Size: 5 x 62
Wrapper: Dominican Corojo 06
Binder: Nicaraguan Corojo 99
Filler: Nicaraguan and Dominican
Body: Medium
Strength: Medium
Price: ~$9

Prelight: Man this sucker is huge. I am not one for larger ring gauged cigars. The cigar feels really heavy and really wonky in my hand. I can’t even fathom how uncomfortable the 64 might be. Outside of the size the Inch Short Run carries an absolutely beautiful, thick, medium brown wrapper with a few dark splotches scattered throughout the body. This cigar carries a bit of tooth and a whole mess of oil. The wrapper gives off nothing more than a slight cedar aroma while the foot of the cigar carries only some light tobacco and a bit of spice. The Inch Short Run is polished off with the standard Inch band that I love so much and the addition of a secondary black and gold 2014 Short Run band.

Flavors: I was greeted with a very mild black pepper as I lit up the Inch Short Run. The pepper faded rather quickly and there was a mild cedar, earthiness, and slight spice underneath. As I continued to smoke the inch the spice started to drop out and I was left with nothing but some mild cedar and earthiness mixed in with tobacco. I know it may sound a bit generic, but as much as I tried to reach I couldn’t pick up much more than that until the final “inch” where a bit of harshness began to move in. It wasn’t bad, I just wish there was more to it.

Burn/Draw: This is one area the Inch Short Run really excelled. The burn line was razor sharp, and dead even the entire experience. Usually, I have issues early in with wavy burn lines with larger ring gauged cigars, but this burned absolutely flawless from start to finish. The ash was very solid and held on for about two inches before falling into my ashtray with a “clunk”. The draw was beautiful. Each little puff filled my mouth with thick, white smoke.

Thoughts: Needless to say, I wasn’t blown away by the Inch Short Run 2014. The construction, burn, and draw were all remarkable and that what really makes for a great cigar. On the more subjective side this cigar really failed to deliver in the flavor arena. The flavors were muffled, bland, and pretty one dimensional. To put a spin on that, this cigar may be a great stick for someone who enjoys very mild experiences while I don’t see myself adding any more of these to my current rotation.

The post E.P. Carrillo – Inch Short Run 2014 – Quick Draw appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

In 2009, Ernesto leased a large factory and started his own namesake company, EPC Cigar Co. The company began production on a very limited line known as the E.P. Carrillo Edición Inaugural 2009. You can read Tony’s review of this cigar here. Soon after, Ernesto began producing a more readily available line called the E.P. Carrillo Short Run. Tony also reviewed that cigar here. You can also read more about the cigar company by visiting their website at www.epcarrillo.com

EPC Cigar Co.’s third entry into their growing line is their full production cigar named the E.P. Carrillo Core Line. This cigar is currently available in a variety of 6 sizes ranging from a short robusto up to a churchill. Today’s cigar is the toro size which is called the “Club 52” which refers to it’s ring gauge.

Cigar: EP Carrillo Core Line
Drink: Great Lakes Brewery Pumpkin Ale
Vitola: Club 52 (Toro 5.875 x 52)
Wrapper: Ecuadorian
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan, Dominican Republic
Price: Paid $6.00
Burn Time: 1.75 Hours

Construction:
• A nicely wrapped cigar with a light cinnamon brown colored wrapper
• The triple cap is extremely clean and blends in seamlessly
• The foot is well packed with one slightly darker spot
• There are a lot of veins on the wrapper but they are not prominent, just lightly visible. They make for a lightning strike pattern on the wrapper
• The cigar has a bit of squeeze to it but bounces back nicely, the middle of the cigar appears to be a bit softer then the foot or the head
• Cut was very clean and easy

Burn:
• Toasting was very nice and even
• Burn line started off a bit wavy but s straightening out
• After it corrected it’s wave it’s been burning razor sharp through the first couple of inches
• Past the half-way mark the burn is still going razor sharp
• The cigar went out near the end but it was likely because I was smoking it very slowly, if you draw at a normal pace I doubt this will go out on you

Smoke & Ash:
• Nice mouthful of smoke from every draw sits lightly on your tongue
• Resting smoke is lightly moderate making a nice image from a crisp line flowing into the sky, very nice
• Ash is rigid and bumpy but holding tightly together
• The almost white color of the ash looks very clean and appealing
• The resting smoke is very woodsy, not quite cedar, more just generic burning wood

Tasting Notes:
• The wrapper has an earthy aroma mixed with a light nutmeg spice
• The foot has a mild sweetness complimented by some woodsy and spicy notes
• Pre-light draw is very woodsy, almost like taking a big inhale after chopping some wood
• Initial draws are very woodsy with a smooth spicy undertone, maybe some paprika and nutmeg mixture
• Considering the spicy flavor, the retrohale is actually fairly mild with no bite and a smooth woodsy finish
• Some creaminess is joining the mix after about 2 inches
• As I approach the half-way mark the retrohale is developing a mild bite, the smooth cedar finish is still there
• The flavor has pretty much stayed the same for most of the cigar, I was surprised not to get more dimensionality
• As I approached the nub of the cigar I started getting a slight secretion that made the cigar bitter, this is likely some over-humidification on my part
• Body of the cigar was a solid mild from start to finish and smooth the whole way through
• I believe this cigar may have been over-humidified a bit which caused the build-up at the foot

Final Thoughts:
Although my tasting notes don’t seem all that spectacular this was actually a pretty good cigar. I think it’s biggest downfall was the lack of changing flavors. It wasn’t incredibly dimensional or vastly complex but it was a good smoke. The construction was excellent leaving a perfect burn line from start to finish, the price is accessible and the flavors, although straightforward, were still quite tasty. It reminded me of some Cubans where the majority of the flavor was woodsy with some hints of spice and creaminess here and there. I would recommend this cigar to pretty much any level of smoker. I think it has something to satisfy an experienced smoker and something for a new smoker to enjoy easily. I’d definitely recommend picking up a few of these and trying for yourself. I think Ernesto Perez Carrillo has another solid smoke on his hands here although his first two releases may have this one beat. I also believe some age on these sticks might allow a little more complexity to build into the cigar, I’ll definitely revisit these in a couple months to see how they’ve changed.

Pairings:
Great Lakes Brewery is one of the few craft breweries that seem to be getting their seasonal ales into the Ontario beer market. Our restrictions here are quite high and that makes a lot of other seasonals rare to see. The Pumpkin Ale was a good amber brew with a bit of spice but I was expecting a little more spices or some sort of pumpkin flavors but they seemed very light and hard to pickup on. I also enjoyed an EP Carrillo Core Line Robusto with some Tawny port and found it to be a better match. Some coffee, Scotch, dark soda or a hefty stout would also make an excellent pairing here.

The post EP Carrillo Core Line Club 52 appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff: I didn’t have a whole lot of information to start with on these sticks, so I tagged Ernesto and he provided the following information:

The cigar was made  to lead up to the core blend which will be introduced at the IPCPR.  And the plan is to come out with a Short Run version once or twice a year.

The blend is Nicaraguan and Dominican filler with a criollo binder and Sumatra Ecuadorean wrapper. The names are the Delirios 50 x 5 7/8 and Populares 50 x 4 7/8. These two are coming out at the end of this month, and the Dominantes 60x 6 1/4 in mid June. The prices range from $6.25 to $8.50.

The vitola I received was the Delirios 50 x 5 7/8. I am anxious to see how the Short Run measures up to the Edicion Inaugural Encore 2009 that I reviewed just a few weeks ago. From my understanding this will be the only production of the Short Runs until this year’s convention in August.

Prelight: The EP Carrillo Short Run is very similar in construction to the EP Carrillo Edicion Inaugural 2009 that I reviewed just a few weeks prior. The wrapper itself is much darker and sports an almost calico mix-up of dark and light brown with orangish spots throughout. The cigar itself is very firm with the a small soft spot just under the band, and a few spots around the foot of the cigar. The Short Run is then polished off with a beautifully solid, round triple capped head. I can’t pin point any flaws in the construction what so ever. The bands on the Short Run is identical to the Inaugural Edition with only the second band being slightly different, the obvious black instead of red, with the words “Short Run” embroidered in gold print. The body of the cigar gives off very slight aroma with hints of cocoa, tobacco, and spice, where as the foot smelled much more organic, lacking the spice and replacing it with tobacco and citrus. The cap clipped off nicely using my Palio double blade cutter. The cold draw produced a very bold cocoa, and bittersweet chocolate flavor with just a tad of tobacco mixed in.

First Smoke: The Short Run lit up with ease under my triple flame torch. The Short Run welcomes you with a nice little burst of pepper accompanied by sharp tobacco, sweet sugar cane undertones, and hints of spice and cocoa leaving behind a wonderful cedar aftertaste. The draw is remarkable and effortless. I am a sucker for a big draw and the Short Run doesn’t disappoint. I have had real good luck with my most recent reviews and effortless draws and the EP Carrillo just help boost that streak with its perfect draw producing massive clouds of thick brownish blue smoke. The Short Run does give off quite a bit of stationary smoke, but the scent is a bit more pleasant carrying hints of cocoa and sweet tobacco. The burnline is burning pretty steadily, and razor sharp. A few larger waves produced at the beginning of the experience have all but corrected themselves about an inch into the cigar. The ash left behind is very bulky, semi flaky, and a brighter white and light grey color.  The ash fell about and inch and a half in.

Halfway There: The first note going into the second third is the change-up in the tightness of the ash. The foot was very loose and I expected it to fall at any moment. Where as into the second third the ash of the Short Run solidified and tightened up immensely. I am assuming the weakness in the ash towards the foot was due to the softness I felt during my pre-light inspection.  The cocoa flavor I was picking up in the first third is slowly fading away and being replaced with a citrus soaked cedar flavor. It’s very interesting and produces a very pleasant mix up in the flavor of the cigar. The sweet tobacco is still there, as well as the cedar/woodsy aftertaste. The retro hale on this cigar is very smooth. So far, no harshness, and no nicotine kick. Just the way I like it. The burn line continues to be hair-thin and dead even.

Finish: One great sigh of relief as the band came off with ease. Just the right amount of glue. It’s so frustrating when you come to the last third of the cigar, only to have the wrapper demolished by a drop of misplaced glue. The pepper and spice made a bold return in the final third of the EP Carrillo Short Run replacing just about all of the front standing flavors. The backing flavors were that of sweet tobacco, cedar, and even a bit of leather at this point. It’s been a very interesting mixing of flavors and the changes kept me asking what I would run into next. There was very slight harshness built up towards the very last inch of the cigar, but nothing too bad. I loved just watching the oils burn off the wrapper of this cigar. The burn line was dead on from start to finish, and there was no need for any relighting or touch up what so ever. I felt little to no nicotine off this cigar which says a lot considering how bold I though this cigar was.

Overview: Ep Carrillo created a lot of buzz with the release of his first cigar (Edicion Inaugural Encore 2009) since the separation of General Cigar. I am pleased to say the Short Run keeps up with his latest trend, creating a rich, complex, and overall enjoyable experience. There were a plethora of flavors that I am sure I even failed to full capture. When they hit the shelves in the coming months be sure to grab them before they are gone.

Pairing: This EP Carrillo Short Run was paired with a bottle of North Coast Brewing Company’s Le Merle Saison. Le Merle is a spicy little farmhouse ale sporting an alcohol content of 7.9%. The fruity bitterness helped counter balance the smooth, sweetness of the Short Run. It was a great pairing but I think the EP Carrillo would probably be best paired with coffee, or something with more sweetness such as a port, cola, or sweet tea.

The post EP Carrillo Short Run appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.