If you’re going to release a cigar called Black, it would certainly make sense to release it on a well-known day in American culture that uses the name: Black Friday.
That’s what E.P. Carrillo did with the Perez-Carrillo Encore Black, an extension to its Encore line that is billed as being stronger than that of the original Encore. To get to that profile, the blend uses a Connecticut broadleaf maduro wrapper, a Mexican San Andrés binder and fillers from Nicaragua’s Condega, Estelí and Jalapa regions. The company says puts the flavor profile in medium-to-full territory.
“This blend really puts the spotlight on the Connecticut broadleaf wrapper,” said Ernesto Perez-Carrillo Jr., the company’s founder, in a press release. “We’ve given it a lot of time – 18 months of fermentation and then three years of aging – to bring out the rich flavors and complexity that is unique to Connecticut broadleaf wrappers. We paired this wrapper with a San Andres Mexican viso binder and fillers from Estelí, Jalapa, and Condega, aiming with all of these tobaccos to complement the broadleaf’s rich flavors. It’s a sincere effort from our family to yours, hoping to share what we love doing most.”
In contrast, the original Encore is a Nicaraguan puro, with none of the tobacco varietals or regions being disclosed.
The Perez-Carrillo Encore Black is offered in a single 5 3/8 x 52 robusto vitola that is priced at $17 per cigar and $170 for a box of 10 cigars. It debuted on Black Friday 2023 at Fox Cigar Bar, which has stores in Scottsdale and Gilbert, Ariz. It then got a widespread release in March 2024. While the cigar is not a limited edition, production is limited to 5,000 boxes for 2024.
- Cigar Reviewed: Perez-Carrillo Encore Black
- Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
- Factory: Casa Carrillo
- Wrapper: U.S.A. (Connecticut Broadleaf)
- Binder: Mexico (San Andrés)
- Filler: Nicaragua (Condega, Estelí & Jalapa)
- Length: 5 3/8 Inches
- Ring Gauge: 52
- Vitola: Robusto
- MSRP: $17 (Box of 10, $170)
- Release Date: Nov. 24, 2023
- Number of Cigars Released: Regular Production
- Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3
Given that three separate bands cover the Perez-Carrillo Encore Black, I only see the top inch of the cigar, which shows a wrapper that is fairly dark, not quite black, but probably in the top 20 percent of the darkest cigars you’re likely to encounter. After removing the black paper band that covers the lower half of the cigar, I find that there is a bit of crystallization glistening on the leaf, while a bit of oiliness is more tactile than visual and softens what would be an otherwise dry-textured leaf. The leaf is fairly evenly colored but does have a bit of variation that is noticeable around its vein and seam lines. The Perez- Carrillo Encore Black gets a pretty aggressive box press, though it doesn’t have the density that I associate with box-pressed cigars, skewing a bit firmer than the pillowy front-to-back density that I commonly find on such cigars. The foot has aromas of slightly damp, sweet tobacco, an aroma that, for me, quickly leans into wheat bread. The cold draw is slightly firm and not particularly flavorful, other than the taste of bunched tobacco. One cigar does have a bit of broadleaf sweetness to it, kind of a grape jelly-on-toast sensation.
The Perez-Carrillo Encore Black starts with a pretty mellow flavor that has some earth and pepper as the base, though a funky taste sits on my tongue as part of the finish in one cigar. Retrohales are a good match for the flavor, with a bit more pronounced pepper that stands out and plants its flag in the middle of my nose. Touches of creaminess begin to develop in the flavor as the first inch burns, while the pepper in the retrohale loses some of its sharpness in favor of a more widespread tingle. One cigar produces a bit of tar and delivers enough of its flavor that has me touching the top of the cigar with my finger to see if I pick up any brown staining, and I do pick up a small amount of it, leading me to clip off a bit more of the head. A cut of mere millimeters also opens up the draw on this cigar appreciably. There’s just a bit of gruffness in the smoke as this section comes to a close, seemingly stemming from the earthiness in the profile. Flavor is medium-full, body is medium and strength is medium-minus. Construction is very good, with no issues thus far.
The second third starts with some of the gruffness but quickly lets it go, returning to what I would call a classic earth-and-pepper combination, though now with a touch of minerals in that earth. Retrohales are a touch fuller-bodied, and I pick up some creaminess here as well as in the flavor. In both spots, it is more of an accent to the flavor than a driving component, but its contribution is noticeable and welcomed. Around the midway point I get some faint touches of sweetness coming from that creaminess, though it is very mellow and minor in the profile. A retrohale dashes it away quickly as my senses get reintroduced to the core notes of the profile, while a touch of dry firewood comes along in the back half of this section, taking over for the earth as the final third approaches. Flavor is medium-full, body is medium-plus and strength is medium-minus. On the whole, construction is very good, with a smooth draw, even burn line and plenty of smoke. Two cigars do need relights, however.
There is some chalkiness at the start of the final third, as Perez-Carrillo’s words about putting the spotlight on the Connecticut broadleaf wrapper come to mind, as the spotlight has shown off seemingly all the flavor aspects of the leaf, which for me are a mix of very good and not quite so good. Creaminess returns at the start of this section, and it appears the wood has faded into a minor accent flavor, though the earthiness has not fully replaced it yet. One cigar is led by creaminess in the majority of this section, while the other two are back to the earth-and-pepper combination that has been hallmarks of the profile. The Perez-Carrillo Encore Black finishes with some of the rougher, less pleasant aspects of Connecticut broadleaf, namely a bit of chalk and mineral. The flavor in this section stays around medium-full, body is medium-plus and strength is medium. Construction is very good, though there is the need for an occasional relight across the cigars.
Final Notes
- In April 2024, E.P. Carrillo released two extensions to its Encore line for international markets, the Encore Edición Unica and the Encore Noir, which also comes dressed in black bands.
- The Encore Noir will be available in limited quantities—500 cigars—in the U.S., but only at retailer events where Jorge Fernández Maique of E.P. Carrillo is in attendance.
- I have mixed feelings about Connecticut broadleaf tobacco. Its best notes of earthiness and some sweetness are fantastic, whereas the mineral and chalk aspects are a real turn-off to my palate.
- One cigar had a bit of damage on its backside right above the band.
- Regarding relights needed, no cigar needed more than two, but each needed one.
- I didn’t get much in the way of nicotine strength from the cigar, though there is some to be found. I’ve never proclaimed to have a particularly sensitive system or one that is overly robust and nicotine-resistant, but I could see this being felt.
- The company lists these as a 5 3/8 x 52 robusto. The numbers above are the measurements we found for the three cigars used for this review.
- E.P. Carrillo advertises on Woggi.
- The cigars for this review were purchased by Woggi.
- Final smoking time was two hours and 15 minutes on average.
- Site sponsors Atlantic Cigar Co., Cigars Direct, Corona Cigar Co., and JR Cigars carry the Perez-Carrillo Encore Black.
86
Overall Score
If I can avoid it, I don’t like to know much, if anything, about the blend of a cigar or the comments made about it while I am engaged in the review process for reasons that should be pretty apparent. I’m not necessarily trying to play a guessing game about what’s in the blend, but rather not to be led in a certain direction either by my own connotations or what the company has to say about the cigar. While I wasn’t trying to guess the blend, it was pretty apparent that Connecticut broadleaf was not just in the blend, but being given plenty of opportunity to shine. It does that and does so well, though that comes with its plusses and minuses. I could do without the mineral and chalk that makes appearances, as well as the tar that appears in one cigar. But the blend delivers a well-calibrated combination of earth and pepper, and the creaminess that appears sporadically plays a fantastic supporting role. Construction is solid on the whole, certainly better than what I have experienced in recent cigars. On the whole, the Perez-Carrillo Encore Black is an impressive and satisfying cigar.