1 review for EP Carrillo Seleccion Oscuro Nacionales
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EP Carrillo Seleccion Oscuro Nacionales
Overall Score
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Ray
Origin : Dominican Republic
Format : Corona
Size : 5 1/2 x 44
Wrapper : Mexican San Andres
Filler : Nicaraguan
Binder : Ecuadorian
Hand-Made
Price : ~$6.50 each
The EP Carrillo Seleccion Oscuro was unveiled at the last year’s IPCPR. It is the first time the brand has ever made use of a San Andres Oscuro wrapper. You can buy it in six different sizes: Robusto Gordo, Nacionales, Small Churchill, Especial No. 6, Pirmades Royal, and Dinamicos. For this review, I tried the 5 ½ x 44 Nacionales.
Appearance : [rating:4/5]
The Mexican San Andres is a rich medium brown that leans toward the darker end of the spectrum, contrasting beautifully with the red and gold bands in the label. The veins are very fine and flat, but there is a bit of tooth giving the leaf texture under its oily sheen.
Construction : [rating:3/5]
The burn on this cigar is very even, but the draw was a bit tight for me, especially in the beginning. It loosened up a bit as I went along (not nearly as much as I had hoped), and it wasn’t bad, but I would’ve liked it to be a bit looser. It distracted me at times from the flavors and detracted enough from the overall experience that it costs this cigar a couple of points. The white, banded ash falls off after about an inch of buildup.
Flavor : [rating:3.5/5]
This cigar smells a bit spicy even before you light up, so I was quite surprised when there was next to no spice out of the gates. The initial flavors are deep and earthy with a rich sweetness that tastes like berries of some sort. Cedar rounds it out, and about an inch in, I finally start picking up some cedar and spice. The wood flavor is unique in a way that is hard to describe. It tastes like dry wood that has been out in the sun for a long time.
During the second third, the earth, wood, and pepper take front and center stage, leaving the berry sweetness behind. In the final third, earthiness is the most prominent note, though pepper and wood are still prominent. I expected the fruity sweetness to make a comeback, but it never did.
The flavors were really interesting to me, and I liked the way they evolved over the first half of the cigar, but after that things fell a little flat for me. I think the problem was that the final third was just “more of the same” from the middle third, and I kept expecting something different. It was just a bit anticlimactic.
Value : [rating:4.5/5]
You can buy the EP Carrillo Seleccion Oscuro Nacionales for around $6.50, which makes it a very low-cost purchase. I could not possibly complain about that price, even with the flaws of this cigar.
Overall Rating : [rating:3.75/5] (3.75)
Don’t get me wrong, the EP Carrillo Seleccion Oscuro is an interesting cigar with some unique flavors, and it is an enjoyable experience overall. I would have liked it even better if the draw had been a bit looser and more comfortable, and if the flavors had evolved a bit more during the second half. It was an enjoyable experience, though, and I will gladly try another to see if the draw issues were a fluke. Again, at $6.50 per stick, why not?
[sz]carrillo seleccion oscuro[/sz]
Thomas B
Nice Mexican San Andres Oscuro wrapper with a Ecuadoran binder and tasty Nicaraguan long-filler. Thanks for the review.
Rick A.
E.P.Carrillo makes good smokes and great friends.
Terry Hudson
Great cigar they are worth the price even better if you get them in a promotion.
ray k.
Excellent review.I had no issues with draw, and was happy with flavor.not a big spice guy.bottom line for me is, good smoke, great price.ray k.
Domenic
Great review. I’ve also had this cigar in the Pirmade format about a month ago. I would have to agree on all your points. However, I didn’t have an issue with free and smoke amount. For the price I think it’s a good cigar for casual smoking.