The E.P. Carrillo Inch Colorado is the latest installment in E.P. Carrillo’s Inch series. It was back in 2012 when the Inch series made its debut. The Inch is a line in the E.P. Carrillo portfolio that specializes in big ring gauge smokes. The Inch Colorado had its official launch at the 2016 IPCPR Trade Show. During the trade show, E.P. Carrillo unveiled a restructuring of its entire portfolio, and the Inch line was no exception. The Inch Colorado introduced a new blend to the line, but there were some line extensions and packaging changes made to the Inch series as a whole. Today, we take a closer look at the Inch Colorado in the No. 62 (5 x 62) format. Overall this is another fine addition to a line that does an very nice job at delivering big ring gauge smokes.

The Inch Colorado is actually the fourth blend to be released in the series. In 2012, the Inch Natural (an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapped blend) and Inch Maduro (a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapped blend) made their debut. Two years later, a third blend the Inch C-99 (an Ecuadorian Corojo wrapped blend) was introduced. However the C-99 was recently dropped, so with the addition of the Inch Colorado, the Inch line maintains three blends. As for the Inch Colorado, the wrapper is dubbed an Ecuadorian Colorado wrapper by E.P. Carrillo owner Ernesto Perez-Carrillo.

At the trade show, the three blends of the Inch series each were given unique box colors. Unique footer bands for each of the blends had been previously introduced back in 2014. These changes were all introduced to make it easier to distinguish the three blends in the Inch series.

Without further ado, let’s take a look at the E.P. Carrillo Inch Colorado No. 62 and see what this cigar brings to the table.

Blend Profile

According to E.P. Carrillo, the Ecuadorian Colorado of the Inch Colorado wrapper comes from a higher priming than the wrapper of the E.P. Carrillo Inch Natural. The Inch Colorado also incorporates Nicaraguan and Dominican tobaccos. The cigars are produced in the Dominican Republic at owner Ernesto Perez-Carrillo’s Tabacalera La Alianza factory.

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Colorado
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan, Dominican
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic (Tabacalera La Alianza)

Vitolas Available

The Inch Colorado comes in the same five sizes as the Inch Natural and Inch Maduro. This past year, the No. 58, an 8 x 58 vitola was added to the Maduro and Natural lines. Each of the sizes are packaged in 24 count boxes.

No.58: 8 x 58
No.60: 5 7/8 x 60
No.62: 5 x 62
No.64: 6 1/8 x 64
No.70: 7 x 70

Appearance

The Colorado name is definitely appropriate for the wrapper of the Inch Colorado. The No. 62 has a strong colorado red / cinnamon colored tint to it. There was some oil on the surface of the wrapper. While I found the wrapper seams to be well hidden, there were some visible veins. In fact there was a slight toothiness to the wrappers of the cigars I smoked.

The E.P. Carrillo Inch Colorado shares the same band as the other blends in the line. This features the gold / yellow colored antique ruler/tape measure design. The right side of the band has a metallic gold color. On the far right is a gold circular design that servers as a band fastener. On that circle is the text “BY E.P. CARRILLO” etched on it. To the left of the fastener is the text “INCH” also etched on it arranged in landscape mode on a gold background.

There is a secondary band. It is red with gold and yellow trim. On the red background is the text “COLORADO E.P. CARRILLO” in gold font. There are some design adornments to the left and right.

Preparation for the Cigar Experience

As I normally do, I went with a straight cut to remove the cap of the E.P. Carrillo Inch Colorado No. 62. I opted to use a cutter that is designed for large ring cigar cuts, so that made things a little easier. After removing the cap, I moved on to the pre-light draw. The dry draw had mostly woody notes, but I also detected a slight amount of baker’s spice. In addition, there was also a creamy texture to the dry draw. Overall I was quite pleased with the pre-light draw of this cigar. At this point, I was ready to light up the E.P. Carrillo Inch Colorado No. 62 and see what the smoking experience would have in store.

Flavor Profile

Out of the gate, the Inch Colorado No. 62 delivered notes of cedar and classic wood. I usually look at a cedar note as having both sweet and spice qualities. During the early stages, the sweet component of the cedar was more dominant. There was also a smooth and creamy texture to the flavor profile. While I detected a touch of black pepper on the tongue, it was more of a classic red pepper note on the retro-hale.

As the Inch Colorado No. 62 moved through the first third, the sweetness component of the cedar began to diminish and the spice component to the cedar began to increase. By the second third, the spice component of the cedar was more prominent. Meanwhile the flavor profile still maintained its smooth and creamy texture.

During the second third, the classic wood notes became more prominent. This was a result of both the creaminess and sweetness diminishing. At the same time, the spice level remained consistent.

The last third of the Inch Colorado No. 62 saw the classic wood notes remain grounded in the forefront. There still was some cedar spice and black pepper that was present. This was the way the cigar experience came to a close. The resulting nub was excellent as it was firm to the touch and cool in temperature.

Burn and Draw

In terms of the burn of the E.P. Carrillo Inch Colorado No. 62, I found it to be somewhat high maintenance with each of the samples I smoked. The burn line was jagged throughout the smoking experience and I was a little concerned this burn would get off track. The No. 62 needed frequent touch-ups and while the touch ups kept things on track, I found it needed more touch-ups than I preferred. At the same time, I did find this cigar had good combustion and the No. 62 had an ideal burn rate and ideal burn temperature. As for the ash, it had a salt and pepper color. I found this wasn’t an overly firm ash, but it wasn’t a loose one either.

Any time you get into the larger ring gauges, the draw is going to become more challenging. However in the case of the E.P. Carrillo Inch Colorado No. 62, I found it performed quite well. I found there was a touch of resistance on this cigar,’s draw but that is something I prefer. In the end, for a large ring gauge cigar, this draw was one of the better ones.

Strength and Body

For whatever reason, I found the Inch Colorado No. 62 to have less strength than the Inch Maduro and Inch Natural. While those cigars have tended to land in the medium to full strength range, I found the Inch Colorado to be more on the upper end of medium. Given the Inch Colorado has a higher priming wrapper, this did surprise me.

Body-wise, the Inch Colorado No. 62 was in-line with the Maduro and Natural as it definitely fell into the medium to full-body range. When looking at strength versus body of the No. 62, I gave the edge to the body throughout the smoking experience.

Final Thoughts

Overall I found the E.P. Carrillo Inch Colorado No. 62 to be a nice addition to the Inch line. While the burn was more high maintenance than I prefer, the Inch Colorado No. 62 still delivered good flavor. I will admit, this was a cigar where I preferred the first half of the smoking experience over the second half. In particular, I enjoyed the sweetness and creaminess this cigar that was delivered during the first half. While the second half wasn’t a bad smoke, I found the woody notes to be a little more “ordinary”. Overall, it’s still a cigar I would recommend to an experienced cigar enthusiast who enjoys a big ring gauge. As for myself, it’s one I’d still reach for again and keep five in my humidor.

Summary

Burn: Good
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Medium
Body: Medium to Full
Finish: Excellent
Assessment: 3.0-The Fiver
Score: 88

References

News: INCH by E.P. Carrillo Changes Introduced at 2016 IPCPR
Price: $8.00
Source: Cigars Provided by Manufacturer (Prior to August 8, 2016)
Stogie Geeks Podcast: Episode 201,
Stogie Feed: E.P. Carrillo INCH Colorado No. 62
Brand Reference: E.P. Carrillo

Photo Credits: Cigar Coop, except where noted.