A few weeks back I was sitting in Sir Stogies talking to the owner, Tim. We were hashing out the details of another Blind Tasting with a timeframe of the weekend after Cigarfest. As the days ticked away, we firmed up our plans and Tim began signing up customers to participate in the tasting.

Rather than the large group of the previous tastings, Tim and I wanted to cap it at about ten people and corral everyone into one section of the shop. The hope was that we could minimize side conversations and present the tasting in a way that was easier to follow from a viewers perspective. After editing out all of the dead air, the final result is much easier to hear and runs roughly forty minutes in length.

Ideally I wanted to wire up a few microphones to capture better audio. Unfortunately, I came down with the mother of all colds after Cigarfest and spent the days leading up to the tasting in a Nyquil daze. Being sick prevented me from ordering microphones and doing research on setting them up properly. While the audio is far better than the last tasting, it isn’t as good as I’d like it to be.

Presentation

Being that the EP Carrillo Edicion Limitada 2010 was presented without a band, or any flashy packing, for that matter, construction plays a very large roll in in the pre-light process. With nothing to draw the eye away from imperfections, they tend to stand out like a beacon. With that said, there was not a single flaw on the ten cigars handed out. They were described as well made with a dry appearance (lack of oil).

Andy:
Nice color, a bit veiny, but nicely done.

Bud:
Very fine veins throughout with a slightly rough and dry appearance. Very firm almost hard with the exception of a small soft spot near the cap.

Todd:
Smooth and slightly veiny. No imperfections

Burning Characteristics

In the burn department, some cigars were a bit temperamental while others ones burned perfectly. The most common problem seemed to be an uneven burn. These cigars tended to go right back to burning unevenly after a touch-up. There didn’t seem to be an adverse affects to these flaws aside from being visually unappealing. What seemed like a more common occurrence was a razor thin burn line with a long, solid, light colored ash.

All cigars seemed to provide an ample supply of smoke which was dense, coating the palate well. Burn rate seemed about average for a cigar of this size while resting smoke seemed a bit light in comparison.

Andy:
So far I personally like this cigar. Ash looks good too, solid. You don;t have to work to smoke it, have to see how it burns further on.

Bud:
Burn line self corrected from initial lighting. Still slightly wavy but what I would consider normal

Todd:
Slow but even burn. Ashes well. Mild aroma.

Flavor

Being sick for this tasting, I didn’t partake in a cigar. Not smoking along left me completely baffled in regards to some of the things that were said about this cigar. The most mind blowing thing being that it was boring and far too mild. In my experience with the EP Carrillo Edicion Limitada 2010, it was anything but mild. I kept thinking to myself “are you people crazy, or what?”

When I was back on my feet and in cigar smoking shape, I fired up one of the samples from the blind tasting and was blown away. It was remarkably mild and in no way comparable to what I smoked in the past. I fired off an email to EP Carrillo to get a little more information about this cigar. As it turns out, the cigars that were shipped to me for this tasting were from the first batch in 2010. It would seem that aging this cigar nueters it and kills the power that had me shying away from it in the past.

In the video, this cigar is regularly referred to as a “good morning cigar”. About half in attendance thought that it had delicate flavors that changed too frequently for their taste. Others thought the flavor was boring and one dimensional. Of the ten people participating, two people were blown away by the cigar and were eager to smoke more.

Bud:
Love the abundance of smoke it is producing and the spice in the finish. I wish the flavors were a little more pronounced, hard for me to pick up on them.

Jim:
Too many changes (regarding flavor)

Preston:
Extremely mild. Okay body. No strong flavors

Overall Opinion

As stated above, most people felt that this cigar was too mild for their taste (I still can’t believe how mellow this cigar became with age). Looking beyond the flavor, most participants felt that it was a well made product that was impressive in that regard. Taking a poll, asking “What would you feel comfortable spending on this cigar?” the most common answer was “Between $5.00 and $7.00” per stick.

Thanks to the participants:

1. Derrick
2. Todd
3. Denise
4. D. Goldstein
5. Preston
6. Andy
7. Jim
8. Christopher
9. Tim
10. Bud