E.P. Carrillo Edición Limitada 2013

The same year that E.P. Carrillo debuted as a company, it released the first of what would become an annual creation until 2015. That debut year was 2009, and that first creation in the series was the E.P. Carrillo Edición Limitada Inaugural 2009, a release that was limited to 150,000 cigars packaged in boxes of 10.

In 2013, the company released the fifth addition to the series appropriately named the Edición Limitada 2013, a 6 1/8 x 54 toro gordo. Blend-wise, the cigar featured a Mexican San Andrés wrapper covering a dual binder of Nicaragua and Brazilian habano leaves along with filler tobaccos sourced from Nicaragua. This release was limited to just 30,000 total cigars, and interestingly, was the first incarnation to be packaged in boxes of 20 when it was shipped to retailers in October 2013.

There have been seven cigars in E.P. Carrillo Edición Limitada Series.

• E.P. Carrillo Edición Limitada Inaugural 2009 (5 3/8 x 52) — December 2009 — 15,000 Boxes of 10 Cigars (150,000 Total Cigars)
• E.P. Carrillo Edición Limitada 2010 (6 x 54) — November 2010 — 1,000 Boxes of 10 Cigars (10,000 Total Cigars)
• E.P. Carrillo Edición Limitada 2011 Dark Rituals (6 1/2 x 56) — October 2011 — 2,000 Boxes of 10 Cigars (20,000 Total Cigars)
• E.P. Carrillo Edición Limitada 2012 (6 1/2 x 56) — November 2012 — 1,500 Boxes of 10 Cigars (15,000 Total Cigars)
• E.P. Carrillo Edición Limitada 2013 (6 1/8 x 54) — October 2013 — 1,500 Boxes of 20 Cigars (30,000 Total Cigars)
• E.P. Carrillo 5 Year Anniversary (6 1/2 x 54) — August 2014 — 3,000 Boxes of 10 Cigars (30,000 Total Cigars)
• E.P. Carrillo Edición Limitada 2015 (6 x 54) — November 2015 — 1,500 Boxes of 10 Cigars (15,000 Total Cigars)

Here is what I said in my original review back in December 2013:

To say I was surprised at the horrible opening these cigars had would be a massive understatement. The E.P. Carrillo Edición Limitada 2013 seems to be a tale of two smokes: bitter and harsh in the beginning on all three samples I reviewed, and sweet, slightly creamy and woodsy in the final two thirds. I really enjoyed the profile of the final two thirds of each sample, but unfortunately, even after the problematic first third the newest incarnation in the Edición Limitada series lacks the nuance and complexity that I really have come to expect in most of Ernesto Perez-Carrillo Jr.’s blends. The overall construction is fine, as is the smoke production, but in the end this is not a blend that I can see myself smoking again unless the problems with the first third resolve themselves after some rest.

• Cigar Reviewed: E.P. Carrillo Edición Limitada 2013
• Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
• Factory: Tabacalera La Alianza S.A.
• Wrapper: Mexico (San Andrés)
• Binder: Brazil & Nicaragua (Habano)
• Filler: Nicaragua
• Length: 6 1/8 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 54
• Vitola: Toro Gordo
• MSRP: $15 (Boxes of 20, $300)
• Release Date: Oct. 23, 2013
• Number of Cigars Released: 1,500 Boxes of 20 Cigars (30,000 Total Cigars)
• Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 1

Visually, the E.P. Carrillo Edición Limitada 2013 is covered in a dark brown wrapper that borders on black, very smooth to the touch but virtually no oil. There are a large number of bumps running up and down its length and it is very spongy when squeezed. The aroma is strong sweet cream, cedar, earth, manure, cocoa nibs and slight pepper, while the cold draw brings flavors of strong apple strudel, leather, aged cedar, dark chocolate, espresso beans, hay and slight black pepper.

In a huge change from the first time I smoked it, the E.P. Carrillo Edición Limitada 2013 starts out with a dominant combination of toast and rich espresso on the palate. Other flavors of cedar, baker’s chocolate, cinnamon, hay, earth, bread and a touch of floral flit in and out at various points, while the retrohale is loaded with the same apple strudel sweetness from the cold draw. There is some noticeable black pepper on the retrohale as well, but it is not strong enough at any point to really affect the profile. The second half sees the profile switch a bit: the black pepper on the retrohale is long gone by the end of the second third, and the dominant flavors have morphed into more of a creamy cashew and cedar combination. While the apple strudel flavor remains noticeable on the retrohale—albeit not nearly as strong—new flavors also make themselves known, including dried tea leaves, cocoa nibs and a short-lived but distinct metallic note that comes and goes at certain times.

Construction-wise, the E.P. Carrillo Edición Limitada 2013 features an excellent draw for the entire cigar after a simple straight cut, and although the burn does need to be touched up twice—once in the first third and again in the final third—it is never close to what I could consider an issue. Smoke production is not an issue and the overall strength increases from a somewhat mild start in the first third to a solid medium by the time I put the nub down with less than an inch left after one hour and 27 minutes of smoking time.