EP Carrillo Cardinal Natural

Initial Thoughts

I’ve been a fan of EP Carrillo for quite some time. His New Wave Connecticut series was fantastic. He’s also responsible for delivering incredible blends for the Four Kicks and the Headley Grange. When I heard there was a new release from EPC on the market I went searching for it immediately. I asked around to all my local shops to see when they were getting it in. Finally, I dropped in one day and there they were. Sitting on the end cap in all their glory. I picked up the Natural and the Maduro. I wanted to smoke them very close together and see what the differences were. Let’s get into the review I know you’re all very eager!

Looks

I love the classic look of this EP Carrillo Cardinal Natural. It has his classic branding on the band. The swirling gold EP, and just below the bold font face spelling Carrillo. The packaging isn’t flashy nor does it stand out much. However, if you’re a fan of EPC you know exactly what to look for in the humidor!

The wrapper on this cigar is absolutely gorgeous. It’s a nice reddish brown Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper. The veins are very minimal and the seams are almost undetectable. Near flawless construction on this cigar which I’ve come to expect from EPC. The foot of the cigar is packed full of tobacco and the head is covered with a beautiful triple cap. I’m really excited to try this EP Carrillo Cardinal Natural, just looking at it my mouth is salivating with anticipation.

Function

I made sure to do an in-store pinch test of this cigar. Rolling it through my fingers I always try to get the best feeling cigar possible. I try not to touch them all, but sometimes it’s hard. I know some people think it’s bad etiquette to touch cigars in a humidor, but honestly, I’m not sure why. I don’t want to get into that here. This EP Carrillo Cardinal Natural has an incredible feel to it. Nice and firm with a tiny bit of sponginess to it.

It’s time to nip the cap and test the dry draw! I want to get all this pre-game stuff out of the way so I can enjoy smoking it already! The dry draw is exactly what I expected it would be, flawless. It has just enough resistance to where you don’t choke yourself with an abundance of smoke, yet it is open enough to where you can experience the flavors it has to offer before you even light it up.

Smoking

Ahhh, this EP Carrillo Cardinal Natural takes right to the flame and begins smoking effortlessly. Right out of the gate the burn line is perfect and holding a nice tight ash. I didn’t even toast the foot on this cigar. I just held the lighter to the foot and began puffing and boom the burn took off. Can’t ask for much more than that can you?

The first third produces some incredible creamy smoke. A nice burn and the ash held the entire first third. I was quite impressed. I tried to snag a picture of it, but of course it fell off onto my shirt while I was transitioning. I’ve gotta get better at that. Oh well I got a decent one before it fell it off anyway. The second third burned just as well as the first. Not a single problem nor did I have to touch it up. Just an incredible draw to this EP Carrillo Cardinal Natural. I wish every cigar smoked like this one. I would never have to write a bad review. The second third continued into the final third smoking like a champion. Great burn line, incredible smoke, and just effortless and pleasureful all the way down to the nub.