Cigar Info
To celebrate the milestone of 10 years for El Primer Mundo Cigars, Sean Williams introduced the El Primer Mundo | EPM 10 Year Anniversary. It was released in June of 2016 and will be available at a very select group of retailers by invitation only. The cigar features a Rosado wrapper from Nicaragua, San Vicente binder, and Ligero Criollo, Ligero Negrito, and Corojo 2006 filler. It it made at the De Los Reyes SA factory in Dominican Republic.
The EPM 10 Year is available in three vitolas. A 6×54 (MSRP $9.75) Toro, 5×50 Robusto (MSRP $8.75), and 5.5×42 Corona (MSRP $8.50). The cigar sampled for this review was the Toro vitola.
Pre-light
The cigar feels heavy for the size. I am very impressed with the look and feel. It is beautifully rolled and the seams of the wrapper leaf were well hidden. The wrapper has a very nice even color that reminds me of the caramels my Mother in Law makes every year at Christmas. A very gentle tooth and just a hint of oil sheen on the surface. The aromas at the foot are robust and pronounced, like vanilla and coffee beans. The wrapper has smells of leather and cedar. After the cut, a cold draw has a hint of pepper mixed with vanilla and peat.
First Third
After lighting, the first thing I notice about this cigar is the voluminous smoke output. The amount of smoke from each puff is what I would expect from a deeply aged and overly fermented oscuro wrapped cigar.
The flavors start out with a gentle pepper spice in the background, but the flavors in the foreground are sweet and rich. Notes of coffee and brown sugar are coupled with a creaminess that helps the profile to stay on the tongue for a long finish. The retrohale has a nice nuttiness with some mild pepper.
Second Third
As the ash holds, the second third draws me in even more. The flavor profile doesn’t shift completely, but some great nuances come along to complement the profile as it is. Sweet spices like nutmeg, allspice, and cinnamon go so nicely with the creamy notes. The texture of the smoke is only getting richer with each puff. I find myself smoking it too fast because the flavors are so good and the aroma is so pleasing to the nose.
Final Third
As the burn line approaches the band, the flavors are still keeping me interested. At this point these is a bump in strength, and if you’ve read any of my other reviews, this is a characteristic that I love in a cigar. When the strength increases in the final third it helps to amplify the flavors that are in the smoke. A subtle earthy component joins the final third and the pepper kicks up. Usually this would overpower any sweetness in a profile, but the sweet spices are still the dominant flavors. The coffee flavors from the first third come back and close out this cigar making me wish for more.
Overall
After discovering EPM cigars, I was able to try a few of the blends and I had enjoyed them. For this 10th Anniversary cigar, EPM truly took the opportunity to go up another level. It is obvious that this cigar was blended and made with great care. From the first look to the last puff, the cigar was a wonderful experience. It looks like a cigar that would easily have a $15 price tag, but looks aren’t everything. This cigar also delivers on all other categories. It puts off vast amounts of smoke, it burns evenly and cleanly, it has a complex flavor profile that evolves and makes perfect sense. In my opinion, EPM made a great mark with this cigar.
-Matthew T. (A Huge Nerd)
Author