Today, we review the E.P. Carrillo Encore Black. In 2018, E.P. Carrillo released a cigar called the E.P. Carrillo Encore. This cigar would be both a critical and commercial success for E.P. Carrillo. The Encore Majestic would be the #1 Cigar of the Year on Cigar Aficionado’s Top 25. Meanwhile, the Encore Valientes size snagged Cigar of the Year honors from Prime Time Special Edition’s Bear Duplisea. With all of the success of Encore, E.P. Carrillo has decided to expand Encore, giving it a brand within itself. One of the new offerings is the E.P. Carrillo Encore Black.

Encore is part of a pillar in the E.P. Carrillo portfolio known as Perez-Carrillo. These are some of E.P. Carrillo’s most premium offerings, and they pay homage to the heritage of Ernesto Perez-Carrillo and his family. This year, three extensions to Encore moved it from a line within the Perez-Carrillo pillar to its own brand. These are pretty much all different blends than the original Encore.

• E.P. Carrillo Encore Black: Connecticut Broadleaf Box-Pressed offering
• E.P. Carrillo Encore Noir: Ecuadorian Maduro Parejo Offering
• E.P. Carrillo Encore Edicion Unica I Solidarios: Modified Encore blend in the famed Behike 56 size. Let’s turn our attention back to the Encore Black and see what this cigar brings to the table.

E.P. Carrillo Encore Black – Cigar Review

SPECIFICATIONS

Blend and Origin

The Encore Black features a blend of tobaccos from five regions. The blend features a U.S. Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro over a San Andres Mexican binder and all Nicaraguan fillers from the Condega, Estelí, and Jalapa regions. According to E.P. Carrillo, the tobaccos undergo an extensive 18-month fermentation and are aged for a minimum of three years. The cigars are aged for six months in the aging room after rolling. Production comes from Casa Carrillo (formerly Tabacalera La Alianza) in the Dominican Republic.

Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro
Binder: San Andres Mexican
Filler: Nicaraguan (Condega, Estelí, Jalapa)
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Factory: Casa Carrillo

Vitolas Offered

Encore Black is currently offered in one size, 5 3/4 x 52, the same size as the popular E.P. Carrillo Encore Majestic. It comes in ten-count boxes and is described as a limited-production cigar. The initial release included 20,000 cigars (2,000 ten-count boxes). E.P. Carrillo has said 50,000 cigars will be released this year.

Appearance (*)

Encore Black’s Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper was a rich, roasted espresso bean in color. It had a slight amount of oil, a slight toothiness, and a significant amount of mottling. The surface of the wrapper had some thin, visible veins and thin, visible wrapper seams. The box press was more of a trunk (slightly oval) press.

PERFORMANCE

Pre-Light Draw (*)

After removing the Encore Black’s paper sleeve, it was time to remove the cap and commence the pre-light draw experience. The cold draw delivered earth, coffee, and a touch of natural tobacco sweetness. This was a satisfactory pre-light draw experience. At this point, it was time to toast up the footer of the Encore Black and see what the smoking phase had in store.

Tasting Notes

The Encore Black opened with notes of peppercorn, coffee, and earth. These were soon joined by cedar and natural tobacco. The coffee notes didn’t take long to move into the forefront. The peppercorn, earth, cedar, and natural tobacco notes settled into the background. The retro-hale imparted peppercorn notes, some red tobacco, and earth.

At the start of the second third of Encore Black, the coffee notes were still at the forefront. During the early part of the second third, the earth notes morphed into mineral notes. The mineral and cedar notes both increased in intensity. Just past the midway point, the mineral notes joined the coffee in the forefront.

During the final third, the mineral notes displaced the coffee notes as the sole primary note. The coffee settled in the background with the peppercorn, cedar, and natural tobacco. This is how the cigar experience of the Encore Black came to a close. The resulting nub was cool in temperature and slightly soft to the touch.

Burn

While the Encore Black maintained a straight burn path and burn line, the cigar required frequent ups. The touch-ups did the trick, but more were needed than I preferred. The resulting ash was mostly silver-gray in color. This wasn’t an overly firm ash, but it wasn’t loose or flaky either. As for the burn rate and burn temperature, both were ideal.

Draw

The draw of the Encore Black was open. Typically, I prefer a little more resistance to a draw. This didn’t cause any adverse effects during the smoking experience. The Encore Black also produced ample amounts of smoke during the smoking experience.

Strength and Body

The Encore Black started out as a medium-strength, medium-bodied cigar. There was a slight increase in intensity along the way, but the Encore Black stayed medium in strength and body until the end. The body maintained the edge throughout the smoking experience regarding strength versus body.

BANDING AND PACKAGING NOTES (*)

Once upon a time, E.P. Carrillo’s Achilles heel was its packaging. However, over the years, this has changed, particularly with the Perez-Carrillo cigars. The Perez-Carrillo bands are intricate and dynamic and are now among my favorites in the industry.

The Encore Black is based on the original Encore cigar, but the design is more black (as expected). The paper sleeves are a nice touch. I also liked the individual slots for the cigars inside the box.

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

I want to mention one point that did not impact the final score. While the packaging is reminiscent of the original Encore, the similarities end there. Nothing about the Encore Black blend or flavor profile connected me to the original Encore.

That being said, the Encore Black is a good cigar. At $17.00, it’s not cheap, but I enjoyed the coffee notes – especially in the first two-thirds of this cigar. The flavor profile in the first two-thirds was excellent. The final third had more of a mineral component that I didn’t like, but there were more positives than negatives here.  Ultimately, while it’s pricey if you are a Broadleaf fan, you should try this cigar. It’s a cigar I would buy and smoke again. I also hope we get other sizes of this blend down the road.

Summary

Key Flavors: Coffee, Earth, Mineral, Cedar, Natural Tobacco, Pepper (Peppercorn and Red Pepper)
Burn: Very High
Draw: Very High
Complexity: Medium Plus
Strength: Medium
Body: Medium
Finish: Very Good

Rating

Value: Buy One
Score: 89

REFERENCES

News: E.P. Carrillo Encore Black Coming This Month
Price: $17.00
Source: Purchased and E.P. Carrillo (note: The purchased cigars were used for this assessment)
Brand Reference: E.P. Carrillo

Photo Credits: Cigar Coop