Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan, Dominican
Size: 5.5 x 54 “Brahman Robusto Extra”
Body: Full
Price: $6.00

This is the first cigar released since last year’s “Inch” and “Cardinal” blends. Over the last few years, it has become apparent, that E.P. Carrillo is in no hurry to release new cigars.

This release, at the 2013 trade show, was designed to bring in a younger customer base with the gimmicky cowboy thing.

This blend is different in that Carrillo is using more Nicaraguan tobacco than his usual Dominican-heavy blends. And the price point is much more accessible than his earlier cigars. Carrillo’s kids were the orchestrators of this blend for pop.

The stick comes in three sizes. The reviewed cigar size and the Corriente Corona: 4 x 46 & Siboney Robusto: 5 x 50

Construction is less refined than the other Carrillo blends. The medium brown wrapper is mottled and has random discolorations and change of hue. The caps are very rustic in appearance. Inconsistent, at best. Some of my samples have wrappers with a much nicer look than others…and in one of my samples, there is a huge stem running the entire length of the cigar. So this stick really doesn’t win any points for good looks.

There is a slight oily sheen and the wrapper is very smooth in some places and very toothy in others.

I clip the cap and find aromas of spice and exotic mango and peach. There is a nice combo of cocoa and coffee. Earthiness adds another component.
Time to light up.

I get a big blast of spiciness. That fruity aroma translates to flavor. A cocoa flavor shows itself and the cigar becomes very earthy. The spiciness, though, carries the profile at this point.

The char line is doing well and the draw is excellent. Coffee aroma is now also translated to flavor and tamps down the spiciness and increases the earthiness. This is not like other Carrillo blends. It stands alone. And since I live in Wisconsin, I must add: So does the cheese.

As I near the end of the first third, a nuttiness appears that complements the spice, earthiness and coffee nicely. The cocoa has dissipated some. A bit of saltiness appears.

The strength starts out as medium/full which means it will hit the full button soon.

Creaminess appears in the second third as well as some wood notes. The cigar hits the complex mode here. The spiciness has remained strong but the other flavors move up to meet it in strength. Cocoa and coffee match nicely with the creaminess and salty brine flavors.

The nuttiness is very diverse in its attack. I taste hazelnut, almond, and cashew. And these components move to the forefront at the halfway point.
This is quite the interesting cigar. The wood turns to BBQ hickory notes. But not a fire cured flavor.

The fruitiness is gone now. The creaminess is very strong. And the halfway point is the place this cigar becomes a most interesting flavor bomb. Having the earthiness, the nuts, the spice, and the wood become the primary flavors is quite unusual.

I can’t get over how rustic this cigar looks as I smoke it. All I can think of is the pool scene in “Caddyshack.”

I couldn’t find any info on the number of caps and due to the sloppy construction, I couldn’t make a guess. But regardless, it is holding its own without a sloppy piece of tobacco coming loose.

By the time I hit the last third, I’ve had to correct the burn twice.

The flavor profile is a combination of campfire and coffee house. My palate is extremely clean as this is the first cigar I’ve smoked in three weeks due to the dreaded flu. My fingers move sluggishly over the keyboard of my laptop. It almost feels like I’ve forgotten everything. Of course, my thoughts are; how could you tell?

The cigar is a swingin’ Richard now. I’ve got the nicotine shakes. Remember dear friends, who are calling me a wuss right now…that it has been 3 weeks. OK. I’m a wuss. So I grab an Atkins Shake to help put something in my stomach. I strongly recommend that this be an after dinner smoke..A real big dinner.

Flavors are all over the place now. Zinging past me like my life did on the second day on the bathroom floor. Wow. This cigar is strong! Yikes. If I don’t stop the review and get some cereal in me, I will be re-enacting the stabbing scene from Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. “He is a dreamer; let us leave him: Pass.”

OK. Where was I?

The last third is a real circus. I truly enjoy the whole catalog of Carrillo cigars but this little stick wins my heart above the rest. All you need to do is survive the full bodied experience.

This is what we have as the cigar bids farewell: Nuts, Hickory, Oak, Spice, Cream, Earthiness, Cocoa, and Coffee. A perfect cigar, in my book.
The cigar shows no harshness or heat at the end. If I was a real man, I’d nub it. But as I am very low in testosterone; as all old men are, I think I shall go as far as my weak metabolism will let me go.

Clearly, this is a great cigar. I like that there is no giant behemoth in the three size line up. Carrillo, smartly, has kept the sizes to dimensions that will enhance the blending of his cigar. I’d love to try the 4 x 46 Corona. And at these prices, you can try all three without dumping your savings account and your wife killing you in your sleep.

I want to thank Jason Harding at BestCigarPrices.com for the samples.

Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS