Wrapper: Mexican San Andrés Maduro
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Size: 5.25 x 52 “Gordito”
Body: Full
Price: $6.00

As usual, I’m not all that hip to what is going on around me. This cigar was released in November of last year by Dion Giolito, maker of Illusione Cigars. It is only sold on his website: http://www.fumareusa.com/. The name of this website is spelled in a quirky fashion: F U M A R E. The cigar store resides in Reno. And Fumare means the great class.

Giolito wants to make it clear that people understand that this is not a cigar in the Illusione line.

This is from his web site:
“F U M A R E is home to Illusione cigars, a brand created by owner Dion Giolito. Dion Travels to Nicaragua and Honduras every 6 to 8 weeks to purchase tobaccos, maintain quality and consistency of these highly sought after, and critically acclaimed cigars.”
This too is gleaned from the site:
“Many unique tobaccos can be sourced. Some yields can produce cigars in the millions, whereas some of the most desirous, exquisite and flavorful tobaccos sourced can only produce just a handful of cigars.”
“Like many rarities in the gem market, so is La Grande Classe Cigars – an exclusive of F U M A R E. Each batch of exquisite cigars will be a limited run of sizes and blends created by lauded blender Dion Giolito. All tobaccos will be personally chosen from the finest fields in Nicaragua, graded and aged for superior performance.
“La Grande Classe gives the client unprecedented access to a true small-batch run of cigars made with superior grade tobaccos in both unique sizes, and different flavor profiles. Le Grande Classe is an extremely rare product at the highest caliber of performance, flavor and construction.”

That is a lot of fol de rol over a $6 cigar so let’s check it out.

There is no cigar band which makes for dull photography. The band is actually a sticker used to close the cello. I screwed up and lost one of the cellos and clipped the other so it’s missing the word, “La.” A real professional.

The stick has a very dark wrapper that is heavily mottled. I believe we’ve all come to love the San Andres wrapper, used nicely in the Room 101 cigar. The cigar is solid with the proper give. Seams are almost invisible and there are a lot of spider veins. The single cap is one of the most flawless I’ve seen. The wrappers gleams with oil and is smooth.

I clip the cap to get some good aroma and find a heavy dose of cocoa, spice, floral, and earthiness.

There are only a couple of reviews out there for this stick as it is a well-kept secret. I need to thank my buddy Steve Bonin for supplying a very well-aged couple of sticks from his stash. About 5-6 months old and I can tell already that the reviews were done on green cigars. Everyone is in a hurry.

I light up and get a cauldron of hot cocoa. The draw is perfect. The other flavor is the earthiness. And then Bam! The big dose of spiciness that is red pepper and black pepper at once.

The char line is good. One of the upsides of reviewing a cigar without a band is that you can turn the cigar to the good side to get your perfect char line photo. It’s cheating of course, but it makes for a sexier review. I will try to be forthright and honest for this.

The pepper is all empowering. The roof of my mouth feels aflame. Some sweet tobacco manages to eke through. And that earthiness is present.

For some reason, the cigar has a bigger look to it than only 5.25” long. Must be an old man illusion. At this time, I should tell you that this stick comes in this size only. Which is fine. Giolito knows what he is doing and this size is probably perfect for his intent. And this is my favorite size. No bigger. These cigar sizes have a tendency to become flavor bombs with a bit of aging on them.

A note of wood is apparent. And as the cigar burns, the intensity of the wood increases as well. As I begin to take photos, I am bummed that I mucked up the sticker portion on the cello. Somehow reading a sticker with part of the name of the cigar missing doesn’t scream “Well done, sir.”

I may be saved. One in ten cigars provides some nice smoky photos. This is one. Now if I can catch them, all hail the Katman.

The cigar has softened up quite a bit. Clearly it is running hot. The sweetness begins to run neck and neck with the wood and spiciness. There is a dried fruit component that, like most Nics, is raisin. The earthiness is a step behind.

I gotta’ tell you. So far, this is an excellent cigar. It is filled to the brim with flavor from the get go. You cannot ask for a better manufactured cigar. And it’s $6. But you can only purchase them through the F U M A R E web site and in box form only. The box is $149.75 for 25 sticks. Giolito throws in the shipping for free. To order a box, you must contact him by phone or email him at: buylagrandeclasse@gmail.com.

The char line begins to get wavy half way through the first third. And then the creaminess shows up and everything is nice now. I don’t know what it is about creaminess that just boosts the cigar’s quality. It enhances the entire flavor spectrum.

The first third ends with it being an official flavor bomb. The few flavors of cocoa, spice, wood, earthiness and raisin; with the creaminess, just shine. I hope this doesn’t hurt Mr. Giolito’s feelings, but I like this cigar better than a couple of his Illusione blends.

There is no info on the web site that explains why he is doing this. Clearly, he wanted his own cigar store in which he sells some of the finest cigars on the market. Or why he chose Reno, of all places. Have you been to Reno? I have. Many times. Las Vegas, or Lake Tahoe, it ain’t.

The second third begins and the power of the cigar, which started as medium, makes a push to full bodied. And the flavor profile just explodes. It is friggin incredible how nuanced and full flavored this stick has become.

This cigar deserves to have a Diet Coke accompany it. It is, probably, the most NYC egg cream anomaly I’ve tasted.

I try to keep the cigar in my mouth as I type because I don’t want to miss a thing. Drool is forming. Nice, huh? How is that for a photo you can’t erase from your brain?

Now I just sit back….staring out the dining room table window to the lush greenery, shimmering from sunlight, in the back yard…and savor this stick.

I’m at the halfway point and the cigar is in stasis. Not sleeping, mind you…but caught in a mode of balance and long finished. No new flavors are showing up and I predict, none will. This is probably the whole of the cigar. I am not criticizing it for this, because what the cigar presents is more than sufficient to impress me.

I will have to put this cigar on my ‘Must Have” list.

The lap top screen is getting fuzzy from the nicotine and I am nowhere close to the last third. For such a tobacco packed stick, the ash is very delicate and can’t seem to get past the half inch mark before falling off.

The last third is reached and the flavors take turns being up front of the others. The spiciness has really ratcheted down. The body is making a huge impact on my brain. The creaminess, cocoa and wood are now the predominant flavors.

You know how some people can take flawless photos at just the right moment? I’m not one of those. So each time I try to get a nice smoky photo, I seem to be a second shy of getting a nice clean one.

My scalp is buzzing. It is actually tingling from the body of the cigar. Never had this happen. Not once. I’m going to need a stretcher to get me to the couch by the time I finish it.

I grab an Atkins Shake to try to put something into my stomach to offset the hallucinations. This is just crazy.

I would approximate this cigar to the 601 La Bomba. A very strong cigar. One that requires seat belts on my chair.

I take long deep puffs which ramps up the flavors big time. It also sends massive amounts of nicotine into my system. I’m such a whore for a good photo.

This has to be the best $6 cigar I’ve smoked. I recently reviewed the Opus X and while that was an excellent cigar, I like this one more. It’s not as subtle, but the flavors are better.

With a couple inches to go, the flavor profile seeks out its strongest impact yet.

Yes. I highly recommend this cigar. And I am too buzzed to follow the review with one of my rock n roll stories. I’m having trouble making my brain connect with my fingers on the keyboard.
Get some.

Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS