Pre-light Experience

Aaron: The wrapper on the E.P. Carrillo Sumatra Robusto is a dark reddish-brown and carries some marbling along with the raised veins having a lighter color to them. The seams are smooth while the caps have some wrinkles and raised edges. There are two bands, with the primary being black, orange, red and gold and denoting the company and line. The foot band is black and gold and carries the company logo. The aroma from the wrapper is a light damp mix of wood and earth while the foot brings cedar and stone fruit sweetness. The pre-light draw is an airy mix of cedar and stone fruit sweetness.
Seth: The E.P. Carrillo Sumatra Robusto is not an attractive cigar. The wrapper is poor and looks painted in some ways. This is not how I remember and picture Ecuadorian Sumatra. Veins are present throughout, there are a lot of oils present. Dark Colorado coloring, it has a dark red clay quality. Somewhat firm with a rich aroma of oak, barnyard, spices and earth.
John: The E.P. Carrillo Sumatra Robusto came in cellophane and had a UPC sticker that included the cigar information and an integrated tear space to remain intact when opened. There is a primary Carrillo Sumatra band and a secondary foot band with the EP logo and a QR code. I weighed the cigar at 11.6 grams and measured the humidity at 68.4% with the HumidiMeter Pro. Aromas from the wrapper included sweet tobacco, bread, wood and mild earth. From the foot, I was getting dry wood.

E.P. Carrillo Sumatra Robusto

First Third

Aaron: The cigar begins with toasted oak, earth and some black pepper. At a quarter inch in, the black pepper and earth are now even just behind the toasted oak. The retrohale is toasted oak and earth with light amounts of black pepper and creaminess. As the third comes to a close, the toasted oak is just ahead of the earth and black pepper. The strength was right at medium.
Seth: The first third starts out with a flavor profile of damp earth and wood. There is a barnyard quality with some heavy spices and minerals. It has a long finish, and the profile lingers on the palate. Medium to medium-full in strength and body.
John: The first third gets going with sweet, nutty tobacco at light plus strength with mildly dry earth and wood teaming up on the finish. As the first third settles in, earth moves into the center of the retrohale. Mild spices mix with tobacco sweetness on the retrohale as the first third continues. Some time later, earth shifts to the end of the retrohale. By the halfway point, creamy tobacco leads the retrohale with mild bread to follow and light plus strength earth to finish.

E.P. Carrillo Sumatra Robusto

Second Third

Aaron: As the second third begins, the toast level increases a bit. At a half inch in, the black pepper has mellowed a bit. The retrohale now has the toasted oak, earth and creaminess all even with a light black pepper. At an inch in, a light creaminess joins the profile. As the third comes to a close, the toasted oak is just ahead of the earth, with the black pepper in the back half of the profile and some creaminess in the background. The strength remained at medium.
Seth: The second third is right in line with the first. Lots of damp wood and earth. Some tobacco notes with that barnyard, spice and mineral profile. Medium to medium-full in strength and body.
John: Creamy tobacco is my initial flavor impression, followed by medium strength earth and then tannic wood to finish and linger on the post draw, also at medium strength. The finish begins to fall to light plus as the cigar settles and progresses. Earth moves into the post draw as the cigar continues towards the halfway point. Nothing to remark on through the bottom half.

E.P. Carrillo Sumatra Robusto

Final Third

Aaron: As the final third begins, the black pepper and creaminess are now even in the background. The retrohale remains toasted oak, earth and creaminess all even with a light black pepper. As the cigar wraps up, the toasted oak is just ahead of the earth, with black pepper and creaminess in the background. The strength remained at medium.
Seth: The final third is a decline from the second third. Lots of muddled earth, tobacco and barnyard notes. Spices and strong mineral notes on the finish. Medium-full on the strength and body. Rough finish.
John: Creamy earth and spices combine here, with the spices lingering well into the post draw, and the earth on a bit of a delay. By the halfway point, creamy, sweet tobacco with an earthy center is how I would describe the profile, the post draw has some earth character to it with spices on a bit of a delay.

E.P. Carrillo Sumatra Robusto

Burn

Aaron: The wrapper just did not want to burn in unison and was wavy throughout and required a touch-up in each third to keep everything in line.
Seth: The construction was terrible throughout.
John: The burn had some minor waviness to the first third that developed into an uneven burn. That burn self corrected into the second third and remained slightly wavy through the rest of the review.

E.P. Carrillo Sumatra Robusto

Draw

Aaron: The draw was perfect, with just the right amount of resistance that I prefer.
Seth: The draw was poor from beginning to end.
John: The draw initially started at one notch towards the resistant spectrum which puts it in the ideal range for an amazing draw score. As the first third progressed, the draw opened up somewhat to sit between 1/2 a notch to one notch towards the resistant spectrum.

Overall

Aaron: The cigar began with toasted oak, earth and some black pepper. The second third saw some creaminess join in and the toast level increase. The final third saw the black pepper move to the background. The E.P. Carrillo Sumatra Robusto had an average flavor profile throughout. It was just focused around the toasted oak, earth and black pepper with some creaminess as a supporting note. Not much going on with this cigar, just a toasted oak and earth forward profile. Not a cigar I’d see myself coming back to.
Seth: The E.P. Carrillo Sumatra Robusto was simple and lacking. This is not the Ecuadorian Sumatra a lot of older smokers remember, and this is not a Sumatra blend like an EPC Sumatra blend from ten years ago. The cigar had a rough start, and it remained that way to the end. No complexity and the few flavors present were unrefined and mashed together. Why do we even still smoke Ecuadorian Sumatra? It’s nice that this is under $10.00.
John: The E.P. Carrillo Sumatra Robusto was a pleasant enough cigar to review, but I didn’t find any of the thirds jumping out at me for flavor combinations or complexity. The draw and burn were perfect, with the burn exhibiting some minor waviness at times. I don’t think there’s any question that the price point is attractive in 2024, where the average new cigar is pushing over $14. I think there is a long list of other E.P. Carrillo offerings I would reach for before the Sumatra. Total smoking time was 1 hour and 44 minutes.

Aaron Loomis

SCORE

5.35

Cost/Point

$1.73

Scoring System

Seth Geise

SCORE

3.88

Cost/Point

$2.38

Scoring System

John McTavish

SCORE

5.75

Cost/Point

$1.61

Scoring System

Team Cigar Review: E.P. Carrillo Sumatra Robusto