EP Carrillo Pledge Prequel

EP Carrillo Pledge Prequel is a much-ballyhooed, med-full bodied cigar with a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper and cigar bands & accoutrement that dazzle the eye, but hide most of the wrapper.

The construction on this cigar is generally top notch. The draw is cool. There’s a decent amount of smoke output. The burn line is straight, but the ash was flaky and fell off twice.

Flavors starts out with an assault of pepper that fades to make room for oak, earth, leather, mineral notes, roasted coffee/espresso and a few puffs of licorice. Somehow though the flavors are not working together with the Broadleaf wrapper. Chalk and slate are there, but not meshing very well with the other flavors. I’m expecting a bolder taste from the Broadleaf wrapper. It’s not there. Retrohale: Earthy, minerals, leather, pepper.

If I had written the review during the second third, I would have given this cigar a rather lackluster score. But...the flavors finally open up in the final third. All the aforementioned flavor notes coalesce with added notes of dark chocolate, nuts and honey. Now that the flavors are all working together, I kick back, relax and enjoy the cigar.

After finishing the stick, I’m wondering if the flavors weren’t working for me during the first third because I was concentrating on identifying them instead of just relaxing and enjoying the experience. Maybe I was just working too hard looking for elements about which to write.

In the end, EP Carrillo Pledge Sequel is a very good cigar. I personally can’t rationalize the 98 rating, but I do believe it lives up to the hype in general.

Join Today's Smokes