Pre-light Experience

The wrapper on the E.P. Carrillo Short Run 2023 Robusto is medium brown and has some lightly raised veins present. The seams are smooth and the caps well applied. The foot is cut at a bit of an angle. There are two bands, with the primary denoting the brand and the secondary denoting the line and year. The aroma from the wrapper is a mellow mix of dark earth and wood, while the foot brings musty cedar and stone fruit sweetness. The pre-light draw is an airy and mellow mix of cedar and floral notes.

First Third

The cigar begins with toasted oak and some earth. At a quarter inch in, a mild black pepper joins the profile. The retrohale is toasted oak, earth and zingy black pepper. At an inch in, the black pepper picks up a bit. As the third comes to a close, the toasted oak is a bit ahead of the earth, with the black pepper in the middle of the profile. The strength was right at medium.

Second Third

As the second third begins, the toast level becomes fairly heavy. The retrohale is now heavily toasted oak, earth and some black pepper without the zinginess. At an inch in, a bit of meatiness joins the profile. As the third comes to a close, the heavily toasted oak is just ahead of the earth, with black pepper in the middle and some meatiness a bit behind. The strength remained at medium.

Final Third

As the final third begins, a light wood bitterness appears. At a half inch in, the heavy toast transitions to a light char. The retrohale is now just heavily toasted oak and earth. As the cigar wraps up, the lightly charred oak is just ahead of the earth, with black pepper in the middle and some meatiness and wood bitterness in the background. The strength remained at medium.

Burn

The burn was perfect, with the dark grey ash holding on in one inch increments.

Draw

The draw was perfect, with just the right amount of resistance that I prefer.

Overall

The cigar began with toasted oak and some earth. Some mild black pepper joined in fairly quickly. The second third saw the toast level become pretty heavy and some meatiness joined in. The final third saw the heavy toast transition to char and some light wood bitterness joined in. The construction was absolutely perfect. The E.P. Carrillo Short Run 2023 Robusto had an average flavor profile throughout, focused around toasted oak, earth and black pepper. There were some slight transitions, but nothing that ever made the profile exciting. Interesting to smoke an EPC made by Oscar Valladares, but it’s not a cigar I’d come back to.

Aaron Loomis

SCORE

5.75

Cost/Point

$1.87

Scoring System

Personal Cigar Review: E.P. Carrillo Short Run 2023 Robusto