(Description taken from cigaraficionado.com website)
It’s been 15 years since veteran cigarmaker Ernesto Perez-Carrillo created a new cigar company, and to mark the occasion he and his family are poised to release the E.P. Carrillo 15 Year Anniversary Cigar, a one-size smoke made with extra-old tobaccos. One leaf in the blend is as old as the company.
The cigars measure 6 1/2 inches long by 54 ring gauge, and the size is known as a Gran Toro. It’s being limited to 5,000 boxes (3,500 for the U.S. market, 1,500 for international shops), each containing 15 cigars, and will have a suggested retail price of $20 per cigar.
The blend is a combination of tobacco from three countries. Its wrapper is 10 years old, according to E.P. Carrillo, grown in Mexico’s San Andrés Valley. The filler is from the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua, some of it several years old, but the real old-timer in the mix is the binder, a 15-year-old leaf from Nicaragua’s Jalapa region.
“This cigar represents our journey over the last 15 years,” says Ernesto Perez-Carrillo, a member of Cigar Aficionado’s Hall of Fame and the maker of two cigars to be named Cigar of the Year. “It reflects the challenges we've overcome, the progress we’ve made, and the passion we bring to every cigar we create. We wanted to craft something truly special to commemorate this milestone.”
The 15 Year Anniversary Cigar was rolled at E.P. Carrillo’s Casa Carrillo factory in the Dominican Republic.
The cigar is dark and well made. It has a nice feel in the hand.
The test draw after cutting the cap was good. The initial flavors at light up were chocolate, raisin, and black coffee. There was black pepper rated at 7 1/2 to 8. Nice notes to begin.
At the first third (29 minutes) the ash was still intact. Now there was a lot of chocolate and black coffee with a little raisin. It's a nice amount of sweetness but not enough. The raisin note needs to be more pronounced. The finish is a subtle raisin note with good lingering black pepper. The cigar is medium bodied. As it is, the cigar is nice but it needs more sweetness. I rated the first third 93.
As I moved through the second third (56 minutes) the black coffee is rising rapidly. The chocolate is now more of an unsweetened dark chocolate. There is very little sweetness. Just hints of a raisin type note. The cigar is medium bodied, leaning toward medium to full. The finish is a lot of black coffee which could be described as espresso with very good lingering black pepper. I rated the second third 91.
The cigar lasted 1 hour 23 minutes. There was a lot of black coffee and a lot of dark chocolate. The only sweetness comes from a tobacco sweetness. The cigar is medium to full bodied. The finish is black coffee with very good lingering black pepper. The cigar is a lot of dark notes with little sweetness. I expected a lot more from this cigar but it just didn't deliver. I rated the final third 86. These are available at smallbatchcigar.com but no discounts will apply. They come in 3 packs for $60.
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