NAME: Encore by E.P Carillo
DATE: 4-14-2021
RATE: 93
PRICE: $12.50
STRENGTH: 1 2 3 (4) 5
REVIEWER: Aaron M. Paoletta – www.lavegalounge.com
Today is a truly wonderful day. The sun is shinning, the birds are yapping. Spring is in the air, but that’s not all. I am about to try a cigar that I have been trying to track down for a while. Due to this Covid nonsense, finding certain cigars is just damn near impossible. I went out of town and found a cigar shop that just had 1 of these sticks left, so… I snatched it and after having the #1 Cigar of the Year 2020, The Pledge, I am just beyond excited to try this. Now, Brothers and Sisters of the Leaf, I present to you, The Encore by E.P Carrillo.
I know, I know, I kinda went backwards here. The Encore went #1 in 2018 and the Pledge last year but to my credit, I am only as good as the cigar shops where I live. But, enough of my excuses, on to some information.
Ernesto Perez Carrillo Jr. is a Cuban-American Cigar Manufacturer. Ernesto learned at the hand of his father and now continues as one of the most well know cigar makers in the industry. When he was young, Jazz was the only thing he cared about and moved to New York City to pursue this career. When this didn’t pan out, he went back to Miami and concentrated on cigars and thank heavens he did because he makes some fantastic sticks.
His epic creation, La Historia, went #2 in 2014. From that point, Ernesto has set out to create some of the best cigars the world would ever come to know. This cigar is one of them and it is spectacular to say the least. It has a wonderful batch of 2 years aged Nicaraguan tobaccos. The wrapper is a wonderful medium dark brown color and the band is simple yet stands out with its cream, copper and brown colors. The aroma is just heavenly. Notes of Coriander and sweet cocoa. The dry draw produces the same flavors as the aroma.
As I lite this cigar up, my day just instantly gets better. What a powerful start. Lovely notes of baking spices and there is a touch of sweetness. Halfway through the first third, some medium cocoa notes appear as well as some mild leather. As I cross into the 2nd third, there is an immediate blast of fresh Cedar that is thrown into the mix. A few puffs later there is a hint of prunes but this quickly goes away. That’s a shame, the prunes added a nice mix of flavor. As I’m now in the final third, the Leather is still at the forefront with the cedar behind it. The spices all but dissipated and there is a slight note of figs. All in all, this is a damn tasty stick and I will be purchasing a box.