E.P. Carrillo Platinum Bash

In September 2022, E.P. Carrillo invited consumers to help the company select a limited edition cigar for commercial release called the E.P. Carrillo Platinum Bash. That cigar would be released in celebration of Ernesto Perez-Carrillo Jr.’s 70th birthday, often referred to as the platinum birthday, which occurred on Nov. 17, 2021.

The process started with the release of the Platinum Bash Pack, which came with three cigars and was made available via E.P. Carrillo events held at cigar shops, though the company sent packs to consumers unable to attend an event provided they could prove they purchased a box of the company’s cigars. Inside each of the 2,000 packs produced were three 6 x 52 toros, which were said to be being considered for a release in 2023. No details about the blends were disclosed, and each cigar wore a colored ribbon around its foot to identify it when it came time to vote: one gold, one red, and one platinum.

After the votes were tallied, the winning cigar—the one with a platinum-colored foot ribbon—was released and shipped to stores in early May 2023. With its release came details about the blend: a Mexican wrapper, an Ecuadorian binder and fillers from the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua. Like the cigar in the event packs, it was a 6 x 52 toro, with pricing set at  $15 per cigar. It was also a very limited release, with just 500 boxes of 10 cigars produced by Tabacalera La Alianza S.A., the factory now known as Casa Carrillo after it was renamed in February 2024.

Here’s what I said about the E.P. Carrillo Platinum Bash when I reviewed it in August 2023:

While I don’t expect every cigar that I smoke to start off perfectly, I do expect that it will at least make a favorable impression on my palate. That was not the case with the E.P. Carrillo Platinum Bash, and what was most remarkable was that it was a consistent experience across the three cigars smoked for this review, leading me to wonder just what could have gone wrong as well as how widespread the problem might be. Not knowing what the blend was prior to lighting up the cigar, I was even more surprised to learn that this used a Mexican-grown wrapper, as the sensation was one I have found almost exclusively with Connectict broadleaf. Beyond that, both the draw and combustion rate presented challenges, neither of which helped the flavor let alone the enjoyment factor of the cigar. That said, I will say that the middle third of the cigar was consistently the high point of the cigar, and were I able to replicate that portion throughout the cigar and improve the combustion issues, the end result would be a rather enjoyable cigar. However, it’s one thing to evaluate a cigar I wish existed and the one that actually does, and that cigar just leaves too much improvement needed to be worth recommending.

• Cigar Reviewed: E.P. Carrillo Platinum Bash
• Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
• Factory: Tabacalera La Alianza S.A.
• Wrapper: Mexico
• Binder: Ecuador
• Filler: Dominican Republic & Nicaragua
• Length: 6 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 52
• Vitola: Toro
• MSRP: $15 (Box of 10, $150)
• Release Date: May 2023
• Number of Cigars Released: 500 Boxes of 10 Cigars (5,000 Total Cigars)
• Number of Cigars Smoked For Redux: 1

Looking at the E.P. Carrillo Platinum Bash, I’m immediately struck by the contrast of the platinum-colored bands to the dark, Mexican wrapper leaf, and yet how the black in the bands almost matches the darkest spots in that leaf. Visually the cigar looks good, well-rolled with no immediate issues around the seams or head. When I turn the cigar around, I find that the ribbon around the foot is held together by a piece of clear tape, though it was applied at an angle so that the tape is partially affixed to the cigar itself. The ribbon won’t slide off on its own, so I get to work peeling off the tape, and it comes off without issue. The wrapper leaf has a good amount of visual texture due to some mottling and a contrast in color between the leaf and its veins as well as the seam lines of the cigar. This particular cigar didn’t come in cellophane, so I’m not surprised that the leaf has a dry, fine grit texture. The cigar is rolled firmly, and while I don’t find any soft spots, but the sides feel flatter than the front and back of the cigar. The foot has a fairly non-descript aroma, mainly dry tobacco leaves and a bit of generic cereal, with no appreciable pepper or sweetness. The cold draw is smooth, with the flavor starting with an initial hit of something chocolate-based before picking up some herbal tea notes, though in a cup that has cooled to room temperature. There’s a touch of creaminess behind that, but there’s no pepper to be found here, either.

The E.P. Carrillo Platinum Bash starts in a way that is agreeable, if not immediately engaging. There’s a dryness that leads the profile and makes me imagine what a pile of dry leaves would taste like, followed by a bit of sweet earthiness and a finish of mild black pepper. I don’t know if I’ve been craving one as I seem to be tasting this in the last couple of cigars, but there’s a flavor that reminds me of a chocolate milkshake early on, not particularly strong in either the chocolate of milkshake departments, but recognizable as something you’d get at a fast-food restaurant. It takes a bit, but it evolves into a chocolate brownie before dry wood joins the profile and everything gets accented by just a touch of black pepper. Around the one-inch mark, where the ash finally drops off after building up well, it’s a rather enjoyable flavor. Thus far, retrohales have been more peppery than the flavor and steadily add touches of creaminess on the exhale, though they finish with a dry, light and peppery crispness in my nostrils. As the cigar seemingly resets a bit for its second third, the overall experience picks up an impressive complexity. When combining puffs and retrohale, the flavors become just a touch more vibrant and weave themselves together as opposed to being individual role players earlier. Pepper takes the lead in retrohales and the overall experience in the cigar when taking those retrohales, almost asking to lead the way as the flavors and aromas cascade down from it. Touches of creaminess quickly give way to dry wood, another tingle of pepper, and a light earthiness that sits lightly on my tate buds. The first half’s flavor is around medium, ticking up to medium-full with retrohales. The body of the smoke can be a touch thin but still hovers around medium, while strength is mild. Construction is very good, with each smooth-drawing puff producing ample amounts of smoke and progressing the burn line evenly up the cylinder.

Flavor continues across the midway point, and while the current ash clump is still fairly small, I elect to take the band off, popping off easily with a snap of the dried adhesive. There’s a quick hit of flamed orange peel that instantly gets my attention, fleeting as it may be, as the flavor largely holds steady with the dry earth, black pepper and dry wood, the latter of which reminds me of old fence boards as it tingles the sides of my tongue. Some creaminess begins returning to the profile, softening the more mouth-tingling aspects of the profile and giving me thoughts of chocolate souffle, though retrohales add hits of punchy black pepper that force me to reevaluate that sensation. The final third brings about a condensing of the flavors, as whatever space had existed between them a few puffs ago is gone, and my taste buds are given a much more concentrated expression that has the heaviest sensation on my tongue. The pepper dials back just a touch, as does the stimulation from the dry wood, and while I would have loved a bit more of the chocolate dessert flavor to close out the E.P. Carrillo Platinum Bash, such is not the case. That said, it is still a much more enjoyable experience than what I remember from a year ago. Flavor is medium-full, body is medium-plus and strength seems to have crept up towards medium if not medium-full, as getting up to refresh my water has me feeling some nicotine effects. The combustion and construction both remain outstanding and problem-free after two hours and 15 minutes of smoking time.