E.P. Carrillo Review
Date: December 23, 2009Publisher: Stogie Review
Author: Brian Hewitt
Atlanta, GA
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Description:
I've been waiting nearly half a year to do this review. Part of that wait was self-inflicted. I could have thrown together something based on the EP Carrillo Edicion Inaugural samples I picked up at the IPCPR trade show, but that just didn’t seem right. What I really wanted to do was smoke them as Mr. Perez-Carrillo intends them to be enjoyed, directly out of a local cigar shop. And also partly because I wanted to be sure I was smoking the final product. Due to tight production timelines, I wasn’t 100% sure that what they brought to the trade show was exactly what was going to be finally released to the public, and I wanted to be certain to give this cigar a fair shake.
The EP Carrillo Edicion Inaugural marks the next part of a journey for it’s maker, Ernesto Perez-Carrillo, who recently broke away from the La Gloria Cubana, the brand he help make a household name, to start a new, family run cigar company. How it’s received by cigar enthusiasts will undoubtedly have a big impact on this new venture. Waiting until I could buy some from their ideal humidor environment before lighting them up for a review just seemed like the right thing to do. (And in case you’re curious, or wearing FCC-issued jackboots, I did buy the cigars I’m about to review.)
But before we get into the review, a little more about the brand. (To get the full scoop straight from the source, be sure to check out our Interview with Ernesto Perez-Carrillo at IPCPR.) The Edicion Inaugural uses what Mr. Perez-Carrillo describes as an experimental strain of Ecuadoran Habano tobacco that he was first introduced to a few years ago. At the time, he had no plans use that leaf, which was only available in very limited quantities. But reconsidered it for this special limited cigar line (and potentially in future ones). Also noteworthy is the unusual dual binder leaves, one from Nicaragua, and another from the Dominican Republic, both reportedly aged for at least five years. Around 150,000 of these cigars are being made in the Dominican Republic, and are available in 10 count boxes in what is being called the “Encore” vitola.
And now the time for waiting and fanfare is over. A trial by fire is in order. Read more





