Pre-light Experience

Aaron: The wrapper on the E.P. Carrillo Short Run Retro 2021 Short Play is light brown with some marbling and has a few raised and knotty veins present. The seams are very smooth and the caps are well applied. There are two bands, with the primary being the traditional design for the brand and the secondary band is black and gold and denotes the line. The aroma from the wrapper is a light mix of wood and earth while the foot brings a more detailed wood note along with some tobacco sweetness. The pre-light draw brings a slightly stale cedar along with a mild spiciness on my lips.
Seth: Bring back the old bands. I miss the old bands! Finished with a dark Natural and Colorado wrapper, the E.P. Carrillo Short Run Retro 2021 Short Play is smooth in hand. It is hard throughout and there are medium sized veins scattered throughout. The cigar is finished with a nice triple cap and I am picking up aromas of strong spices, leather, oak and rich earth.
John: The E.P. Carrillo Short Run Retro 2021 Short Play does not come in cellophane and has no UPC code or sticker. The cigar is double banded and has a chocolate brown wrapper. For aromas, I was smelling primarily wood from the wrapper. Out of the foot, I could smell hay and wood.
Jiunn: The E.P. Carrillo Short Run Retro 2021 Short Play has a Colorado maduro, natural leather brown shade. Veins are well pressed, seams tight, bunch and roll on the looser end and the head is well wrapped. Wrapper aromas give jasmine flowers and cedar. Foot aromas consists of cardboard and white pepper. Cold draw gives cedar, soft pastries and slight white pepper.

Team Cigar Review: E.P. Carrillo Short Run Retro 2021 Short Play

First Third

Aaron: The cigar begins with toasted cedar, black pepper and light mustiness. At a half inch in, all of the components are much more integrated. The retrohale is toasted cedar and light mustiness. At an inch in, some dry earth joins the profile. At an inch and a half, the black pepper is now pretty mild. The strength in this third was slightly below medium.
Seth: The first third has a strong start. I am getting heavy oak notes that are paired with rich earth and peppery spices. There are leather aspects as well, and the finish is a peppery barnyard finish. Medium-full in strength and body.
John: My initial flavor impressions are spices, bread and chocolate. Those spices linger long into the post draw. Some sweetness develops in the middle of the profile. As it settles, mild citrus is present at the end of each draw. As the first third progresses, chocolate picks up to medium strength.
Jiunn: The first third gives assertive dry red pepper, pastries/bread, cedar and a hint of construction paper. On the retrohale, ample roasted nuts and dry red pepper. Finish is long but mundane with lasting dry red pepper on the tongue. Strength and body is medium.

Team Cigar Review: E.P. Carrillo Short Run Retro 2021 Short Play

Second Third

Aaron: As the second third begins, the toasted cedar and dry earth are even up front with light mustiness and black pepper in the background. The overall profile is now a bit dry. The retrohale is now toasted cedar and dry earth. The third wraps up with the toasted cedar and dry earth even up front with light mustiness and black pepper in the background. The strength in this third bumped up to medium.
Seth: The second third delivers a flavor profile of damp barnyard notes with a lovely bit of peppery spice. I am picking up some cinnamon and pepper, and they are pairing wonderfully with the earth and oak notes. Leather qualities are present as well, and the cigar is smoking around the medium level for strength and body.
John: The second third gets things going with a similar profile as the first, with a lowered intensity for the baking spices, and medium intensity to the chocolate. Leather is present on the post draw almost immediately. By the bottom half, leather and earth have settled into the center of the flavor profile.
Jiunn: The second third picks up an overly roasted and charred note to the existing dry red pepper spice. The finish is also no longer mundane, as it constantly reminds me of the seeded dry red pepper spice near my throat, slightly irritating it. Strength ramps to medium-full while body maintains medium.

Team Cigar Review: E.P. Carrillo Short Run Retro 2021 Short Play

Final Third

Aaron: The final third continues with the toasted cedar and dry earth while the light mustiness and black pepper have dropped out. At a quarter inch in, the toast level picks up a fair amount and some mustiness rejoins the profile. The retrohale is now toasted cedar, dry earth and light mustiness. The cigar wraps up with heavily toasted cedar, dry earth and light mustiness. The strength in this third remained at medium.
Seth: The final third was like the second. I was picking up spice and wood notes, and it was paired with some earth and leather qualities as well. Nice pepper and cinnamon flavors. Like before, medium in strength and body.
John: The puffs in the last third bring bread, light baking spices and light chocolate. Baking spices, leather and wood make up the post draw. As the last third progresses, post draw leather moves up to medium strength.
Jiunn: The final third relives some of the charred dry red pepper spice, but there isn’t a whole lot that is keeping me engaged. It’s primarily the story of that same pepper note and cedar. Strength and body is unchanged at medium plus and medium, respectively.

Team Cigar Review: E.P. Carrillo Short Run Retro 2021 Short Play

Burn

Aaron: The burn was a bit wavy at times and the cigar went out once, requiring a re-light. The ash held on in inch and a quarter increments.
Seth: Very nice burn throughout.
John: The burn was straight throughout the review and did not require any attention or intervention.
Jiunn: The burn performance was nearly flawless. Just a minor complaint of flowery ashes falling on my lap here and there.

Team Cigar Review: E.P. Carrillo Short Run Retro 2021 Short Play

Draw

Aaron: The draw was perfect, with just the right amount of resistance that I prefer.
Seth: Nice draw from start to finish.
John: The draw has a barely perceptible amount of resistance, roughly a 1/2 notch, putting it in the ideal range for draw.
Jiunn: The draw on the other hand was perfect, striking the ideal balance of air flow and resistance.

Overall

Aaron: The flavor profile was pretty consistent throughout as it was focused around toasted cedar, dry earth, mustiness and black pepper. The mustiness and black pepper dropped out in the final third. Construction was pretty good. Overall, the E.P. Carrillo Short Run Retro 2021 Short Play was a bit too basic and I would have liked another component to break up how linear it was, maybe a little more sweetness or a fuller black pepper. The price point is very attractive, but I don’t really see it as a cigar I would be in a hurry to revisit.
Seth: This was a good cigar, and it was nice to see a blend like this from E.P. Carrillo again. I always enjoy his blends that are composed of Nicaraguan and Dominican tobacco as it tends to produce cigars with more balance and complexity. You do not get that with his other blends in my opinion. The E.P. Carrillo Short Run Retro 2021 Short Play had nice flavors of spices, earth, wood, and the overall barnyard qualities were fantastic. It started off a little bit stronger than it finished, but I like when a cigar does that. Nice construction as well. Really was great to smoke an E.P. Carrillo Short Run offering with the original bands.
John: The E.P. Carrillo Short Run Retro 2021 Short Play had some Christmas type baked goods and spices through the first and second third, maintaining my attention. The last third was still pleasant but was a step down in complexity. The burn and draw for the cigar were flawless. This cigar checks a lot of boxes for me and is available at a very reasonable price point. I’d be happy to smoke these again. Total smoking time was 1 hour and 33 minutes.
Jiunn: Overall, I had an average tasting experience to this relatively well priced cigar. The first third showed the most amount of flavors as it gave me more than the sweeping levels of cedar and dry pepper. The roasted nuttiness and pastries/breads did a great job of adding character. Unfortunately, most of the E.P. Carrillo Short Run Retro 2021 Short Play was a leave it type of mentality for me.

Aaron Loomis

SCORE

5.55

Cost/Point

$1.35

Scoring System

Seth Geise

SCORE

7.12

Cost/Point

$1.05

Scoring System

John McTavish

SCORE

6.82

Cost/Point

$1.10

Scoring System

Jiunn Liu

SCORE

6.00

Cost/Point

$1.25

Scoring System

Team Cigar Review: E.P. Carrillo Short Run Retro 2021 Short Play