Bombones (Robusto), 4.875" x 50 ring gauge / approx. $6, Buckhead Cigar
In 2010, EP Carrillo's cigar company released the original Short Run before their Core Line was even ready to release. The result was a limited release cigar in various sizes that was reasonably priced and a huge hit. In 2011, the Short Run came out slightly before the latest addition to the regular lineup, the Core Maduro, and it turns out the rest of the release recipe is the same, too: 1,500 boxes of each size, very accessible price points, and great reviews so far. The blend is different from last year, although I have smoked four of this year's so far and find them similar in some ways to the 2010 model. Reports are that these use Nicaraguan and Dominican fillers, a Nicaraguan binder, and an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper.
The smooth oiliness of the Ecuadorian wrapper really makes this cigar stand out beautifully. The veins are mostly small and the coloration is a fairly even dark tan. The wrapper had a nice aroma of sweet hay and a scent I would call almost-honey. On the foot I got notes of brown pepper and earth. I did not mention the banding because I wanted to say something good first....simply put, the banding scheme for EPC cigars is getting inscrutable. This year's Short Run is identical to last year's as far as packaging goes and the wrappers are close enough in appearance to make it impossible to tell when you are getting unless you buy an unopened box (which does have the date on it). Besides the possibility of being lied to by unethical or unthinking tobacconists, keeping them straight in your own humidor will be difficult should you have both 2010 and 2011 models in stock at the same time...which I did at one point. The secondary band needs to change to denote the year. Given a clean cut by my Xikar, I got a very smooth prelight draw that had flavors of sweet natural tobacco, earth, hay and a touch of honey. There was also a spicy tingle left on my lips.
Right off the bat, the Short Run 2011 hits with a heavy cedar flavor on the palate and a ton of spice on the nose. The more subtle notes you might expect after sniffing the wrapper and foot as well as performing the traditional prelight draw are subsumed somewhere in the mix as this cigar wants to show some raw power up front. It is sort of amazing then when the thunderous roar of this cigar's opening settles down and mellows out five minutes later. There is still cedar and spice, but they have been balanced by earth, honey, and natural tobacco.
In the second third, the cedar flavor came back to an extent, but it was almost evenly mixed with earthiness. There was still some sweetness but it was not so much honey anymore. The construction of all the samples of this cigar I have smoked has been great...this one displayed a very even burn line and a fine draw.
As I got into the final third I noticed that the flavors hadn't changed much, although the body had increased a bit from medium to a more medium to full place. I also had the wrapper split wide open, which I suspect to be a result of the low humidity weather we were experiencing at the time. Since Habano wrappers typically are not all that prone to breaking like this, it made me wonder about the exact nature of this one. At any rate, this is the only time in five smokes that it did happen to me, so I won't be marking off points as a result. Many people have remarked that they like the 2011 edition of the Short Run more than the 2010; for myself, I still just don't know. I really enjoyed both, but I have to give an edge to last year's release at this point. This is probably not a great cigar for novices, but anyone smoking for longer than a couple months should be able to handle the body and strength that it has.
Body: 7/10
Strength: 6/10
Complexity: 7/10
AFP Scale
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9/10
In 2010, EP Carrillo's cigar company released the original Short Run before their Core Line was even ready to release. The result was a limited release cigar in various sizes that was reasonably priced and a huge hit. In 2011, the Short Run came out slightly before the latest addition to the regular lineup, the Core Maduro, and it turns out the rest of the release recipe is the same, too: 1,500 boxes of each size, very accessible price points, and great reviews so far. The blend is different from last year, although I have smoked four of this year's so far and find them similar in some ways to the 2010 model. Reports are that these use Nicaraguan and Dominican fillers, a Nicaraguan binder, and an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper.
The smooth oiliness of the Ecuadorian wrapper really makes this cigar stand out beautifully. The veins are mostly small and the coloration is a fairly even dark tan. The wrapper had a nice aroma of sweet hay and a scent I would call almost-honey. On the foot I got notes of brown pepper and earth. I did not mention the banding because I wanted to say something good first....simply put, the banding scheme for EPC cigars is getting inscrutable. This year's Short Run is identical to last year's as far as packaging goes and the wrappers are close enough in appearance to make it impossible to tell when you are getting unless you buy an unopened box (which does have the date on it). Besides the possibility of being lied to by unethical or unthinking tobacconists, keeping them straight in your own humidor will be difficult should you have both 2010 and 2011 models in stock at the same time...which I did at one point. The secondary band needs to change to denote the year. Given a clean cut by my Xikar, I got a very smooth prelight draw that had flavors of sweet natural tobacco, earth, hay and a touch of honey. There was also a spicy tingle left on my lips.
Right off the bat, the Short Run 2011 hits with a heavy cedar flavor on the palate and a ton of spice on the nose. The more subtle notes you might expect after sniffing the wrapper and foot as well as performing the traditional prelight draw are subsumed somewhere in the mix as this cigar wants to show some raw power up front. It is sort of amazing then when the thunderous roar of this cigar's opening settles down and mellows out five minutes later. There is still cedar and spice, but they have been balanced by earth, honey, and natural tobacco.
In the second third, the cedar flavor came back to an extent, but it was almost evenly mixed with earthiness. There was still some sweetness but it was not so much honey anymore. The construction of all the samples of this cigar I have smoked has been great...this one displayed a very even burn line and a fine draw.As I got into the final third I noticed that the flavors hadn't changed much, although the body had increased a bit from medium to a more medium to full place. I also had the wrapper split wide open, which I suspect to be a result of the low humidity weather we were experiencing at the time. Since Habano wrappers typically are not all that prone to breaking like this, it made me wonder about the exact nature of this one. At any rate, this is the only time in five smokes that it did happen to me, so I won't be marking off points as a result. Many people have remarked that they like the 2011 edition of the Short Run more than the 2010; for myself, I still just don't know. I really enjoyed both, but I have to give an edge to last year's release at this point. This is probably not a great cigar for novices, but anyone smoking for longer than a couple months should be able to handle the body and strength that it has.
Body: 7/10
Strength: 6/10
Complexity: 7/10
AFP Scale
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9/10
Great review, I have had a couple NWs by EPC and they are nothing short of amazing, I also have one of their Ing Editions which I'm holding on to for a bit.
ReplyDeleteApparently, I'm a fool for everything EPC makes. I've had a few of these, & really like them. I'd probably have to rank these just behind the Maduro & New Wave Connecticut, however.
ReplyDeleteI'd been wondering how you can tell the different vintages of this stick apart, and you answered my question - you can't; or at least I can't.
ReplyDeleteI had what I assume to be a 2011 earlier today and was surprised by the strong woodiness of it. I was also disappointed that removing the band took some of the wrapper with it. Not what I expect from an EPC product. I'll have to give it another try sometime, but I think I'll track down a Maduro first.
Reading this review makes me question which one I had. Good product, I enjoyed whichever one I had. Most likely last years because my local B&M isn't cutting edge
ReplyDelete