Illusione/Cruzado/Epernay Production update 11/17/2008

[vudu9]

There is no mention of th ECCJ anywhere in your update. When can we get some?????

The rest will be available after the first of the year.

 

[NullSmurf]

Hey, what the hell is wrong with big donkey di*k cigars?

You had fun, huh? Still ain't enough to make me come to Reno. Looks like a plan, Dion.

Yeah man, good times. Come to Reno and we'll go shoot the shit out of some cans in the desert!

Really though, whats wrong with the all day suckers?

Reno is on the agenda if we drive out for the next Cigarpass HERF in Vegas. However, you know how I feel about you handling live ammo. Do they let you blow shit up out in the desert?

 

[Gonnagal]

Edit: Well.... I didn't read far enough and saw the answer to my question.

 

[sloe_dancer]

I must say I have been draw in bye your product as well. They are a little hard to find yet around me, in stock :whistling: .

May be a group trip would be a great Idea. :thumbs: I myself have never had the chance to see how cigars are handled, and with all the time and love I have invested into them, It sure would be something.

Just my TWO CENTS

The sooner The better cabin Fever is upon us

 

[vudu9]

Hey, what the hell is wrong with big donkey di*k cigars?

You had fun, huh? Still ain't enough to make me come to Reno. Looks like a plan, Dion.

Yeah man, good times. Come to Reno and we'll go shoot the shit out of some cans in the desert!

Really though, whats wrong with the all day suckers?

Reno is on the agenda if we drive out for the next Cigarpass HERF in Vegas. However, you know how I feel about you handling live ammo. Do they let you blow shit up out in the desert?

Nully -

Careful, that's an 8 hour drive from Las Vegas!

 

[NullSmurf]

Hey, what the hell is wrong with big donkey di*k cigars?

You had fun, huh? Still ain't enough to make me come to Reno. Looks like a plan, Dion.

Yeah man, good times. Come to Reno and we'll go shoot the shit out of some cans in the desert!

Really though, whats wrong with the all day suckers?

Reno is on the agenda if we drive out for the next Cigarpass HERF in Vegas. However, you know how I feel about you handling live ammo. Do they let you blow shit up out in the desert?

Nully -

Careful, that's an 8 hour drive from Las Vegas!

Yeah, but gunpowder and Illusiones. Helluva combination.

Still, might be tough to sneak that one past my missus.

 

[Renefatdude]

Dion get your sticks to Holland...Please!
They are goood, but no I have to do all sort of trades with brothers in the states to get my hands on them. :laugh:

Rene

 

[Devil Doc]

Had my first Cruzado yesterday, the Churchill size. My B$M owner gave it to me. The bastid. Now I'm going to have to buy some from him. Great cigar. Enjoyed it immensely.

Doc.

 

[JLAudio]

Had my first Cruzado yesterday, the Churchill size. My B$M owner gave it to me. The bastid. Now I'm going to have to buy some from him. Great cigar. Enjoyed it immensely.

Doc.

Just had my first a couple days ago (churchill size) as well from my B&M, and damn, I couldn't agree with you more Doc. I'm going to have to expand my budget this month, that's for sure. Fantastic smoke.

 

[vudu9]

Thanks guys. They're coming around nicely I think.

 

[bfisher88]

Dion I may make it out your way again in March. Love your shop but didn't get a chance to chat with you much while you were there. Hopefully I'll have better luck this time and we can enjoy a smoke.

 

[vudu9]

Dion I may make it out your way again in March. Love your shop but didn't get a chance to chat with you much while you were there. Hopefully I'll have better luck this time and we can enjoy a smoke.

Looking forward to it.

 

[KenM10759]

Smoking a delicious MK as I write this. Wow, what an amazing smoke in such a compact package! Well played sir, thanks for MK'ing them.

 

[H311oLHD]

Smoking a delicious MK as I write this. Wow, what an amazing smoke in such a compact package! Well played sir, thanks for MK'ing them.

Ken,

you cannot go wrong with ANY illusione. Dion's cigars are top notch. I smoked an 888 on Monday. I have to say that the 88 and the m7 are still my two favorite sizes.....I'm waiting for Dion to gift me a ~1~ :laugh: .

 

[KenM10759]

Smoking a delicious MK as I write this. Wow, what an amazing smoke in such a compact package! Well played sir, thanks for MK'ing them.

Ken,

you cannot go wrong with ANY illusione. Dion's cigars are top notch. I smoked an 888 on Monday. I have to say that the 88 and the m7 are still my two favorite sizes.....I'm waiting for Dion to gift me a ~1~ :laugh: .

So true. I've had many, and usually pick up at least one every week when I visit my favorite B&M. I've had almost all, including CG4, 2, 88, f9, 888, and 68. I'll try more, but so far that MK was my favorite.

 

[vudu9]

Posted in Cigar Insider - April, 7th, 2009:

The Honduran-made Illusione brand, owned by Dion Giolito, has a new, lighter extension called Illusione Epernay. Named after the heart of France’s Champagne region, Epernay is an all-Nicaraguan cigar comprising tobacco from two specific farms and finished with a shade-grown Corojo ’99 wrapper leaf. "Certain cigars and Champagne go together fabulously,” said Giolito. “I think that this cigar is the perfect complement to great Champagnes, so I named it after a region in France that made this grape famous.” According to Giolito, the blend is more suited to a “European palate,” which, to him, entails using a lighter shade of wrapper, and replacing some of the spicy character of his other brands with a sweeter, more floral tobacco. Epernay is the third brand in Giolito’s portfolio, after the core Illusione line (which has scored exceptionally well in Cigar Insider and Cigar Aficionado) and the newer Cruzado series. The Epernay comes in four sizes: Le Grande, 6 inches by 46 ring; Le Ferme, 5 1/4 by 48; L’Elegance, 5 3/4 by 40; and Le Petit, 4 1/2 by 44. They have a suggested
retail price from $6.95 to $9 and come packaged in slide-lid cabinets of 50. “I think that this cigar deserves a cedar cabinet,” said Giolito. “All the cigars are uncellophaned to promote box aging.”
The cigars are adorned with the same simple white bands as the Illusione line, only the Old English letters, which read “Epernay,” are gilded rather than black. Retailers and consumers can purchase pre-release boxes of Epernay as part of a monthlong sneak preview for April, then the cigar will not be available until the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers trade show in August. “Originally, they were supposed to premiere at IPCPR, but I decided to do a preview the entire month of April in lieu of the implementation of SCHIP,” said Giolito, referring to the expansion of the federal State Children’s Health Insurance Program, which is being funded by increased taxes on tobacco products. The number of Epernay cigars slated for production this year is still undecided, as Giolito is waiting for market demand to ultimately determine 2009’s production numbers. When asked about releasing a new cigar in the face of a downward economy and the onslaught of higher taxes, Giolito answered: “Retailers, brand owners and manufacturers are pretty skittish right now. I think that the new release lets everyone know that the hobby of cigars will continue to move forward, regardless of restrictions or the draconian efforts by government.”

What the article did not mention is that it is the same blend as the e c c j 15th EL - extended into 4 unique sizes.
Dion

 

[twizz]

Posted in Cigar Insider - April, 7th, 2009:

The Honduran-made Illusione brand, owned by Dion Giolito, has a new, lighter extension called Illusione Epernay. Named after the heart of France’s Champagne region, Epernay is an all-Nicaraguan cigar comprising tobacco from two specific farms and finished with a shade-grown Corojo ’99 wrapper leaf. "Certain cigars and Champagne go together fabulously,” said Giolito. “I think that this cigar is the perfect complement to great Champagnes, so I named it after a region in France that made this grape famous.” According to Giolito, the blend is more suited to a “European palate,” which, to him, entails using a lighter shade of wrapper, and replacing some of the spicy character of his other brands with a sweeter, more floral tobacco. Epernay is the third brand in Giolito’s portfolio, after the core Illusione line (which has scored exceptionally well in Cigar Insider and Cigar Aficionado) and the newer Cruzado series. The Epernay comes in four sizes: Le Grande, 6 inches by 46 ring; Le Ferme, 5 1/4 by 48; L’Elegance, 5 3/4 by 40; and Le Petit, 4 1/2 by 44. They have a suggested
retail price from $6.95 to $9 and come packaged in slide-lid cabinets of 50. “I think that this cigar deserves a cedar cabinet,” said Giolito. “All the cigars are uncellophaned to promote box aging.”
The cigars are adorned with the same simple white bands as the Illusione line, only the Old English letters, which read “Epernay,” are gilded rather than black. Retailers and consumers can purchase pre-release boxes of Epernay as part of a monthlong sneak preview for April, then the cigar will not be available until the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers trade show in August. “Originally, they were supposed to premiere at IPCPR, but I decided to do a preview the entire month of April in lieu of the implementation of SCHIP,” said Giolito, referring to the expansion of the federal State Children’s Health Insurance Program, which is being funded by increased taxes on tobacco products. The number of Epernay cigars slated for production this year is still undecided, as Giolito is waiting for market demand to ultimately determine 2009’s production numbers. When asked about releasing a new cigar in the face of a downward economy and the onslaught of higher taxes, Giolito answered: “Retailers, brand owners and manufacturers are pretty skittish right now. I think that the new release lets everyone know that the hobby of cigars will continue to move forward, regardless of restrictions or the draconian efforts by government.”

What the article did not mention is that it is the same blend as the e c c j 15th EL - extended into 4 unique sizes.
Dion

Where is it that we consumers can purchase pre-release boxes of the Epernay? Haven't tried your products yet, but they are the very next one on my list. I need something other than an Anejo to get hooked on!!!

 

[indyrob]

Posted in Cigar Insider - April, 7th, 2009:


What the article did not mention is that it is the same blend as the e c c j 15th EL - extended into 4 unique sizes.
Dion

Now that's good news!

 

[Franco593]

ok...now what vendors are going to carry them?

 

[Cooper]

Silo may be getting some in.