EP Carrillo Short Run

Recently I came home to find a bundle of joy awaiting on my doorstep. Not the same type of bundle of joy a large bird would bring, but pretty damn close. This leads me to this week’s review. The EP Carrillo Short Run.

The Good Stuff: I didn’t have a whole lot of information to start with on these sticks, so I tagged Ernesto and he provided the following information:

The cigar was made  to lead up to the core blend which will be introduced at the IPCPR.  And the plan is to come out with a Short Run version once or twice a year.

The blend is Nicaraguan and Dominican filler with a criollo binder and Sumatra Ecuadorean wrapper. The names are the Delirios 50 x 5 7/8 and Populares 50 x 4 7/8. These two are coming out at the end of this month, and the Dominantes 60x 6 1/4 in mid June. The prices range from $6.25 to $8.50.

The vitola I received was the Delirios 50 x 5 7/8. I am anxious to see how the Short Run measures up to the Edicion Inaugural Encore 2009 that I reviewed just a few weeks ago. From my understanding this will be the only production of the Short Runs until this year’s convention in August.

Prelight: The EP Carrillo Short Run is very similar in construction to the EP Carrillo Edicion Inaugural 2009 that I reviewed just a few weeks prior. The wrapper itself is much darker and sports an almost calico mix-up of dark and light brown with orangish spots throughout. The cigar itself is very firm with the a small soft spot just under the band, and a few spots around the foot of the cigar. The Short Run is then polished off with a beautifully solid, round triple capped head. I can’t pin point any flaws in the construction what so ever. The bands on the Short Run is identical to the Inaugural Edition with only the second band being slightly different, the obvious black instead of red, with the words “Short Run” embroidered in gold print. The body of the cigar gives off very slight aroma with hints of cocoa, tobacco, and spice, where as the foot smelled much more organic, lacking the spice and replacing it with tobacco and citrus. The cap clipped off nicely using my Palio double blade cutter. The cold draw produced a very bold cocoa, and bittersweet chocolate flavor with just a tad of tobacco mixed in.

First Smoke: The Short Run lit up with ease under my triple flame torch. The Short Run welcomes you with a nice little burst of pepper accompanied by sharp tobacco, sweet sugar cane undertones, and hints of spice and cocoa leaving behind a wonderful cedar aftertaste. The draw is remarkable and effortless. I am a sucker for a big draw and the Short Run doesn’t disappoint. I have had real good luck with my most recent reviews and effortless draws and the EP Carrillo just help boost that streak with its perfect draw producing massive clouds of thick brownish blue smoke. The Short Run does give off quite a bit of stationary smoke, but the scent is a bit more pleasant carrying hints of cocoa and sweet tobacco. The burnline is burning pretty steadily, and razor sharp. A few larger waves produced at the beginning of the experience have all but corrected themselves about an inch into the cigar. The ash left behind is very bulky, semi flaky, and a brighter white and light grey color.  The ash fell about and inch and a half in.

Halfway There: The first note going into the second third is the change-up in the tightness of the ash. The foot was very loose and I expected it to fall at any moment. Where as into the second third the ash of the Short Run solidified and tightened up immensely. I am assuming the weakness in the ash towards the foot was due to the softness I felt during my pre-light inspection.  The cocoa flavor I was picking up in the first third is slowly fading away and being replaced with a citrus soaked cedar flavor. It’s very interesting and produces a very pleasant mix up in the flavor of the cigar. The sweet tobacco is still there, as well as the cedar/woodsy aftertaste. The retro hale on this cigar is very smooth. So far, no harshness, and no nicotine kick. Just the way I like it. The burn line continues to be hair-thin and dead even.

Finish: One great sigh of relief as the band came off with ease. Just the right amount of glue. It’s so frustrating when you come to the last third of the cigar, only to have the wrapper demolished by a drop of misplaced glue. The pepper and spice made a bold return in the final third of the EP Carrillo Short Run replacing just about all of the front standing flavors. The backing flavors were that of sweet tobacco, cedar, and even a bit of leather at this point. It’s been a very interesting mixing of flavors and the changes kept me asking what I would run into next. There was very slight harshness built up towards the very last inch of the cigar, but nothing too bad. I loved just watching the oils burn off the wrapper of this cigar. The burn line was dead on from start to finish, and there was no need for any relighting or touch up what so ever. I felt little to no nicotine off this cigar which says a lot considering how bold I though this cigar was.

Overview: Ep Carrillo created a lot of buzz with the release of his first cigar (Edicion Inaugural Encore 2009) since the separation of General Cigar. I am pleased to say the Short Run keeps up with his latest trend, creating a rich, complex, and overall enjoyable experience. There were a plethora of flavors that I am sure I even failed to full capture. When they hit the shelves in the coming months be sure to grab them before they are gone.

Pairing: This EP Carrillo Short Run was paired with a bottle of North Coast Brewing Company’s Le Merle Saison. Le Merle is a spicy little farmhouse ale sporting an alcohol content of 7.9%. The fruity bitterness helped counter balance the smooth, sweetness of the Short Run. It was a great pairing but I think the EP Carrillo would probably be best paired with coffee, or something with more sweetness such as a port, cola, or sweet tea.