E. P. Carrillo CORE Predelictos

Wrapper: Ecuadoran Sumatra

Filler: Dominican/Nicaraguan

Size: 6.1 x 52 (pyramid)

Price:  $8.20

The E.P. Carrillo CORE Encantos (robusto) was one of my favorite cigars from the Big Smoke in Las Vegas in 2012, but somehow I never got around to reviewing it on this blog.  No matter, I picked up a 10-pack (no box) of the torpedoes in July 2013 and then smoked the first one Saturday night after my son's birthday party.  Steve Laster and I sat by the pool for a few hours performing a taste test between Auchentoshan 12 and Auchentoshan American Oak single malt expressions.  Peter Hartz joined us, but he preferred Jack Daniels Fire with no cigar.

This is a beautiful cigar with a dark, smooth wrapper.  It is medium-full in body with lots of pepper.  In terms of spiciness, it reminded me of a CAO Black, but it had a more pronounced finish and aftertaste.  In terms of flavor, it brought to mind a For de A. Allones (lean, leathery), but E. P. Carillo lacked the heavy earth taste; it was more woody. 

Hands down, this was a great cigar. 

I didn't realize it until later, but this cigar was named for its maker Ernesto Perez-Carrillo, who founded La Gloria Cubana.  After he sold LGC, he went into business for himself under the E.P. Carrillo moniker.  CORE is their base (medium) cigar line.  They also have a mild version (New Wave Connecticut), a full version (Cardinal), a sun grown line (E-Stunner), and high ring gauge line (INCH, with gauges of 60 and higher). 

Update 6/20/14:  Since last Saturday night when I constructed this review, I smoked several of these in a short span of time:  Tuesday night on on the back deck with Shaun; Wednesday while reading the first half of The Wrong Quarry by Max Allan Collins; and yet another at the drive-in watching a Jimmy Buffet concert being simulcast around the nation.  I've noticed some inconsistency in the amount of spice from cigar to cigar--usually this is medium-full body, but one cigar in particular came across as very potent and strong.  Some cigars have tooth on the wrapper, while others are very smooth.  Construction has been uniformly good.