Stogie Reviews: E.P. Carrillo Edición Inaugural 2009

2 Nov 2009

In March, Ernesto Perez-Carrillo ended his nine year tenure with General Cigar. The move effectively made the Artesanos de Miami his last blend with La Gloria Cubana, the brand he built from relative obscurity to industry prominence.

E.P. Carrillo Edición Inaugural 2009 Perez-Carrillo parted ways with General to establish his own family-owned boutique. He wasted no time in that endeavor. With a factory in Santiago and a work-in-progress website, the EPC Cigar Co. was up and running in time to debut their first blend at the IPCPR Trade Show in August.

But the core lineup under the new E.P. Carrillo brand name still won’t be available until the spring. Meanwhile, Perez-Carrillo chose to craft and debut a single-vitola limited edition line made from aged tobaccos that are too rare to serve as ingredients for regular production.

The Edición Inaugural 2009, as it is called, uniquely features two binders: one Nicaraguan and one Dominican. They are wrapped in a three-year-old Ecuadorian habano leaf that won’t be available again for a few years (at which point Perez-Carrillo may include it in a future project). Only 150,000 sticks will be made, which are sold in boxes of 10 for $130.

This super-premium, measuring five and three-eighths inches with a 52 ring gauge, looks like it’s worthy of its $13 price tag. The wrapper is clean and flawless, the double bands are interesting and impressive, the cap is nearly perfect, and the pungent pre-light aroma smells of peat.

From the first few puffs, it is clear that the Edición Inaugural 2009 bears little resemblance to anything in the La Gloria Cubana lineup. It notably marks a stark contrast from the powerful and popular Serie R. The medium-bodied flavor is, to say the least, distinctive, with dry notes of potato, olive, and cork and a light aftertaste of oats and pepper. The voluminous smoke smells heartier than it tastes.

Aside from the welcome addition of a graham cracker spice, the flavor remains unchanged until the nub. Both of my samples were complemented by outstanding combustion qualities. These included a remarkably stable and firm ash, a smooth draw, and a slow, even burn.

Overall, I’m not going out on a limb when I say that this is one of Ernesto Perez-Carrillo’s finest creations. I hope the Edición Inaugural 2009 is a sign of things to come from the new EPC Cigar Co. With the only drawbacks being price and limited availability, I can confidently award this 120-minute smoke four and a half stogies out of five.