Today, we review the E.P. Carrillo 15 Year Anniversary. Casa Carrillo (the new name of E.P. Carrillo) has released this cigar to commemorate the company’s 15 years in business. It was back in 2009 when Ernesto Perez-Carrillo announced he was leaving General Cigar to form his own company. Later that fall, his new company, E.P. Carrillo, released its first cigar, the E.P. Carrillo Edicion Inaugural 2009. From that point, the company has expanded and refined its portfolio multiple times.

The 15 Year Anniversary marks the third time E.P. Carrillo has done an anniversary release. This has occurred three times, each time at a five-year anniversary interval.

• E.P. Carrillo 5 Year Anniversary (2014)
• E.P. Carrillo 10th Anniversary Set (2019 – Encore/La Historia Figurados)
• E.P. Carrillo 15 Year Anniversary

It is worth noting that the company name change from E.P. Carrillo to Casa Carrillo occurred a few months after the release of the 15 Year Anniversary.  Without further ado, let’s break down the 15 Year Anniversary and see what this cigar brings to the table.

E.P. Carrillo 15 Year Anniversary – Cigar Review

SPECIFICATIONS

Blend and Origin

15 Year Anniversary consists of a ten-year-old Mexican San Andres wrapper over a 15-year-old binder from the Jalapa region of Nicaragua. The fillers consist of a combination of eight distinct tobaccos. This includes Criollo ’98 Ligero from Estelí and Corojo ’99 Ligero from the Dominican Republic’s La Canela region. It also includes Nicaraguan Condega Viso Seco and Viso from Jalapa aged between five and seven years. Production originates from Ernesto Perez-Carrillo’s Casa Carrillo factory in the Dominican Republic.

• Wrapper: Mexican San Andres, Aged 10 Years
• Binder: Nicaraguan Jalapa, Aged 15 Years
• Filler: Including Dominican (Corojo ’99 Ligero/La Canela); Nicaraguan: Estelí (Criollo ’98), Condega (Viso Seco), Jalapa (Viso)
• Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
• Factory: Casa Carrillo

Vitolas Offered

The 15 Year Anniversary comes in one size – a 6 1/2 x 54 parejo that is called a Gran Toro, presented in 15-count boxes. Total production was 5,000 boxes (3,500 U.S. and 1,500 international).

Appearance (*)

The Mexican San Andres wrapper had a dark chocolate appearance. The wrapper was more silky than oily. Upon closer examination, some subtle mottling was visible on the surface. There were a few visible veins. Regarding any visible wrapper seams, they were minimally noticeable due to the dark color of the wrapper.

While the cigar is called a Gran Toro, it features a gentle tapering that lends it a more figurado appearance. The tapering converges to a flat bullet cap, which is essentially the classic Cuban 109-style cap.

PERFORMANCE

Pre-Light Draw (*)

The 15 Year Anniversary had a parchment sleeve along with a footer ribbon. Before starting the smoking experience, the sleeve was removed. From that point, a straight cut was used to remove the cap and a little of the tapering area. With the cap removed, it was time to commence the pre-light draw.

The pre-light draw had a mix of mocha, hay, and a slight pepper bite. Mocha is a term that I use to describe a fusion of chocolate and coffee. Overall, the pre-light draw was very good. At this point, it was time to toast up the 15 Year Anniversary and see it move into the smoking phase.

Tasting Notes

The 15 Year Anniversary opened up with mocha, dried fruit, hay, and earth. The mocha notes moved into the forefront early on. There was a slight edge to the chocolate component of the mocha early on, but by the middle of the first third, the coffee had taken the lead. The fruit, hay, and earth settled in the background and were joined by notes of black pepper and baker’s spice. Meanwhile, there was an additional layer of black pepper on the retro-hale.

By the second third of the 15 Year Anniversary, the mocha had completely morphed into a black coffee note and remained a primary note. The dried fruit, hay, earth, pepper, and baker’s spice remained secondary. During this stage, there was an increase in the pepper and dried fruit. Meanwhile, there still were notes of hay, earth, and baker’s spice.

The final third saw the pepper join the coffee note. While there still were notes of fruit, hay, earth, and baker’s spice, they were quite muddled. Ultimately, this part of the cigar proved less enjoyable than the first two-thirds. As the 15 Year Anniversary came to a close, the resulting nub was soft to the touch and cool in temperature.

Burn

The early stages of the 15 Year Anniversary had a low-maintenance burn, but things changed by the second third. The burn path tended to meander, and there was some unevenness on the actual burn line. This resulted in frequent touch-ups. While the touch-ups did the trick, there were more than I prefer.  The resulting ash was silver-gray. This wasn’t an overly firm ash, but it wasn’t loose or flaky. The burn rate and burn temperature performed at ideal levels.

Draw

The draw of the 15 Year Anniversary was open. While it wasn’t “loose”, it was more open than I prefer. Normally, I like a touch of resistance on my draw.

Strength and Body

The 15 Year Anniversary started out as a medium-strength, medium-bodied cigar, but once things reached the second half, it got bolder. Just past the midway point, the strength and body progressed to medium to full, and by the final third, both attributes were in the full range. In terms of strength versus body, both attributes balanced each other nicely, with neither attribute overshadowing the other.

BANDING AND PACKAGING NOTES (*)

I’ve said Casa Carrillo has come a long way in terms of its packaging. The 15 Year Anniversary does a grea job with the packaging.  The band combines imagery from both the E.P. Carrillo and Perez-Carrillo brands. Outside of the Essence Series and maybe another Short Run release, I wonder if this will be the last time we see the red and gold E.P. Carrillo logo. I also liked the parchment covering of the cigar from the band to the footer.

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

The 15th Anniversary started out promising, but it became ordinary in the second half and was slightly disappointing in the final third. The increase in boldness in the final third, combined with some of the flavors, resulted in a disappointing conclusion. Over the past 15 years, E.P. Carrillo has produced some excellent milestone and limited-edition cigars. Unfortunately, I could not place this one among the best. Additionally, the $20.00 price point was a bit high considering the experience delivered.  Still, if you are an E.P. Carrillo/Casa Carrillo fan or a San Andres wrapper fan, you may want to give a sample a try and see what you think.

Summary

Key Flavors: Mocha (Coffee, Chocolate), Fruit, Hay, Earth, Baker’s Spice Pepper
Burn: Good
Draw: Very Good
Complexity: Medium Plus
Strength: Medium (1st Half), Medium to Full (2nd Half of Second Third), Full (Final Third)
Body: Medium (1st Half), Medium to Full (2nd Half of Second Third), Full (Final Third)
Finish: Very Good

Rating

Value: Try a Sample
Score: 87

REFERENCES

News: E.P. Carrillo 15 Year Anniversary Cigar Announced
Price: $20.00
Source: Purchased
Brand Reference: E.P. Carrillo