Encore Black From E.P. Carrillo
E.P. Carrillo’s first Cigar of the Year was the Encore Majestic, named No. 1 cigar of 2018 by Cigar Aficionado. The company is expanding the Encore line, creating a new version with a far darker wrapper called Encore Black.
Encore Black features a dark Connecticut broadleaf maduro wrapper, and binder from Mexico’s San Andrés Valley. The filler blend is a mix of Nicaraguan tobaccos from Condega, Estelí, and Jalapa. (The original Encore is made entirely from Nicaraguan tobaccos.) In terms of strength, the cigar has been blended to be medium to full—stronger than the original Encore, which has more of a medium body. Encore Black comes in only one size, 5 3/8 inches long by 52, with a suggested retail price at $17 each. They are rolled in the Dominican Republic at Tabacalera La Alianza, and are packed in boxes of 10.
“This blend really puts the spotlight on the Connecticut broadleaf wrapper,” says cigarmaker Ernesto Perez-Carrillo, a member of the Cigar Aficionado Hall of Fame. “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.”
While the traditional Encore is produced year-round, Encore Black will be made and released sporadically. The initial release will be 2,000 boxes, or 20,000 cigars, and the company says it intends to release a total of 50,000 cigars in 2024, or 5,000 boxes. Lissette Perez-Carrillo adds that it will be “limited production, and available in upcoming years.” Shipments to retailers are expected to begin later this month.
