience. My only gripe is the availability but that was the whole idea behind this series.

Pairing:

Yeah, this pairing rocked. Simple as that. The first time I smoked the Alibi I knew that I would be choosing Founders Backwoods Bastard as it’s partner. The Backwoods Bastard is a 10.2% ABV Bourbon Barrel Aged Scotch Ale and one of my favorites in the Founders portfolio. This particular bottle was from a 2013 haul I brought in. The beer leads with some strong Bourbon and caramel with a very heavy and thick mouthfeel finishing strong with lots of sweetness, malt, and cajeta with a good amount of booze. This cigar would pair perfectly with any wee heavy, spiced rum, our tawny port.

The post Espinosa Cigars Alibi – Backroom Series appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff:

The Fume D’Amour is amongst a slew of cigars released at this year’s IPCPR trade show in Las Vegas. While there were many cigars showcased, few created as much buzz as the Fume D’Amour. Some said it was the star of the show. Fume D’Amour is the first full production core line created by Dion Giolito of Illusione in 3 years. Fume D’Amour is translated into “Love Smoke”. The blend is based off the Original Document blend, or the Corojo, using a different wrapper and created using only Nicaraguan Seco and Viso. No Ligero. Normally, Ligero is used to boost the body and strength in a cigar as the Viso and Seco produce more sweeter, milder flavors. That being said, the Fume D’Amour isn’t your average smoke, and actually boasts a much higher body and much more strength during the experience as it does on paper. The Fume D’Amour joins the ranks of blends that Dion is now producing at the Tabacos Valle de Jalapa S.A. factory in Nicaragua. Here is the information on the blend as found on Illusione’s website:

“Illusione introduces Fume D’Amour. Nearly 3 years since our last full brand was brought to the industry, Fume D’Amour is added to the Illusione ‘core lines.’ These cigars deliver the signature olfactory sweetness from Viso Jalapa tobaccos, with the complex mix of spices both in the nose and on the palate from Seco leaves from Esteli. Fume D’Amour is a full-bodied production for the matured cigar enthusiast. Four sizes… more to come. “

The Fume D’Amour will come in four sizes: Lagunas ( 4.5 x 42), Viejos (5 x 50), Capistranos (6 x 56 ) and the Clementes (6.5 x 48) and range from $6.50 to $9.50 a stick. These are just hitting shelves now. I purchased a bunch of these over from our friends at Smokeinn.com.

Size: 4.5 x 42
Wrapper: Nicaraguan
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Body: Full
Strength: Medium/Full
Price: $6.50
Pairing: Founders Backwoods Bastard 2013 (Bourbon Barrel Aged Scotch Ale 10.2% ABV)

Prelight:

The wrapper on the Fume D’Amour is absolutely stunning, starting with a deep brown, and very orange color. The wrapper color is consistent for the most part with some darker webbing throughout the body of the cigar and darker areas around the cap. The wrapper texture is very oil, with some slight tooth, and very smooth, silky areas. The wrapper feels about average in the density department and the cigar had very little sponginess or soft spots. The Fume D’Amour is finished off with a beautifully round triple cap, and an elegant maroon, gold, and beige band stating “Fume D’Amour” and “Hecho En Nicaragua”. I have always loved the simplicity in Illusione’s band design.

The wrapper on the cigar gives off some soft grassy aromas wrapper around strong cedar while the foot of the cigar carries lots of sweetness and spice with some deep tobacco aromas. The cap cut clean and easily using my double bladed Palio cutter. The cold draw produces some great spice, sweetness, floral, and grassy flavors.

First Half:

Since this is a smaller cigar, I’m going to go ahead and cut it into halves instead of thirds. The first few draws on Illusione’s Fume D’Amour lead off with some very strong black pepper. The pepper quickly fades away and leaves me with some strong cedar, lots of sweetness, brown sugar, cherry, and deep mossy/grassiness. As I get a bit deeper into the first half I start to pick up a strong floral flavor. Almost tastes like Jasmine. Either way, it’s complimenting the already creamy experience very nicely. The body starts out very strong and the strength is up there as well. The draw is perfect. Every little puff kicks out a huge, thick cloud of white smoke. The burnline is a bit wild, but I haven’t had to reach for my lighter. I finish out the first half feeling no nicotine kick at all.

Second Half:

Into the second half of Illusione’s Fume D’Amour the flavor profile becomes much deeper and bolder. I am picking up a ton of cedar and woodsiness now instead of the grassy notes, lots of cedar, some cocoa, espresso, and lots of sweetness and spice. I took this cigar down until it started burning my fingers and experience no harshness whatsoever. I was actually impressed with how slowly a cigar of this size smoked down. It took me about an hour to reach the nub and I enjoyed every last minute of it. The burnline completely corrected itself after the first half and I never once had to reach for my lighter. The band slipped right off, and the construction was on point.

Overview:

I said it on twitter, and I said it again. Illusione’s Fume D’Amour is probably the best cigar I have had all year. I smoked quite a few of these and each one makes me fall deeper and deeper in love with the blend (Love Smoke.. eh? See what I did there!!?!). On many occasions I have spoke about how if I had to choose only 1 manufacturer to smoke, for the rest of my life exclusively, it would be Illusione. The Fume D’Amour helps solidify that decision. Hell, everything Dion has come out with recently has backed my choice. The Fume D’Amour hits in all areas. Boasting strong, bold, sweet, balanced flavors with a higher body experience that won’t knock you on your ass. I especially think the blend preforms well in the smaller sizes. The price point is where you would expect it to be and the fact that this is a regular production blend makes me very happy. Pick a few up, this is a boxworthy cigar that will find it’s way into my regular production for a long time to come.

Pairing:

I purchased a bunch of these bad boys last year and have been quietly going through my stock. They are a perfect beer to pair with s bold, strong cigar. Founders Brewing Company out of Michigan produces it’s Bourbon Barrel Aged Backwoods Bastard Scotch Ale during the winter each year. Coming in at 10.2% ABV this beer isn’t for the faint of heart. This sticky ale leads off with some strong sweetness, caramel, cocoa, and grain with a very heavy mouthfeel. The finishing taste is really fruity, oaky, boozy, and spicy. There is quite a bit of bourbon reminisce left in the flavor profile. The spice, sweetness, oak and fruit pair perfectly with the Fume D’Amour while the caramel adds an interesting complimentary note to the pairing. This cigar will pair well with most drinks. Some bold coffee, bourbon, port wine, or Belgian Strong Dark Ale would be on the top of that list.

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