Review: E.P. Carrillo Cabinet
Wrapper - Ecuadorian CorojoFiller - Nicaraguan
Upon lighting, the first sense I get is one of red pepper with a balance of honey - a nice combination. There is also a presence of coffee, but that flavor is somewhat subdued. The draw continues to be easy, while a large volume of smoke is produced.
I am smoking this as my first cigar of the day, as I want to get a fair picture of the cigar's characteristics. And so far, I would peg this as a solid medium strength and bodied cigar with a medium to full flavor profile. There is a nice complexity to this stick, as I detect several flavors being showcased at the same time. As noted from the start, there is some red pepper and honey with coffee mingled in for good measure. But as I enter the second inch, I am picking up a cedar trait, which really adds to the richness of the smoke.
The burn so far has been spot on - razor sharp with no corrections needed. The ash is very solid, with a medium grey color.
In reaching the middle portion, the pepper subsides a bit but never completely disappears, while the cedar and coffee take charge and move to the forefront with a touch of creaminess creeping in. There is still a nice complexity going on here... I'm diggin' it!
Headed down the homestretch now (as I enter the final third), I find the strength ramps up just a bit, but not dramatically so. The pepper returns, but more along the lines of a black pepper. The burn is still true, and the flavors remain smooth. Along with the return of pepper, there is another shift as the coffee flavor becomes more pronounced and the creaminess fades.
I smoke this one down to the nub, and realize that I have enjoyed the cigar throughout. In the end, I would classify this as a medium strength and bodied cigar - one with some very pleasant flavor notes and a good bit of complexity. It's not an overpowering cigar by any means, but there's plenty of 'stuff' going on to keep me interested! I'd definitely enjoy smoking more of these - especially as a first or second cigar of the day.
Very Enjoyable! I'd say 3.75 out of 5 stars!