EP Carillo New Wave Connecticut Brillantes

This week's review is of the new EP Carillo New Wave Connecticut. For those of you who have been living under a rock for the few years, Ernesto Perez Carillo is the man originally behind the La Gloria Cubana line of cigars. He left General Cigars in 2009 and created EPC Cigar Co and this cigar is one of his newest releases. The New Wave Connecticut is made up of an Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper, Nicaraguan binder and Nicaraguan and Dominican filler. I am reviewing the Robusto size of the line, which measures in at a standard 5x50. 

The New Wave Connecticut has a silky smooth wrapper with a light honey/hay color to it. The roll is very even and the cap is very round and perfectly applied. The prelight draw shows a rich, clean tobacco flavor that reminds me of the tobacco aging rooms I visited in Nicaragua. There is a nice nutty barnyard flavor to it. The draw has just the right amount of resistance to it. To be honest I am not a big fan of Connecticut wrapped cigars, but something about this one already has me intrigued. Once lit, this starts out with a great nutty flavor (not peanuts, but something else I can't quite put my finger on) with a tiny bit of spice and plenty of honey sweetness. This cigar has much more flavor than your average Connecticut wrapped cigar. This is a very smooth and creamy smoke with a nice smooth retrohale with just a faint spice tingle through the nose. An inch in and the profile has become cedary with the sweet finish still present. The salt and pepper ash holds on strong and the burn is on the wavy side,  but hasn't needed to be touched up. 

Half way into the New Wave and I am loving this cigar! I haven't said that about many Connecticut wrapped cigars in the past. This is full flavored yet mild in strength. This is a great first cigar of the day. There is a nice complexity to this cigar with plenty of cedar, nuts and honey flavors, as well as an almost roasted oat taste to it. With those flavors combined this almost reminds me of Honey Nut Cheerios! As I reach the end of this tasty cigar the flavor profile has remained exciting and tasty. 

This was an impressive cigar! This was one of very few Connecticut cigars that has really done something for me. This had plenty of smooth, creamy flavors, loads of smoke and great construction. Of all of the EP Carillo cigars I have smoked, this one is probably my favorite so far. There are very few mild cigars available that have enough flavor to keep my attention and this one fits the bill for what I like in a milder cigar. Here is the real kicker about this cigar, they will run you about $5.25 a piece! If you see these, don't hesitate, buy them! I am looking forward to picking up more of these in the future for days at the cigar shop when I start earlier in the day and don't want something too heavy, but still want plenty of flavor.