No. 19 Cigar of the Year 2025 – Epernay Tuonela

With Illusione’s Epernay line widely regarded as one of the foundational cigars of the modern era, calls for a maduro counterpart became inevitable—a request decades in the making that would go unanswered until 2025. The cigar at hand is dubbed Epernay Tuonela, featuring a concoction of Corojo and Criollo tobaccos surrounded in a Mexican San Andrés wrapper. While the original was named after a region in France known for its Champagne, the Tuonela takes a different route, being inspired by Finnish mythology. Tuonela is the land where the souls of the deceased go after death, being described as a shadowy mirror of the living world rather than the torment of hell. In terms of smoking experience, the blend doesn’t veer far from the balanced nature of the original, maintaining a medium body but darkening the character significantly. It kicks off with musty wood and coffee bean, later evolving to complexities of fennel, clove, leather, and honey-infused cream through the finish.

Epernay Tuonela Breakdown

Short Link: