Savouring the EP Carrillo new arrival cigars

There are few things that bring as much joy as walking into the humidor at my cigar home, Pedro Portia, and discovering new cigars on the shelves. I spend so much time in the humidor, I know exactly where everything is, which is why, in a strange way, it pleases me to find that something has been moved to make way for something new. Recently, the EP Carrillos that sit on the shelf between a selection of Oliva and AJ Fernandez boxes had expanded to include about five more cigar boxes.

While my eye was immediately drawn to the latest addition to the EP Carrillo premier collection, the Endure, with its striking orange bands and box, it was recommended that I start my exploration of these new arrivals with the Essence Series, which was launched in 2024.

Currently the Essence series consists of the Sumatra, Maduro and Honduras, all crafted to be medium-bodied, and come in three sizes, namely 5 x 50 Robusto, 6 x 52 Toro and 6 x 60 Gordo. The Sumatra and Maduro are made at Casa Carrillo’s Dominican Republic Factory while the Honduras is made at one of Plasencia’s Tabacos de Oriente factory in Honduras.

EP Carrillo has stated that there will eventually be six cigars in the series, each with a different wrapper. The fourth in the line is the Connecticut, which was showcased at the 2025 PCA Convention and Trade Show in April, and comes in Robusto and Toro sizes as well as a 5 ½ x 44 Corona. It is made at the Agroindustrias Diadema factory in Honduras and is slated for shipping soon, although I am not sure when it will hit our shores.

While several EP Carrillo cigars, such as the highly rated Pledge, Encore and La Historia are box pressed, the Essence Series cigars are all round.

I decided to start with the first in the Essence Series, the Sumatra Toro, which has an Ecuador Sumatra wrapper, a double Nicaragua and Honduras binder and a filler blended from Nicaragua and Dominican Republic tobacco. A smooth, flavourful smoke, I found that the notes listed by Casa Carrillo on their site, namely almond, coffee, white pepper and raw sugar, did come through.

Next up was the Maduro, which is my preferred wrapper. It has a Mexican San Andrés wrapper, Honduran binder and Nicaraguan fillers, starting off slightly bitter on the first couple of pulls but not in a repulsive way. I got hints of cocoa, leather and wood, particularly in the first third before it settled into a smooth, bold smoke. Flavour notes are listed as coffee, dark chocolate, sugar dust and black pepper. The black pepper is strong on the back of the palate in a lovely way. The wrapper is a little rough, but not in an amateurish sense, which adds to the beauty of the cigar visually.

I have yet to smoke the Honduras, with its Honduran wrapper and binder and blended Nicaraguan and Honduran filler, said to have dark chocolate, roasted espresso, oak and earthy flavour notes, which are flavours that appeal to me.

The Connecticut is rolled with an Ecuadorean-grown, Connecticut-seed wrapper, a Honduran-grown criollo 98 leaf binder, and Honduran and Dominican Republic filler.

The simplicity of the bands is both attractive and striking. Each cigar in the series has a different colourway — orange for Sumatra, black for Maduro, blue for Honduras and white for Connecticut — which sets it apart. The name is embossed in gold.

The secondary band at the foot of the cigar has a QR code which takes you to the website showing details of each cigar, including sight, touch, taste, sound and smell. There is also a questionnaire, put together in partnership with Cigar Sense. You enter the aromas, tastes and mouth sensations that appeal to you as well as three cigars that you like, regardless of brand, and you receive a list of 10 recommendations of the best EP Carrillo cigars for you. Truly a nice touch.

I entered the AJ Fernandez Bellas Artes Maduro, Oliva Serie V Double Robusto and Plasencia Alma del Fuego Concepcion and the recommendations I was given included both the Essence Sumatra and Maduro as well as the Pledge and La Historia.

In terms of branding, experience and the smoke itself, EP Carrillo has upped the game with the Essence Series. Try it out and let me know whether you think I was spot on or not.