E.P. Carrillo New Wave Connecticut

[danreeve]

Everyone else is doing it, so I thought I'd join the party. The cigar I smoked for today's review has been featured throughout the cigar blogosphere a lot this past month. Most of us (I am assuming) got the same 4-pack sampler (2 of this stick, 2 of the EP Carrillo Elencos) from Ernie Carrillo and quickly unwrapped them with excitement. At first glance, I was more interested in the Elencos included in the pack, but after hearing all the praise on Twitter about the Conny, I thought I'd take this stick to task first.

The EP Carrillo Short Run was in my Top Three new cigars of last year. Let's see if I think the (albeit just a few days) of hype surrounding this stick is warranted.

On to the review...

Specifics
Vitola: Brillantes (robusto)
Length: 5
Ring Gauge: 50
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua and Dominican
Price: $5.25
Smoking Location: House of Cigar
Beverage: water

Pre-Light
My sample of the E.P.C. New Wave Connecticut had a very light wrapper (expected with all Connecticuts) with medium-sized veins. To the touch, the wrapper felt very dry, but not brittle by any means. Squeezing the stick I could tell it was nicely packed and had a bit of a bounce back from the pressure applied. The pre-lit aroma was very strong and smelled of sweetness and hazelnuts. The cap clipped easily and the cold draw also had a strong flavor of hazelnut, mixed with some notes of raisin.

First Third
When I first lit my E.P.C. Conny, I immediately got a tingly zingy feeling on the top of my tongue. What shocked me was this was a very similar feeling that I experience when smoking Cuban cigars. Interesting to say the least. The flavor profile was nice also, consisting of a sweet mild spice mixed with nutty flavors on the front and finished off with a raw honey taste that lasted well over a minute between draws. The flavors were strong, which I don't normally think of when it comes to Connecticut wrapper cigars. The draw/burn was perfect and the body was in the mild to lower-medium range.

Second Third
The second third of my E.P.C. Conny was similar in flavor to the first third at the start, but changed right at about the halfway point of the stick. I still got a lot of hazelnut and sweet spice on the front, but the finish flavors became very woody and thick -- not a cedar flavor, but more a flavor of cut raw wood. Think of walking down the lumber section at a hardware store; that smell was similar to this taste. I found it to be enjoyable, even if it doesn't sound as good as the raw honey from the first third. It added a nice bit of complexity to the smoke, which is always a plus. The draw and burn were still excellent and the smoke volume seemed to pick up when I got past the halfway point. The body did not change; it stayed right in the mild to lower medium range.

Final Third and Final Thoughts
Not much new to report on in the final third of my E.P.C. Conny. The flavors kept coming with the sweet spice, hazelnuts, and wood tastes. The one thing that might have changed a little was the smoke volume. As I got closer to the nub of the cigar, the stick was really drawing huge clouds of smoke. This is a stick that you are going to want to smoke outside or in a well-ventilated room. The body stayed consistently mild and made for a really easy cigar to smoke -- one that is full of flavors and not lacking in entertainment.

My final thoughts on the E.P. Carrillo New Wave Connecticut? This cigar really shows what a Connecticut wrapper cigar can be with a solid blend filling it. I admit, I don't smoke a lot of Connecticuts because I tend to like a spicier cigar, but this one is a winner in my book. EPC keeps putting out quality cigars and this is another one to add to the list.

Would I buy it again? I will definitely be picking up more of these.

Would I buy a box? These are a great price and I would buy a box to share with my friends who like lighter cigars.

For more pictures please visit http://tinyurl.com/3ptlzrn

Dan

[SteveH]

fantastic review

[danreeve]

Originally Posted by SteveH

fantastic review

thanks man

Dan

[TBone]

Great review thanks

[BryanB]

Nice review. I really enjoyed these. And a great price point.
Posted via Mobile Device

[jechelman]

Thanks for the review. I have had a couple of Stellas (5 1/8x42) and really enjoyed them. Picked up some more today. Excellent Connie at a great price IMHO.

[HollywoodQue]

Very good review Dan

[MarkinAZ]

Excellent review of the EPC Brillante Dan. If those flavors of sweet spice, hazelnuts, and wood continue from foot to head with a hint of honey, there's nothing wrong with this vitola.

The Brillante and the EPC Elencos Don Rubino with the Habano wrapper are my next two smokes (as soon as one of my B&M' receive em').

Again, nice review Dan

[danreeve]

Thanks for reading and the kind words guys. My friend hooked me up with one of each size of these sticks and I think I'm going to do a whole line review to see how they differ. I can say this size is damn good.

Dan

[longknocker]

Great Review, Dan! I Have A 5'er Of These On The Way!

[sikk50]

Top notch review and my thoughts on them exactly

[longknocker]

Originally Posted by longknocker

Great Review, Dan! I Have A 5'er Of These On The Way!

Had One This Morning On An Empty Stomach! Strong Nicotine In That Little "Bugga"!

[MarkinAZ]

Originally Posted by longknocker

Had One This Morning On An Empty Stomach! Strong Nicotine In That Little "Bugga"!

...You should know better Greg!

[longknocker]

Originally Posted by MarkinCA

...You should know better Greg!

I Thought Conn. = "Mild" Wrong On This One! How Goes It, My Brother?

[NCRadioMan]

I've had a few different Carrillo's and they taste very generic and forgettable, to me. Much like all of the big brands. RyJ, Monte, Partagas, LGC etc.

I was expecting much more.

Great review. I need to try that cigar.

[688sonarmen]

Excellent cigar with a wide array of strong flavors

Nice review, I'll try one.

[docdoty]

I love this stick....E.P. have me one at the Houston event and I put a box on hold at the cigar shop as soon as I got back in town...just have to season my new Humidor that I'm building and ill have them at home...thanks for the review.