E.P. Carrillo Sumatra Robusto

I forget who told me about the new E.P. Carrillo Essence Series. At the time, it hadn’t been formally announced, but I was told that E.P. Carrillo was going to introduce six new lines over the next two years.

For a company that has undergone some major portfolio overhauls, this seemed more of the norm than an aberration, but six new lines is still a lot, especially considering that E.P. Carrillo’s website indicates it had only nine regular production lines prior to the Essence Series.

The Essence Series will eventually encompass six different blends, each showcasing a different wrapper. So far, just two have shipped, though E.P. Carrillo showed off all six different during the 2024 PCA Convention & Trade Show in March. The two that have shipped so far include the E.P. Carrillo Maduro, which uses a Mexican San Andrés wrapper, and the Sumatra. Both are offered in the same three sizes and price points:

• E.P. Carrillo Sumatra Robusto (5 x 50) — $9.25 (Box of 24, $222)
• E.P. Carrillo Sumatra Toro (6 x 52) — $10 (Box of 24, $240)
• E.P. Carrillo Sumatra Gordo (6 x 60) — $10.75 (Box of 24, $258)

Later this year, the E.P. Carrillo Honduras is expected to ship, while the Cameroon, Connecticut and Nicaragua will come later. All six blends will be offered in the same three vitolas.

“We intend to incorporate a series of educational materials to teach our smokers about each wrapper in this series we are calling our Essence Series, where the focus is all about the wrapper,” said Lissette Perez-Carrillo in a press release when the cigars were announced.

• Cigar Reviewed: E.P. Carrillo Sumatra Robusto
• Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
• Factory: Casa Carrillo
• Wrapper: Ecuador (Sumatra)
• Binder: Honduras & Nicaragua
• Filler: Dominican Republic & Nicaragua
• Length: 5 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 50
• Shape: Round
• MSRP: $9.25 (Box of 24, $222)
• Release Date: June 2024
• Number of Cigars Released: Regular Production
• Number of Cigars Smoked For Review:

For a line that seems targeted as an “everyday” cigar, the artwork of the bands really pops. Credit to E.P. Carrillo for making it very clear which wrapper is which: in case you can’t tell, the word “Sumatra” is printed twice on the lower part of the main band. The wrapper is a darker Sumatra varietal with lots of texture and quite a bit of visible oil. In contrast to the very well-done bands, the cigars are in rough shape. There are tons of bumps up and down the cigar, the cylindrical shape of each cigar isn’t all that consistent, the caps are quite bumpy and the second cigar looks like the main band might have been applied too tightly. The wrapper aromas from the first and third cigars are medium-full with scents of fresh mud after a rainstorm, earthiness, black pepper and leather. The second cigar is full and has an incredibly bizarre smell that reminds me of rice, though with a fair amount of extremely sharp acidity. The feet of the three cigars are similar: medium-full with chocolate—the third cigar more like dark chocolate—acidity, peaches and some earthiness. Cold draws are led by chocolate, though the secondary notes are quite a bit different. The first cigar has a sweet pancake flavor and some mild fruitiness, the second cigar has a more muted flavor with corn chips and some woods, while the third cigar has red pepper, earthiness and white pepper. Notably, the second and third cigars have a slightly open draw.

While the specific flavor notes and their intensities differ, the three E.P. Carrillo Sumatra Robustos start somewhat similar: toasted woodiness, cocoa, creaminess, white pepper and green pepper. Each cigar has some differences—for example, one cigar has a burnt wood flavor, while another has a distinct charcoal toastiness—but the flavors are in the same wheelhouse. The draw of the third cigar is noticeably tighter, though it’s still fine. Flavor-wise, the first third has a variety of fragrant sensations: hay, macadamia nuts, creaminess and some floral sweetness. Given some of my recent reviews, this profile is almost as much about what’s not present: saltiness, toastiness and sharpness. Retrohales accentuate the floral flavors and bring out some added potato chip flavors, though there’s not a huge difference. During the finish, puffs with a retrohale add a lot of creaminess to the E.P. Carrillo Sumatra Robusto’s profile, but the other flavors are familiar: woodiness, unsalted potato chips and a touch of sweetness. Flavor is medium-full, body is mild-medium and strength is mild-medium. All three cigars struggle with combustion during the first third and require at least one touch-up.

At its best, puffs of the E.P. Carrillo Sumatra Robusto can have a great, crisp flavor that has earthiness, floral sweetness and some cocoa. Unfortunately, most of the puffs are not like that. With the first and third cigars especially, the touch-ups have created a profile that increasingly has a lot of damp earthiness over much milder flavors of creaminess, cocoa and saltiness. Fortunately, the earthiness has some interesting flavors: damp mud, some terroir, and bitterness. The finish is similar, with added saltiness, toastiness and black pepper. Retrohales have some of the floral flavors over the damp, muddy earthiness, leather and white pepper. The rertrohale’s finish is the most enjoyable part of this section as there’s more balance, with floral, white pepper, earthiness and some slight creaminess. Flavor is full, body is medium-plus and strength is medium. Touch-ups are needed to help with declining smoke production. Fortunately, the flavor doesn’t seem to be getting worse because of the touch-ups.

Again, I think the second cigar is performing the best. There’s still a familiar earthy core, but it’s joined by dry creaminess, floral flavors, toastiness, and as the cigar nears the end, some herbal flavors. Contrast that with the first cigar: dry minerals, earthiness and a very dry bread leading some egg white flavor and some saltiness. The third cigar is more a carbon copy of the second third with the damp earth flavor dominating things. The third cigar has a much thicker profile than the other two, though I’d still prefer the flavor of the first cigar. The finish of the first city has a unique dry butter, but other than that, each cigar’s finish is pretty similar to the main flavor. Retrohales differ: the first cigar has nuttiness, oak and some dry creaminess, while the second cigar has floral flavors with butterscotch, creaminess and some potato chips, and the third cigar has a sweet earth flavor. Even during the toasty finish, I’m able to get the floral flavors, now joined by a great horseradish flavor. Flavor is medium-full or full, body is mild-medium and strength is medium. Smoke production on the first cigar struggles more than before, though the second and third cigars due better, albeit still not great.

Final Notes

• There’s a QR code on the back of the foot band. It takes you to this link.
• I would be curious to know what would happen if experts studied the branding here. Is it better to brand all six lines the same, or would it have been better to create more unique names, packaging and brand identity? It’s especially intriguing given the reality that it’s unlikely that all six blends will be equally successful. It seems likely that at some point, E.P. Carrillo—like just about any other company—will phase out some of the less popular versions.
• Given that the other five blends all have a place in their names, it’s strange to me that E.P. Carrillo Maduro is branded that way and not as “E.P. Carrillo Mexico.” I understand that the geographical location isn’t what’s being referenced with this blend, but Sumatra is a place.
• One of the last things I did before completing this review was to add the photographs. Upon doing so, I noticed that the cigar in the studio picture, the second picture in this review, is quite bent. That cigar wasn’t smoked for review and I have not seen it in person. Even given how rough the appearances of the other cigars were, I’m surprised to see a cigar that bent.
• Upon cutting the second cigar, a piece of the side of the cap came unraveled, though it didn’t seem to affect the smoking experience. This wasn’t an issue with the first and third cigars. That cigar was far and away the best tasting, though also the one that lost the most points for construction issues.
• Inspecting the top of the first cigar showed that the filler was much more compact in one section. This didn’t seem to matter once smoking.
• The ash of the third cigar was much flakier than the first two.

• The cigars for this review are listed at 5 x 50.
• E.P. Carrillo advertises on halfwheel.
• The cigars for this review were purchased by halfwheel.
• Final smoking time was around two hours and 15 minutes for the first two cigars, though less than two hours for the third cigar.
• Site sponsors Atlantic Cigar Co., Cigars Direct and Smokingpipes carry the E.P. Carrillo Sumatra Robusto.