EP Carrillo Black Swan

Purchased: 5-Pack Toro
Price: $29.00
Store: CigarPage.com
Buy Again: Probably
Box Worthy: I’m unsure… I need to get another 5er and forget about it for several months.
Experience Rating: 85

I wrote my first impressions of this cigar back in July and I liked it but also mentioned that it would be better with even more rest. Six weeks later, I can confirm that it is indeed better. In fact, I’ll venture to say that this cigar, unlike its brethren from Oliva and Rocky Patel, was made for extended humidor time. I have one left from the 5er I purchased and that’s going to sit for an even more extended rest.

So what has changed since then? Simply put, the cigar has opened up, revealing a bounty of flavors that I knew were there originally, but so far in the background that it was difficult to articulate them. But now that they’ve revealed themselves, this cigar is now a flavor bomb. I did not expect this at all.

Pre-light, the cigar was generally solid. There were a couple of soft spots near the middle of the cigar, but it was rolled nicely, so I didn’t think that there’d be any problems. But we’ll see once I get to that spot. The wrapper had a nice, oily sheen that gave off aromas of hay, cedar, and vanilla. The vanilla took me by surprise. As for the draw, it was perfect with just the right amount of resistance.

At light up, I got a nice hit of white pepper, malt, and cream, with a slight vegetal quality that I imagine is coming from the DR filler. There was a slight hint of red pepper spice.

As I got into the first third, that vegetal quality became a bit more predominant, but not overpowering. The Habano wrapper started flexing its muscles with a nice cayenne-like heat and a background sweetness that I imagine was coming from the CT Broadleaf binder started coming into play. Dark, bitter espresso also made its appearance.

As I get into the second third, the espresso combined with the vegetal element moves to the forefront and the Habano wrapper adds a lingering dry red pepper spice to the finish. The smoke has become creamy and thick, with a mouth coating texture. But it’s not cloying and that’s good. Ah! The vanilla I smelled on the wrapper has finally made its way to my gustatory sense. It’s faint, but it’s there. Very nice. I like that vanilla quality so much that didn’t give enough time in between puffs and the cigar got bitter. But a quick purge fixed it.

Which reminds me of something. Purging is a good thing. I don’t know how many times I almost chucked a cigar after it turned bitter and harsh but was able to save it with a purge. It’s a reminder to slow down!

The halfway point is the sweet spot! The spice hits the tip of my tongue and stays there. It’s quite lovely. I’m getting an array of flavors that range from vanilla, green bell pepper, black pepper, espresso, dark chocolate, beer malt, cream, earth, barnyard, leather, and sourdough. And suddenly, the transitions are coming fast.

In one puff, I detected a hint of ammonia. It wasn’t bad but looks like this cigar needs even more time to rest. That said, this doesn’t sully my opinion. There’s so much going on with the cigar now that that single mote wasn’t enough to bring this cigar down. But it did inform me that to really appreciate this stick will require a few months of rest.

I read a recent review of this stick and the reviewer’s reaction was tepid at best. Methinks, they didn’t let the cigar rest. Unlike the Oliva Black Swan which is much better when smoked early, EP Carrillo took the opposite tack. Katman is right. It’s nigh impossible to get the blender’s intent if you smoke a cigar early. There are exceptions to this of course, but very few.

Getting into the final third, the transitions have slowed down – a bit of a bummer – but the overall profile has settled into a nice, pleasing tone. Strength has remained medium throughout the smoke, though it’s now hitting medium+. I don’t think it’ll get stronger. At this point, I will say that this cigar is best paired with a cup of strong coffee or a sweet bourbon such as Buffalo Trace. Especially in the final third, the coffee acts as a nice foil to the vegetal element and a nice complement to the more savory and spicy notes of the smoke.

To be honest, this isn’t a complex smoke – yet. While the second third had lots of transitions, it lost its steam by the final third, which was pleasing, but not nearly as exciting as the second third. Because of this, I can’t deem it box-worthy just yet. I need to get another 5er and let them sit for a long, long time to see if the final third is affected.

At least for me, the Oliva still is the best Black Swan.