Epic Maduro Reserva

To clear up any confusion right off the bat the Epic Maduro Reserva is a completely different cigar than the Montecristo Epic. Dean Parsons has the trademark on the name Epic and he has been around since 2010. Epic is a Dominican company and from the look of their product line it appears they are very deliberate about the cigars they release as currently there is only the maduro and a corojo. I like to see companies take their time and not flood the market with cigars, kudos to Dean and the crew for taking the care in the production of the Epic. My good buddy Juan Cancel sent me a box of 5 of these gorgeous sticks and asked if I would give them a whirl. I promptly put them in storage for a few months so I could get the full experience.

These cigars come in an impressive box, even the “5er” is in a very classy and custom looking flat black box with carved spanish cedar holding each cigar in place. Very impressive presentation. The vitola I was given was a 6×54 double corona. When removing the cigar from the cello you are greeted with a very pungent hay and earth aroma. This is a very dark maduro. You might even call this an oscuro as it is nearly black. Yet with no visible seams and a oily looking tobacco it has my watering and anxious to dive in.

The Epic Maduro Reserva features a very thin Arapiraca Brazilian wrapper which reminds me very much of the CAO Brazillia (in appearance only). However unlike the CAO, this wrapper isn’t overly fragile (more on that later). Toasting and lighting reveals a very smooth and balanced buttery smoke that is extremely pleasant right off the bat. This isn’t a strong cigar, I would place the Epic at a solid medium body as well as medium strength.

This cigar burns marvelously and the ash is firm and a very dark gray. I have been told that a white ash isn’t always a good sign in a cigar and a dark ash isn’t always a bad sign in a cigar. My personal experience is that nugget of wisdom seems to ring true.

The Epic features a near perfect draw with just a slight resistance. As I work my way through this cigar I haven’t been bombarded with any complex flavors but the flavors that I am getting are extremely balanced and smooth. This cigar is a dessert stick. A slight sweetness wraps the buttery aged tobacco flavor and you can actually see the oils coming to the surface of the perfectly fermented wrapper as you smoke it. I would not recommend pairing this cigar with a whiskey or strong coffee as it might mask the subtle sweetness of the flavor from the Dominican binders and filler. Instead you might opt for a mojito or gin and tonic to give yourself a nice contrast.

Not one time did this cigar need any attention from me as it continued to burn perfectly all the way to the nub which is a testament to the manufacturer and unlike some cigars with a thin wrapper this cigar never cracked or appeared brittle. By the end of the cigar I was picking up a little bit of a chocolate covered cherry flavor which put a nice exclamation point on a very pleasant cigar.

Would I smoke this cigar again? – Yes!

I admit that I may have preferred to get a bit more complexity out of the Epic but that doesn’t mean this cigar doesn’t earn a spot in my humidor. I can see myself smoking his cigar after a meal on a night that I am not looking to crush my palette with something more powerful. Not to mention the appearance and construction of the Epic Maduro Reserva are truly a sight to behold.

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