Today, we are reviewing the Casa Carrillo Social Media Exclusive Blend 2. The Social Media Exclusive is exactly what it is- a social media exclusive. It’s a small-batch project that consists of three different blends in a slide-top coffin. The Social Media Exclusive was offered to consumers via social media and contests. The company did not charge consumers for it. The three blends are described as small-batch blends that have not been previously released. When Casa Carrillo announced the Social Media Exclusive project, it said these blends would “never enter standard production.”
Cigar Coop doesn’t typically review this type of cigar in writing because the Social Media Exclusive Collection isn’t available for sale. Casa Carrillo has a long history of engaging with its consumers; in the past, they have solicited feedback on blends for the Casa Carrillo Platinum Bash and Silk lines. Consumers also helped name the Pledge cigar.
Today our focus will be on Blend 2. One note: Casa Carrillo provided Cigar Coop with one of the three-pack exclusives. Since this isn’t for sale, this assessment is based on a single smoking experience (in most cases, we do two to three cigars for a Cigar Coop assessment).
Without further ado, let’s break down the Social Media Exclusive Blend 2.
SPECIFICATIONS
Blend and Origin
For completeness, we list all three blends that make up the Social Media Exclusive Collection. We first highlight the blend being assessed today, Blend 2.
Blend 2
This blend is highlighted by a Mexican wrapper over an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper
- Wrapper: Mexico
- Binder: Ecuador Habano
- Fillers: Nicaraguan & Dominican
- Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
- Factory: Casa Carrillo
Blend 1
This blend features an Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade wrapper over a Connecticut Broadleaf binder.
- Wrapper: Ecuador Connecticut
- Binder: Broadleaf Connecticut
- Filler: Nicaraguan, Dominican
- Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
- Factory: Casa Carrillo
Blend 3
This blend features an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper and a Mexican binder.
- Wrapper: Ecuador Habano
- Binder: Mexico
- Fillers: Nicaraguan & Dominican
- Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
- Factory: Casa Carrillo
Vitolas Available
All three blends in the Social Media Exclusive Collection measure 6 x 52. Blend 2 is unique in that it comes in a Piramide shape. This is a shape not too common in the Casa Carrillo portfolio. The other two blends (Blend 1 and Blend 3) are parejos (Toro).
Appearance (*)
Not only is Blend 2 the only figured in the three cigar Social Media Exclusive Collection, it is also the only Maduro. The San Andres wrapper had a dark roasted espresso bean color. There was a thin sheen of oil on the Social Media Exclusive Blend 2. Upon closer examination, some toothiness could be detected on the wrapper. In addition there were some prominent visible veins, and a few visible seams. There was a moderate taper at the head of the cigar converging to the tip.
PERFORMANCE
Pre-Light Draw (*)
A straight cut was used to remove a little more than half of the tip of the Social Media Exclusive Blend 2. This would allow me to still get part of the tapering effect of this cigar. After removing the tip, it was time to commence with the pre-light draw phase. The cold raw delivers a mix of mocha and earth. Mocha is a term that I use to describe a fusion of coffee and chocolate notes. In this case the cigar delivered an excellent pre-light draw. At this point it was time to toast up the Social Media Exclusive Blend 2 and move into the smoking phase.
Tasting Notes
The Social Media Exclusive Blend 2 opened up with more notes of mocha. There also were notes of cherry, wood, and baker’s spice present. Early on the mocha and cherry notes moved into the forefront. Meanwhile the wood and baker’s spice settled in the background. Toward the latter part of the first third, the cherry notes receded into the background with the wood and baker’s spice. Meanwhile the retro-hale produced notes of wood with mixed pepper and baker’s spice.
The second third of the Social Media Exclusive Blend 2 saw the mocha notes maintain control as the primary note. A lot of times the mocha fusion of coffee and chocolate breaks down during a cigar, but it held up really well with the Social Media Exclusive Blend 2. Some mixed pepper surfaced in the second third joining the cherry, wood, and baker’s spice notes.
By the final third, the mocha notes still remained primary The coffee component had a slight edge over the chocolate, but the fusion remained. There was a slight increase in the pepper in the background. Meanwhile the cherry, wood, and baker’s spice rounded things off. This is the way the Social Media Exclusive Blend 2 came to a close. The resulting nub was soft to the touch and cool in temperature.
Burn
Overall the Social Media Exclusive Blend 2 performed quite well when it came to the burn. For the most part the cigar maintained a straight burn path and had a straight burn line with minimal amounts of touch-ups. The resulting ash was light gray in color. This was an ash that was skewed more toward the firmer side. When it came to burn rate and burn temperature, both maintained ideal levels.
Draw
The draw of the Social Media Exclusive Blend 2 was open, but not loose. Normally, I prefer a little more resistance on my draw. In the case of the Social Media Exclusive Blend 2, it was simply more of a personal preference, and there weren’t any adverse effects on the smoking experience.
Strength and Body
Social Media Exclusive Blend 2 wasn’t very strong, starting out mild to medium. Later in the first third, it rose slightly to the lower end of medium, where it stayed for the rest of the smoke. Meanwhile, the flavors were in the medium-bodied range right out of the gate. The body had more of a linear increase in intensity, and by the second half, the body was delivering medium to full-bodied flavor.
In terms of strength versus body, the body held the edge throughout the smoking experience.
BANDING AND PACKAGING NOTES (*)
My comments on the banding and packaging are identical to when I assessed Blend 1:
Both the bands and the 3-count coffee are highlighted by the “peek-a-boo” logo of owner and blender Ernesto Perez-Carrillo. This logo shows the top of Ernesto’s head down to his glasses almost peeking over a fence. I really like this logo, but I don’t like it on the bands. To me, this logo is better suited for swag, not a cigar band. It just made a really good artisan cigar look gimmicky. On a side note, I was fine with the logo on the slide-top coffin.
OVERALL ASSESSMENT
Final Thoughts
If you didn’t read my assessment for Blend 1, I have some preliminary thoughts on the project:
Before I summarize my thoughts on this cigar, I wanted to give some feedback on the Social Project. I applaud Casa Carrillo for doing a project like this, and I hope they bring this back for additional runs/blends. While I get that Casa Carrillo doesn’t want to sell directly to consumers, I do think they need to do more projects like this. Ultimately, I’d like to see names for the cigars, and I’ve already given my feelings on the bands. In my opinion, the best way to build consumer engagement is to get cigars like this into consumers’ hands.
This is my second review of the three blends for the Social Media Exclusive, and both Blends 1 and 2 have scored an 89. This series has surprised me. The piramide was a fun size to smoke. It emphasizes flavor, and the flavors delivered are quite good. This reinforces my point that Casa Carrillo needs to get these into more consumers’ hands. The success of these first two blends has me excited to smoke the third. I can’t assign a value rating because there’s no MRSP. However, if it were for sale, I wouldn’t hesitate to buy and smoke this cigar again.
Summary
- Key Flavors: Mocha, Wood, Cherry, Baker’s Spice, Pepper
- Burn: Excellent
- Draw: Very Good
- Complexity: Medium Plus
- Strength: Mild to Medium (Start), Medium
- Body: Medium (1st Half), Medium to Full
- Finish: Very Good
Rating
Value: n/a
Score: 89
REFERENCES
- News: n/a
- Price: n/a
- Source: Casa Carrillo
- Brand Reference: Casa Carrillo
Photo Credits: Cigar Coop
(*) Indicates this is not factored into the score or value rating
