E.P. Carrillo Short Run 2016
E.P. Carrillo Cigars released the latest in the Short Run series in April, with the 2016 version just coming in one size: a 6 x 52 toro.
While this isn’t the first year there has been a 6 x 52 in the lineup, it is the first year for the Short Run that its only being released in a single size. Also new this year is the packaging, with an updated look to the band that’s gilded affair, which is quite a deviation on the prior black, red and yellow theme.
Since it was released, the company has announced that it will be offered as a regular production size, as well as a Nicaraguan version that is a Nicaraguan puro.
- Cigar Reviewed: E.P. Carrillo Short Run 2016
- Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
- Factory: Tabacalera La Alianza S.A.
- Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
- Binder: Nicaraguan
- Filler: Nicaraguan
- Length: 6 Inches
- Ring Gauge: 52
- Vitola: Toro
- MSRP: $12 (Boxes of 10, $120)
- Release Date: April 20, 2016
- Number of Cigars Released: Regular Production
- Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3
The wrapper of the 2016 Short Run has a shiny look to it, and while it’s soft it does have a slightly rough, oily feel to it. An inch and a half around the foot has quite a bit of give, while the rest of the cigar is more firm. There is a strong aroma of hay, leather, cocoa and some nuttiness coming off the wrapper. The cold draw is bordering on decadent, with strong sweet notes of milk chocolate up front, followed by grains, a touch of light fruits and a tiny bit of pepper on the finish.
Starting into the first third, the profile lives up to my expectations from the cold draw, with pepper on my tongue, sweet spices, cinnamon, nuts and a touch of dark roast coffee. The draw is ideal, and smoke production is plentiful. There is a lazy wave to the burn line, not completely uneven, but staying fairly sharp. Dense ash holds on to around the inch mark, showing that the softness of the first inch was nothing to worry about. The pepper continues up front, with strong sweet spice following close behind. Cinnamon, nuts and coffee continue in the background, though taking a far back seat to the more dominant flavors up front.
As I move into the second third of the E.P. Carrillo Short Run 2016, the sweetness has died down slightly, leaving pepper and a more generic spice up front with coffee, nuts and a new earthy note to compliment the leading notes. The burn has gotten off track a bit, needing a minor little touch up, while the ash continues to be dense and only needing rolled off occasionally. By now the sweetness is almost completely gone, giving the whole cigar a much different taste. The earthiness has increased, pairing well with the pepper and spice. Though the coffee and nuts are still nice additions in the background, the profile seems slightly less intriguing than it was only an inch prior.
Shifting into the final third, pepper, earth, spice, coffee and nuts still persist, though for some reason has become slightly lackluster compared to what it started out as. The burn still keeps a fairly sharp edge to it, though one section has again lagged behind slightly needing another little touch up. One consistent thing throughout the entire Short Run 2016 has been the dense ash though, not flaking or falling off until I gently drop it off in my ashtray. As the cigar finishes up, there isn’t any harshness or bitterness, though I’m finding myself still pining after the sweeter profile that it began with.
Final Notes
- As mentioned above, this is the first year that the Short Run Series only featured a single size, or at least until they announced the Nicaraguan version.
- In 2014, there was a brief interlude from the normal Short Run release, where it was based on the INCH blend instead. Because of that, the sizes trended towards slightly larger ring gauges.
- Up until 2015, the Short Run featured a secondary band from the normal E.P. Carrillo band. While it was consolidated into a single band in 2015 and again for 2016, this year’s band is completely different looking. The gold theme does work well for it however, with some really nice embossing and a great overall design.
- A tweet from E.P. Carrillo in January stated that the wrapper was a Nicaraguan rosado, though the final release featured a Ecuadorian habano wrapper instead.
- Cigars for this review were purchased by halfwheel.
- Final smoking time averaged just under two hours.
- Site sponsor Cigar.com has the E.P. Carrillo Short Run 2016 in stock.
The E.P. Carrillo Short Run 2016 is an impressive looking cigar, with a beautiful wrapper and a stunning new band that definitely catches your eye. I described the cold draw as decadent, with almost dessert-like qualities. That sweet profile translated into the lit profile quite nicely, but unfortunately it started to lose its sweetness and depth around the halfway mark. While the second half of the cigar wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t as impressive as the first half, and was almost somewhat of a disappointment because that opening profile was so enjoyable. Thankfully if this intrigues you these are still available most places I’ve checked, and I certainly would go try these for yourself. If you’re experience is like mine however, you’ll be wishing that you could get just a little bit more of that sweet profile, as it was something really great.
Brian Burt
I have been smoking cigars since 2005 and reviewing them as a hobby since 2010. Initially, I started out small with a 50-count humidor and only smoking one or two cigars a month. Not knowing anybody else that smoked cigars, it was only an occasional hobby that I took part in. In March of 2010, I joined Nublive and Cigar Asylum, connecting me with many people who also shared an interest in cigars. Reading what they had to say about brands I had never heard of, I quickly immersed myself in the boutique brands of the industry and it was then that cigars transformed from a hobby into a passion.
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