E.P. Carrillo Short Run 2010 No. 4 (Limited Release)

Earlier this year, E.P. Carrillo made a line extension to its Core Line cigar in a Corona size called the E.P. Carrillo Core Line No. 4.  I felt the E.P. Carrillo Core Line blend worked perfectly in thiis type of vitola and it was ranked #4 for Best New Vitola in an Existing Blend for 2011.   After a positive experience with the E.P. Carrillo Core Line No. 4, I was very excited to learn that E.P. Carrillo was making a corona vitola for its Short Run 2010 blend.  It turns out that this would be a retail exclusive cigar for Federal Cigar in New Hampshire and be produced in limited quantities.  Still, I felt it was good to see a return of the Short Run 2010 blend – and this did not disappoint as this proved to be an outstanding edition to the Short Run 2010 family.

The E.P. Carrillo Short Run was an outstanding blend released last year.  It was so good, it was ranked #15 in on the Cigar Coop 2010 Cigar of the Year list.  In 2010, E.P. Carrillo launched the inaugural “Short Run”, the E.P. Carrillo Short Run 2010.  As implied by the name, “Short Run” implies limited edition – meaning the cigar is meant to be produced in a limited batch on a yearly basis.  When E.P. Carrillo launched a totally blend called appropriately, the E.P. Carrillo Short Run 2011, many thought this was the end of the line for the Short Run 2010 blend.  It then caught some of us by surprise that the Short Run 2010 blend would be making a comeback – in this limited release for Federal Cigar.

The E.P. Carrillo Short Run 2010 No. 4 joins other cigars to commemorate Federal Cigar’s 90th anniversary.  It joins other retail-exclusive anniversary cigars done for Federal Cigar such as the Tatuaje Federal Cigar 90th Anniversary 109.

The cigar is currently intended to be a one time limited release.  Let’s take a closer look this cigar.

Blend Profile

No blend changes from the original E.P. Carrillo Short Run 2010.  Here is an overview:

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan, Dominican

Vitolas Available

As mentioned, the No. 4 Corona is a retail exclusive to Federal Cigar. For completeness, I’ve included the other vitolas that were released.

No. 4: 5 1/8 x 42
Populares: 4 7/8 x 50
Delirios: 5 7/8 x 52
Dominantes: 6 1/4 x 60

Appearance

The E.P. Carrillo Short Run 2010 No. 4 features the same caramel colored Sumatra wrapper as original line did.   There are some veins throuigh the wrapper.  I felt it was closer on the smooth side and not too toothy.  The banding is identical to the original E.P. Carrillo Short Run 2010.  It contains the standard E.P. Carrillo red, yellow, black, white and gold first band bearing the E.P. Carrillo name and logo.  There is an additional band under the standard band bearing the “Short Run” name in gold letters on black background. The aroma was on the feint side – mostly cedar in scent.

Preparation for the Cigar Experience

For my E.P. Carrillo Short Run 2010 No. 4, I placed a straight cut into the cap and commenced with the pre-light draw.  The dry draw notes were very similar, but not identical to what I found when I smoked the Populares vitola of the E.P. Carrillo Short Run 2010.  On the Short Run 2010 No. 4, I detected notes of nut, butter, and berry sweetness.  At this point, it was on to fire up the Short Run 2010 No. 4 and see what this cigar would deliver.

Flavor Profile

The initial flavor notes provided a cedar spice on the tongue and some pepper through the nostrils.  The cedar spice went into the background and notes of butter and nut emerged early on.   These notes were soon joined by the raisin sweetness that was present on the original vitolas of the Short Run 2010.  The raisin, butter, nut, and cedar formed the flavor profile that was present in the first third.  All of the flavors meshed very well together with no note sticking out as the dominant one.

In the second third, the raisin diminished.  At the same time, the cedar spice started to increase in intensity and started to take on some of the pepper qualities I had detected on the nostrils. Eventually the spice wins out.  The finish is spicy, but not harsh.  The resulting nub is outstanding – cool and firm to the finish.

Burn and Draw

This is textbook E.P. Carrillo quality when it comes to the construction attributes of burn and draw.  The burn was razor sharp requiring very little in the way of touch-ups.  It produced a nice tight white ash throughout the smoking experience.  The draw is flawless as well.  As I usually say, when a draw is excellent it makes for a joyful smoking experience.

Burn of the E.P. Carrillo Short Run 2011 No 4.

Strength and Body

When I sampled the original E.P. Carrillo Short Run 2010 Populares vitola, I aassessed it as medium strength and medium to full in body.  For this No. 4 vitola, I actually think both attributes go up a notch.  The Short Run No. 4 has a little more kick to it – and I assessed it as medium to full in strength. As for body, the flavors are a little deeper – and it helps the Short Run 2010 No. 4 move into the full body range.  Good balance between the strength and body as the strength does not overpower the flavors.

Final Thoughts

If you have enjoyed the original vitolas of the E.P. Carrillo Short Run 2010, I do encourage you to try the No. 4 (while they are still available).  Even someone who tends to like a bigger ring gauge will probably appreciate what this cigar brings to the table.   Experienced cigar enthusiasts will enjoy this cigar, and novice enthusiasts might also appreciate what this cigar brings to the table.   This is a cigar I would definitely smoke again – and certainly one I’d consider getting a box of before they are gone.

Summary

Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Medium to Full
Body: Full
Finish: Excellent
Assessment: Memorable
Score: 95

Source: The cigar used for this assessment was gifted to me by a friend.