Today, we take a look at the Aura E.P. Carrillo Shēngxiào Tiger. This was part of a 12-cigar ultra-premium collection called the Aura E.P. Carrillo Shēngxiào. This would be E.P. Carrillo’s debut into two different spaces. First, it would be E.P. Carrillo’s entry into Chinese Zodiac-themed cigars. Second, it would be the most expensive E.P. Carrillo offering to date. The 12-cigar Aura E.P. Carrillo Shēngxiào collection has an MSRP of $1,000.00. This comes out to $83.33 per cigar, but most retailers opted to sell the collection (which came in a custom humidor) as a whole. Singapore-based Cigar Specialist International will handle the distribution of this project. As a result, most of the distribution was targeted at the Asian market. A total of 2,500 humidor units were produced, and while the majority went to the Asian market, some were allocated to the U.S. market.

The name Shēngxiào stands for Chinese Zodiac. This release is unique because while most companies have opted to do an annual release around a specific Chinese Zodiac year (i.e., Year of the Dragon), the Aura E.P. Carrillo Shēngxiào contains 12 cigars. Each of the 12 cigar blends of the Aura E.P. Carrillo Shēngxiào represents one of the animals on the Chinese Zodiac. For this assessment, we focused on the Aura E.P. Carrillo Shēngxiào Tiger – which represents the year of the Tiger. Below are the twelve animals that make up the Chinese Zodiac. We list these from the upcoming Chinese New Year – Year of the Dragon.

• Dragon
• Snake
• Horse
• Goat (Sheep)
• Monkey
• Rooster
• Dog
• Pig
• Rat
• Ox
• Tiger
• Rabbit

Each of the 12 cigars is laid out in a mahogany humidor. We will talk about the humidor in the BANDING AND PACKAGING section.

The name Aura has to do with energy, which is important to the Chinese Zodiac. According to E.P. Carrillo, the first energy one experiences is at birth, and this initial energy is represented by the Chinese Zodiac.

For now, we will turn our attention to the Aura by E.P. Carrillo Shēngxiào Tiger blend and see what this cigar brings to the table. This assessment was based on a single smoking experience.

Aura E.P. Carrillo Shēngxiào Tiger Cigar Review

SPECIFICATIONS

Blend and Origin

The Aura E.P. Carrillo Shēngxiào humidor comes with a blend book that describes the Tiger blend as follows:

A creamy, yet spicy cigar presents perfect balance and long finish. Medium-bodied exudes earth, cedar flavors, and sweet finish. Just as a tiger intimidating by first sight, but a pleasure companion to care and protect you. Don’t rush the Aura Tiger.

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra Oscuro
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican, Nicaraguan
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Factory: Tabacalera La Alianza (now Casa Carrillo)

Vitolas Offered

All 12 of the Aura E.P. Carrillo Shēngxiào blends come in a 6 1/8 x 52 Torpedo vitola. The Torpedo is not a vitola often associated with Ernesto Perez-Carrillo, but he occasionally makes some. As mentioned, the Tiger is one of 12 blends included in the boxes. Since 2,500 Aura boxes were produced, 2,500 of the Tiger cigars have been made.

Appearance

The Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper of the Shēngxiào Tiger had a roasted coffee bean color. There wasn’t much in the way of oils on this wrapper. Upon closer examination, some mottling was seen on the surface of the wrapper. There were also some thin, visible veins on the surface. Any visible wrapper seams were minimal. The torpedo tip had a moderate taper where it converged to a tip.

PERFORMANCE

Pre-Light Draw

A straight cut was used to remove the torpedo tip of the Shēngxiào Tiger. Like my experience with the other Aura Shēngxiào offerings, a little more than half of the tip was removed, so the tapering effect could still be part of the smoking experience. After removing the tip, it was on to the pre-light draw phase. The cold draw delivered notes of sweet natural tobacco or cedar. From this point, it was time to remove the ribbon of the Shēngxiào Tiger and commence the smoking phase.

Tasting Notes

The Shēngxiào Tiger opened with some classic Sumatra flavors, including wood, cedar, fruit, and herbal notes. The wood notes moved to the forefront during the early stages, while the cedar, fruit, and herbal notes settled into the background. Meanwhile, a layer of black pepper was on the retro-hale.

During the second third of the Shēngxiào Tiger, the wood notes remained firmly grounded as the primary note. In the background, the cedar, fruit, and herbal notes remained, and the cedar notes emerged as the most prominent secondary note. The black pepper notes on the retro-hale remained but started to surface on the tongue. These black pepper notes slowly increased in intensity.

The final third saw the wood notes in control. By this point, cedar and pepper were the dominant secondary notes. Some herbal notes and a slight amount of fruit notes remained, rounding out the flavor profile. As the Shēngxiào Tiger came to a close, it finished with a soft, cool nub.

Burn

I noticed that the burn of the Shēngxiào Tiger started out low maintenance, but in the second third, there was some unevenness and meandering. To remedy this, some touch-ups were required. While the touch-ups did the trick, there were more than I preferred.

Draw

The draw of the Shēngxiào Tiger had a little more resistance than I prefer. Ultimately, I had to work the Shēngxiào Tiger more than I wanted.

Strength and Body

The Shēngxiào Tiger started out with medium strength and medium-bodied flavors. The intensity levels slightly increased, but the strength and body remained in the medium range for the duration of the smoking experience. In terms of strength versus body, both attributes balanced each other nicely, with neither attribute overshadowing the other.

BANDING AND PACKAGING NOTES

Since the Shēngxiào Tiger is available in a set with other Aura Shēngxiào cigars, the packaging notes are identical to those of the Shēngxiào Dragon.

There are two bands on each Aura E.P. Carrillo Shēngxiào cigar. Each cigar shares the same primary band: a gold, brown, and bronze Aura E.P. Carrillo logo. Each cigar has a unique red and gold secondary band. On each band is a rendering of the Chinese Zodiac animal for that cigar with the text “SHĒNGXÌAO” under it. The lower part of each band has the name of the blend.

The humidor in which the 12 blends are housed is quite impressive. We will start with the outer box.

Inside the outer box, the humidor is housed in a red velvet sleeve.

Removing the velvet sleeve reveals the humidor, which has a brass Aura E.P. Carrillo logo on the cover. The outer brass ring on the cover has the animals of the Shēngxiào.

Opening the box reveals the 12 cigars. The top has a humidification unit, and the bottom houses the blend book.

The blend book contains not only the wrapper, binder, and filler information but also some context about the blend itself.

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

If you go to the final section of this assessment, you will find both written and video assessments of most of the Aura Shēngxiào. Like any multiple-blend collection, some blends are better than others. The Shēngxiào Tiger one was not one of my favorites. It was too wood/cedar/herbal-laden for my liking. I also expected better regarding the burn and draw of the cigar. While some of the Aura Shēngxiào performed like $83.00 cigars, this 87-point cigar did not. At a $12.00 cigar, I can advise one to try, but on something nearly $100 cigar I do not see myself returning to this particular one.

Summary

Key Flavors: Wood, Cedar, Herb, Fruit, Pepper
Burn: Very Good
Draw: Very Good
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Medium
Body: Medium (1st third), Medium to Full (Remainder0
Finish: Very Good

Rating

Value: Not Recommended
Score: 87

REFERENCES

News: E.P. Carrillo and Cigar Specialist International Team Up to Release Super Premium Aura E.P. Carrillo Shēngxiào
Price: $83.33 (Cigar)/$1,000.00 for Aura E.P. Carrillo Shēngxiào Unit
Source: E.P. Carrillo
Brand Reference: Aura E.P. Carrillo

OTHER REVIEWS IN THE SET

Year of the Dragon

The Smoking Syndicate Roundtable

The Smoking Syndicate Roundtable has assessed nine of the 12 cigars in the Aura E.P. Carrillo Shēngxiào. This was done in two roundtable installments. Part 1 saw the Shēngxiào Goat (Sheep), Shēngxiào Rabbit, Shēngxiào Pig, and Shēngxiào Ox.

Part 2 saw the Shēngxiào Snake, Shēngxiào Rat, Shēngxiào Monkey, and Shēngxiào Dog.

Photo Credits: Cigar Coop

Video Credit: Cigar Coop/The Smoking Syndicate