Excentrico by Elogio

At the 2012 IPCPR Trade Show, indie cigar company Elogio launched a new line called “Excentrico by Elogio”.   This blend marks the fourth line by Elogio (joining LSV, Habano, and Excepionales).   The Excentrico marks a change of pace cigar in that it is probably Elogio’s most multi-national blend to date.  The Excentrico has started making its way to Elogio authorized retailers.  I recently have had an opportunity to smoke this new release, and in my opinion this could be some of the best work by Elogio to date.

In our preview of the Excentrico, we gave some brief background on Elogio Cigars.  Elogio is the true definition of an Indie cigar company.  The cigars
are made in Nicaragua and are blended by Carlos Pereda Robaina.  If you
recognize the Robaina name – it is the same one.  Carlos is the
grandson of renowned grower and blender Alejandro Robaina.  The unique
thing about Elogio is that they are involved in the entire cigar
lifecycle – from seed to store.   As a result, their cigars are limited
in availability and only made available to select retailers.  This is
done to meet demand while delivering a high quality product.  

The company itself is run by Nabil Sabbah and his wife Rosaline.  As we mentioned in our preview, Rosaline played a key role in the development of this cigar. She (Rosaline) was looking for a cigar with a flavor profile that was
creamy with a hint of sweetness as well as complex.  Her husband Nabil
Sabbah worked with the factory to make a cigar to match this profile. 
She also played a role in the naming of this cigar.   The name stems
from the Chinese Zodiac and the dragon creature.  The dragon is the only
mythical creature of the 12 creatures of the Chinese Zodiac.  The
dragon is also known for its eccentric behavior, thus the name
Excentrico.

Let’s break down the Excentrico by Elogio and see what this cigar brings to the table:

Blend Profile

When Elogio first came on the scene, they were known for their Nicaraguan puros.  Last year, they began to introduce Ecuadorian Habano wrapper on their LSV line and for Elogio Excepionales.  The Excentrico makes use of this wrapper, however it is also the first Elogio to utilize Dominican tobacco.  This makes the Elogio a true multi-national blend – and a definitely change of pace for what the company has been doing to date.

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Habano
Filler: Nicaraguan (Esteli, Viso Ometepe, Viso Jalapa), Dominican

Vitolas Available

The Excentrico is currently available in one size – a 7 x 54 vitola with a torpedo tip and fan-tie.  The cigars are packaged ten to a box.  The initial release of the Excentrico has been limited to 200 cigars (2000 boxes).

Packaging of Excentrico by Elogio

Appearance

The Excentrico features a medium brown, almost chocolate-like wrapper.  There is somewhat an oily complexion to the wrapper.   The wrapper can be considered somewhat toothy. There are visible wrapper seams and veins present.

Two important features of the appearance of the Excentrico are the covered foot and large fan-tie on the torpedo tip.

Fan tie on the torpedo tip of the Excentrico by Elogio

Covered foot of the Excentrico by Elogio

The band is a simplistic, yet attractive one.  The band has a black background.  The text “EXCÉNTRICO” is in copper font on the front of the band.  Below that text – aligned on the right is the text “BY ELOGIO”.  On the back of the band is the text “ESTELI” in white font and “NICARAGUA” in copper font.

Preparation for the Cigar Experience 

For my cigar experience with the Excentrico, I opted to place a straight cut into the tip of the torpedo as opposed to pulling off the fan cap.  I proceeded with the pre-light draw.   Since the foot of this cigar is covered, the dry draw did not produce any deep flavors.  I still was able to pick out flavors of leather, cocoa, cedar, and cream.  Despite the fact the notes were subtle, there was enough of an appetizer here to have me interested in firing up my Excentrico.   Therefore, it was time to toast the foot and see what this cigar experience would bring to the table.

Flavor Profile

The initial draws to the Excentrico yielded a combination of sweet berry, cream, and pepper.   The pepper spice had a little more presence on the early draws of this cigar.  The pepper then dialed back and joined the berry and cream notes.  The three notes then started to move in and out of the forefront.

At the one third point, there were chocolate and floral notes in the background.  These notes were joined in the background by the berry and pepper notes.   It was also at this point where the cream notes took control as a primary flavor. 

By the middle of the smoking experience, the cream notes were still in control. The floral and pepper notes remained in the background as secondary notes   The berry notes had dissipated and the chocolate notes diminished and became a more tertiary note.

In the last third, the flavor profile became more leathery and peppery.  There was definitely a spicy component on the close of the cigar experience.  The cigar also got somewhat harsh at the very end.  The resulting nub was soft and lukewarm.

Burn and Draw

Usually I have found that torpedoes have not performed as well as
traditional parejos in the construction attributes of burn and draw.  In the case of the Excentrico, the burn and draw performed well.   The burn line remained relatively straight – requiring very few touch-ups.  The resulting ash had a couple of points where it flowered, but for the most part it was a tight ash that was white and gray in color.   The burn temperature was ideal for most of the cigar – getting a little lukewarm at the end. The burn rate was actually a little on the slow side.  This wam burn and slow rate might have contributed  to the harshness at the end.  The draw was ideal – making the Excentrico a very good cigar to puff on.

Burn of the Elogio Excentrico

Strength and Body

From a nicotine standpoint, the Excentrico is not going to overwhelm you.   It is one of those cigars that gives you just the right amount of nicotine.  I assessed the Excentrico to be a medium strength cigar.  As for the flavors, they have a lot of depth and are robust.   I assessed the Excentrico to be a full-bodied cigar.  There is no doubt that this is going to be a cigar that emphasizes flavor over strength.

Final Thoughts

Overall, this is a very good release from Elogio.  It definitely is the best cigar from a flavor standpoint.  This also delivers a complex flavor profile with a lot of transitions.  The only negative was some of the harshness I got at the end.  However, I typically am a person who not only nubs a cigar, but strives to make it a finger-burner.   The price point for this cigar is in the $15-$16 range for SRP.  While we don’t factor price into a final assessment rating or score, we do mention it to inform the consumers on this.  Overall this is a great cigar for the novice cigar enthusiast looking for a flavorful cigar without too much power.  Experienced cigar enthusiasts looking for a similar profile will be satisfied, however I probably would recommend this more toward those that seek a medium strength cigar.  From a personal standpoint, this is a cigar I look forward to smoking again.

Summary

Burn: Good
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: High
Strength: Medium
Body: Full
Finish: Fair
Assessment: Nice to Have
Score: 91

Source: The cigars for this assessment were purchased from Outland Cigars in Charlotte, North Carolina.