Video review HERE.
(Description taken from Cigar-Coop.com website)
It’s a project that has been on the radar of E.P. Carrillo fans for nearly two years, now it's a reality. March 15th, E.P. Carrillo released the long-awaited second installment of its Family Series line, the Perez-Carrillo Encore.
Encore is a cigar that comes from company founder and Master Blender Ernesto Perez-Carrillo Jr. It’s a Nicaraguan puro that’s been aging in tercios for two full years. The Encore follows up 2014’s Perez-Carrillo La Historia. It was first showcased at the 2016 IPCPR Trade Show.
According to E.P. Carrillo, Ernesto Perez-Carrillo Jr. personally oversaw every aspect during the creation of this cigar. This includes sourcing all of the Nicaraguan tobaccos and implementing 26 quality control metrics during the aging and production process.
“I like to make blends that are not only going to activate your senses around the palate, but stimulate your senses everywhere, making it a whole body experience. With this wrapper, I believe we have delivered,” Perez-Carrillo said in a press release. “It’s always interesting when you smoke it, within every inch you will find a different complexity, and you find that it changes as you smoke. It keeps you coming back to the cigar. Some cigars you smoke and you smoke and you forget you’re smoking it, not Encore.”
“My father blends from the soul and challenges himself with every blend. The Encore’s name came from the concept of that last song at a concert, the one we all want to hear after a great performance. Being a former musician, my dad could relate to that very well,” added Lissette Perez-Carrillo, Ernesto Perez-Carrillo’s daughter and co-owner of E.P. Carrillo. “For the Encore, my father decided to honor his grandchildren, the future of this endeavor, in the names of each Encore size – El Primero, Celestial, Valientes and Majestic. The Encore’s sizes are based on a quality associated with each of his grandchildren’s names and is truly that last song we ache to hear, bringing us such joy and satisfaction.”
Blend Profile
Wrapper: Nicaraguan
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Country of Origin: Nicaragua (Tabacalera La Alianza)
Vitolas Available
The four vitolas of the Encore are presented in 10-count boxes. The sizes of the four vitolas match the sizes of the vitolas in the La Historia line.
Majestic: 5 3/8 x 52 REVIEWED TODAY
Celestrial: 6 1/8 x 50
Valientes: 6 1/8 x 52
El Primero: 6 7/8 x 54
The cigar is a medium brown and a soft box press. It almost looks oval rather than box pressed.
The test draw after cutting the cap was effortless. This may translate into a fast burning cigar. The initial flavors at light up were a dry cedar with some tangy notes, white chocolate, nutmeg, and a modest amount of black coffee at the base. There was black pepper which I rated at a 7 1/2 to 8. The cigar produced a tremendous amount of smoke.
At the first third point (1 1/2 inch; 18 minutes) there were hints of brown sugar. The other flavor notes are still in play. At the end of the draw, at the end of the white chocolate there is a sharp influx of black pepper. You really get a blast of black pepper at this point. The finish is a toasted cream with nutmeg and a modest amount of black pepper. The cigar is medium bodied leaning toward medium to full. The cigar is very sweet and tasty. For the first third I rated the cigar a 90.
At the 2/3 point (40 minutes) the massive amount of smoke continues. At this point I got much more black coffee notes. They are quite elevated and somewhat earthy in flavor. The dry cedar is sharp but not as tangy as it was previously. The white chocolate, nutmeg, and sprinklings of brown sugar are still in play. The finish is unchanged. The cigar is still medium bodied but leaning heavily toward medium to full bodied. With the elevated coffee some of the sweet notes are decreased. Due to this fact I lowered the second third score to an 89.
The Encore Majestic lasted 1 hour 3 minutes. The flavor notes stayed on track from the second third to the end. The black coffee notes continued to be elevated and slightly overshadowed the dry cedar, white chocolate, nutmeg, and brown sugar. The cigar remained very good and rose to a solid medium to full bodied. The finish was unchanged. These are available now and should be on shelves. For the final third I held the score of 89. You can purchase these cigars HERE.
Overall Score: 89
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