At the most recent PCA trade show, E.P. Carrillo announced the creation of a new cigar line called the E.P. Carrillo Essence Series. This collection of cigars was developed with the idea of “awakening your senses,” introducing six new blends that each showcase unique wrapper styles. According to the company, consumers can expect to see these cigars from the new line being released over the next two to three years. At the aforementioned trade show, Carrillo simultaneously debuted the Maduro and the Sumatra blends to those in attendance. Following that, the E.P. Carrillo Honduras blend was released in August 2024. In the coming years, cigar consumers can expect to see the following planned blends: Connecticut, Nicaragua, and Cameroon.
The Perez-Carrillo family has long been rooted in the cigar industry. In the early 1900s, Ernesto Sr. learned about cigarmaking from his father, who rolled and sold penny cigars in the streets of Havana, Cuba. As Ernesto Sr. slowly worked his way into the tobacco world, he purchased a small factory in Havana called El Credito. During the Cuban Revolution, Ernesto Sr. was persecuted for his political beliefs. The government seized El Credito, and with fear for his family’s safety, he fled for Miami, Florida. After many years, Ernesto Sr. once again became part of the cigar industry and started a cigar factory in Little Havana, affectionately named El Credito.
His son, Ernesto Jr., worked closely with his family, learning about tobacco and cigars while developing his craft. When Ernesto Sr. passed away in 1980, the junior Ernesto took control of El Credito. In the early 1990s, Ernesto Jr. reached a level of success with the La Gloria Cubana blend, becoming a highly sought-out cigar. With that success came an increase in demand, leading to the opportunity for Swedish Match/General Cigar to purchase El Credito. Ernesto continued to work with them until March 2009. With the craft of cigarmaking in their blood, Ernesto Jr.’s children urged him to come back to the industry, to carry on the legacy. And so, the family company, E.P. Carrillo Cigars, was born, with Carrillo being joined by his children—son Ernesto III and daughter Lissette.
E.P. Carrillo Maduro Toro Breakdown
- Wrapper: Mexican San Andrés
- Binder: Honduras
- Filler: Nicaragua
- Factory: Casa Carrillo (Dominican Republic)
- Production: Regular Production
- Vitola: 6″ × 52 (Toro)
- Price: $10.00 (MSRP)
“I’m very excited of this particular blend, it’s different from anything I’ve done before in a Maduro. I encourage anyone who loves our cigars to try this one because it will also become one of your favorites.” —Ernesto Perez-Carrillo.
The E.P. Carrillo Maduro features a Mexican San Andrés wrapper with a Honduran binder and Nicaraguan fillers. All of the Essence Series cigars will be presented in three sizes: Robusto, Toro, and Gordo—arriving in 24-count boxes. The three blends released thus far—Maduro, Sumatra, and Honduras—have a similar price range of $9 to $11 MSRP. The Maduro and Sumatra blends are crafted at Casa Carrillo in the Dominican Republic, while the Honduras blend is the first to be made outside the Carrillo’s facility, crafted at a Plasencia factory in Honduras.
Appearance
The super dark, tar-like black color of the Mexican San Andrés wrapper on the E.P. Carrillo Maduro pulls you in, much like a black hole draws in light. No veins are noted, and the wrapper has a very rough feel to it. The cap of the cigar seems to have a slight taper to it, not so much that it would be considered a different shape, but it is noticeable. The cigar carries two bands: a main band and foot band. The main band has gold borders with a black background and a red stripe, highlighting the company’s logo. Below that are “CARRILLO” and “MADURO” designations. The foot band is a simple black and gold-colored label with the “EP” logo. It also features a QR code that brings you to their website.
In comparison to the other Carrillo lines, the appearance of all of the cigars in the Essence Series is similar. The key difference is the background color, which varies to help differentiate the cigars. The Sumatra has a red background, the Honduras is aqua blue, and the Maduro features black—each with words indicating the wrapper type on the last line.
The 24-count boxes are very traditional-looking wood cedar boxes. An offset label of the black, red, and gold goes down and around the box. The inside box cover has a QR code for the consumer to be linked to the E.P. Carrillo website, providing details on the company and cigar.
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Smoking Experience
Just picking up this cigar, one encounters a rough, gritty feeling—that intentional sensation of boldness that is about to be experienced in the E.P. Carrillo Maduro. The foot of the cigar has a sweet molasses aroma, which changes to a less-sweet, oaky wood smell as you move up to the cap. There is minimal flavor noted on a cold draw.
With a straight cut and toast of the cigar, the initial couple of puffs bring a bold experience right away. A rich, earthy anise-type flavor dominates the palate, along with a slight bit of grittiness. There is minimal sweetness, but rather an enjoyable bitter baker’s chocolate note that I find pleasing to the palate. The retrohale introduces a fiery black pepper aroma into the sinuses. The beginning of this cigar brings a good amount of body and flavor with some nicotine strength to it.
Moving on to the middle of the cigar, the baker’s chocolate comes to the forefront, still absent of any sweetness to the smoke. Still present is the mildly earthy taste and gritty mouthfeel. The previously noted anise taste has faded. On the retrohale, there is a black pepper flavor. Closing out, the E.P. Carrillo Maduro remains consistent, with the middle dominated by bitter baker’s chocolate and a mild earthy, gritty sensation on the back of the palate. The retrohale stays solid with black pepper spice.
As for smoke output, there is a faint light blue smoke—it’s not the smoke monster one might expect from this dark maduro wrapper. The burn line is slightly wavy, but did not require any touchups. The draw of this cigar is, in my opinion, nearly perfect, allowing just the right amount of slight resistance to bring air through. One unique feature I noticed is that the taper of the cap makes for the feel of a 48 to 50 gauge (differing from the 52 gauge found on the shaft of the cigar). Also, in measuring this cigar, there was a slight discrepancy, as it is listed as six inches, but measured only five and three-quarter inches. The ash was a dark gray color that stayed on two and a half cm at a time. I’ll also note that the smoking experience gives a very dry texture to the palate throughout.
Would I Smoke This Cigar Again?
The E.P. Carrillo Maduro is a nearly full-bodied and flavorful smoke of medium strength that definitely awakens the senses, as it was made to do. This is a well-made cigar that maintains a cool burn temperature, allowing those bold and rich flavors of bitter baker’s chocolate and gritty earth notes to come through. It starts with some sweet anise flavor, but that fades into the middle of the cigar. It hits from start to finish with flavor and strength. While the retrohale starts off as a rather spicy black pepper, it later calms to become spot-on, offering a milder take on the black pepper spice. In my opinion, the price point is perfect for what you get in the experience. More importantly, I want to smoke this cigar again; and I can’t wait to try the entire series of the Essence line.
- Currently, the E.P. Carrillo Maduro ranks on Dojoverse as “100% Smokable,” placing in the bottom 60 percent of cigars on the all-time leaderboard.
- Flavor: Medium-Full
- Strength: Medium-Plus
- Body: Medium-Full
- Gritty/earthy
- Bitter baker’s chocolate
- Anise
- Black pepper
- Smoke Time: 1 hour, 45 minutes
- Pairing Recommendation: Revolver cocktail | Root beer | Oatmeal stout
- Purchase Recommendation: 10-pack
Short Link:
- Lots of body and flavor output
- The taper of the cap brings the gauge down some from a 52 toro to a 50–48-gauge experience
- Solid price point
- Could have had a little more sweetness
- Very dry smoke/mouthfeel
- The actual length of the cigar was shorter than the listed length