At the time of this writing, the popularity of Nicaraguan tobacco is as high as ever. Many of each year’s best sticks incorporate high quality Nica leaf, and blenders of all kinds continue to grow and scout out the best of the best. For some, the day they met a special kind of Nicaraguan tobacco is actually a date to remember.
It’s definitely true for Ernesto Perez-Carrillo, who is so thankful to the man who properly introduced him to tobacco from Estelí (a growing region in Nicaragua) that he created the E.P. Carrillo Dusk cigar in his honor. The man in question is Silvio Perez, a veteran tobacco grower who was one in charge of A.S.P. Enterprises, the world’s largest cultivator of wrapper leaf.
The result was a smash, right of the bat. The Dusk was named the #18 cigar of 2017 by Cigar Aficionado, and earned a respectable 92 points. The medium-full bodied smoke offers flavors of black pepper, salted nuts, and a sweetness resembling graham cracker and raisins. It’s a delectable combination brought on by the Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper, Ecuadorian binder, and Nicaraguan long-filler core.
But why call it the “dusk?” Well, any of us probably has the answer to this. What’s a fine time to kick back with a lit stogie and puff away? Dusk, of course! When work is over and the sun is setting – when the day is at an end – a cigar lets us pack up the day and send it away in white clouds swirling off into the air. A lot of cares can vanish in that smoke, and E.P. Carrillo has found that to be his prime time to really enjoy a quality smoke.
