E.P. Carrillo debuted the La Historia line at the 2014 IPCPR trade show. The La Historia is a tribute to Ernesto’s mother, and his entire family. Each vitola is named after a different family member. La Historia falls at the top of their portfolios pyramid along with the Encore as the company’s more premiere lines.
This cigar was reviewed blind (no bands) by a panel of at least 4 reviewers. They did not know what they were smoking beforehand. The scores are an average of all the reviewers' scores with outliers removed. All of our cigars reviewed are shipped to the panelists with Boveda packs to ensure optimal smoking experience.
The blend for E.P. Carrillo La Historia uses uses a Mexican San Andrés wrapper, Ecuadorian Sumatra binder, and Nicaraguan fillers. It comes in five sizes: El Senador: 5 3/8 X 52, Regalias D’ Celia Piramides: 5 7/8 X 58, Doña Elena: 6 1/8 X 50, Regalias d’Celia box-pressed 5 7/8 x 58, and E-III: 6 7/8 X 54.
Vital Stats:
Vitola: Toro Length: 6 1/8′ Ring Gauge: 50 Country of Origin: Dominican Republic Wrapper: Mexican San Andrés Binder: Ecuadorian Sumatra Filler: Nicaragua Factory: Tabacalera La Alianza S.A. Blender: E.P. Carrillo Number of reviewers: 5 – Randy B.(randobush) Joseph S.(Bearded Bastard) Lauren S.(Lauren S.) Isaac M.(The Nothing) Jake P.(Jake P.) Price: $11.30 Age: 7 Months Release Date: July 2014 Contributed by: E.P. Carrillo
Initial Impressions
Appearance: 92
“There was a slightly oiled surface to the dark wrapper, a lot of small veins, and a seamless appearance.” –Isaac M. (The Nothing)
Aroma: 90
“Old tobacco with a slightly sour aroma.” –Jake P. (Jake P.)
First Third
Blind Cigar Review: E.P. Carillo | La HIstoria Dona Elena
Flavor: 92 Strength: Medium Body/Complexity: Medium-Full
“This cigar tastes good, and rather complex from the first light. Earth, hay, leather, dark semi-sweet chocolate, and baking spice creaminess seem to be battling one another, but it works.” –Randy B. (randobush)
“Not bad, notes of wood, cocoa, and pepper” –Joseph S. (Bearded Bastard)
Second Third
Flavor: 88 Strength: Medium-Strong Body/Complexity: Medium
“White pepper came into play in the second third. It hung in the lips and tongue. I could feel the draw tightening and a bitterness forming at the head, requiring a second cut to the cigar. White pepper continued as the primary flavor with dark tobacco bringing a rich vegetal flavor.” –Isaac M. (The Nothing)
“Running on the backbone of the saltiness you got a blast of pretzels. Nut flavors rounded out the second third with mostly
Blind Cigar Review: E.P. Carillo | La HIstoria Dona Elena
Flavor: 90 Strength: Medium Body/Complexity: Medium-Full
“In the final third this cigar for me transitioned into a butterscotchy citrus flavor. The finish on the palate between puffs went from long (1st third) to medium (2nd third) to a light white pepper citrus medium finish in the final third” –Randy B. (randobush)
“The cigar is finishing with the same strong earthy flavors that have existed throughout. Strong hickory smoke with hints of mineral notes like lead. Occasionally a nice chili spice sneaks into the retrohale.” –Lauren S. (Lauren S.)
Overall Impressions
Draw: 88
“Started of very tight a seemed to loosen over time.” –Jake P. (Jake P.)
Burn: 89
“Burn was solid but not razor sharp. No touch-ups or relights were required.” –Randy B. (randobush)
Blind Cigar Review: E.P. Carillo | La HIstoria Dona Elena
Construction: 88
“The cigar’s initial appearance had me concerned. It lacked finess, however the construction was otherwise solid, and the first ash fell at 3” in.” –Randy B. (randobush)
Overall Strength: Medium Overall Body/Complexity: Medium-Full Experience Overall: 90
“This cigar really surprised me in a good way. The appearance and feel were rustic and unrefined, almost like the roller lacked experience, or the QC person let this one slip by at the factory. However, flavors, burn, draw, finish, and retrohale were very nice and made for a great smoke. The cigar burned cool down to the nub and never got bitter. ” –Randy B. (randobush)
“Wasn’t too bad of a smoke, flavors were good up to the last third where it got bitter. Purged it a few times but it tunneled and burned too hot. Nubbed it with a knife which helped cool it down a bit which helped the bitterness ease up. Not bad, but not something I’d go out of my way for.” –Joseph S. (Bearded Bastard)
“An extremely earthy and smoky cigar. If you are a fan of sticks with strong mineral and hickory style flavors this should be added to your list to try. While it’s not exactly my preferred profile I definitely appreciated the layers of mineral, smoke, and hints of spice.” –Lauren S. (Lauren S.)
“I’m eager to give the cigar another try, hopefully, the next one won’t have the draw issues that this one had. If I can find one that’s going to smoke without a fight I think this would be a great cigar. But this cigar, with the difficulties that I had, makes it not so great. It needed too much attention to keep the bitterness from building up and the draw where you want it to be. The first third though was certainly delicious and I could use some more of that.” –Isaac M. (The Nothing)
“Solid mild cigar, with nut flavor throughout the cigar. Mix in chocolate, pretzel, and salted caramel.” –Jake P. (Jake P.)
To view the complete scores and notes, click here.
Blind Cigar Review: E.P. Carillo | La HIstoria Dona Elena
Overall Score – 90 – Very Good
Blind Cigar Review: E.P. Carrillo | La Historia Dona Elena
Summary
"An extremely earthy and smoky cigar. If you are a fan a sticks with strong mineral and hickory style flavors this should be added to your list to try. While it's not exactly my preferred profile I definitely appreciated the layers of mineral, smoke, and hints of spice." -Lauren S. (Lauren S.)
