Today, we review the Battleborn by Casa Carrillo in the Warriors (Toro) size. Battleborn was first introduced in 2025 as part of Casa Carrillo’s Perez-Carrillo line. Perez-Carrillo serves as the foundation for Casa Carrillo’s premium regular production and limited-edition lines. It also pays tribute to the Perez-Carrillo family and their supporters. Battleborn is a limited-edition line honoring America’s veterans.
Battleborn is a project inspired by Lionel H. McKoy. Since 2017, McKoy has been the shipping manager at Casa Carrillo and boasts an impressive background as a U.S. Navy Veteran, having served for two decades as a Petty Officer Second Class. Throughout his military career, he was stationed on several aircraft carriers, including the USS Midway, Forrestal, and Dwight D. Eisenhower, participating in significant operations during the Gulf War and Operation Desert Storm.
As mentioned, Battleborn is a limited-edition cigar. It debuted in the fall of 2025. The company has already said it plans a 2026 edition of the Battleborn.
Without further ado, let’s break down the Battleborn Warriors and see what this cigar brings to the table.
SPECIFICATIONS
Blend and Origin
Battleborn features a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper and a double binder made up of leaves from Mexico and Nicaragua. The filler used in these cigars is all-Nicaraguan. Production comes from the Casa Carrillo factory in the Dominican Republic.
- Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
- Binder: Mexican, Nicaraguan
- Filler: Nicaraguan
- Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
- Factory: Casa Carrillo
Vitolas Available
The Battleborn is available in one size – a 6 x 56 known as Warriors. The cigars are packaged in 20-count boxes, with a total of 2,500 boxes produced. Each box is individually numbered.
Appearance (*)
The Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper of the Battleborn Warriors is reminiscent of a chocolate bar’s color. Despite the wrapper being dark, some light mottling could be seen on the surface. In addition, the surface of the wrapper had a light coating of oil. There were a couple of prominent visible veins. The darker color of the wrapper made the seams less noticeable.
PERFORMANCE
Pre-Light Draw (*)
A straight cut was used to remove the cap of the Battleborn Warriors. Once the cap was removed, it was time to commence with the pre-light draw ritual. The cold draw delivered notes of cocoa, earth, and some lemon peel. Overall, this was a satisfactory pre-light draw experience. At this point, it was time to remove the footer band of the Battleborn Warriors, toast up the footer of the cigar, and head into the smoking phase.
Tasting Notes
The Battleborn Warriors pick up where the pre-light draw left off, and there were more notes of cocoa, earth, and lemon peel. In addition, notes of coffee and white pepper emerged. Early on, the coffee and earth notes moved to the forefront. The lemon peel and pepper settled in the background. The cocoa notes also moved into the background but occasionally peeked through. Meanwhile, there was an extra layer of white pepper on the retro-hale.
The second third of the Battleborn Warriors saw the coffee and earth remain grounded. The cocoa, lemon peel, and pepper remained in the background. Some bitter notes developed as the coffee took on a bitter profile, while the lemon peel also took on bitterness. The bitterness did not translate to harshness. At the same time, there was an increase in the pepper.
By the final third, the coffee and earth remained in the forefront. In the background, the pepper was more prominent than at any other point during the smoking experience. Meanwhile, the cocoa and lemon peel helped round out the flavor profile. This is the way the Battleborn Warriors came to a close. The resulting nub was soft to the touch and cool in temperature.
Burn
Overall, the Battleborn Warriors had a slightly jagged burn line. While the cigar maintained a straight burn path, it did require some touchups. While the touchups did their job, they were needed a little more frequently than I prefer. The resulting ash wasn’t overly firm, but it wasn’t loose or flaky either. The ash itself had several shades of gray. Meanwhile, the burn rate and burn temperature were ideal.
Draw
The draw of Battleborn Warriors had a touch of resistance to it. As many have seen in my past assessments, this is the sweet spot for a draw in my book. At the same time, this was a low-maintenance cigar to derive flavor from.
Strength and Body
The Battleborn Warriors opened up with medium strength and medium-bodied flavors. The cigar slowly increased in intensity. By the second half, strength and body were each in the medium-to-full range. When comparing strength versus body, both attributes balanced each other nicely, with neither attribute overshadowing the other.
BANDING AND PACKAGING NOTES (*)
To say Casa Carrillo has come a long way with its packaging is an understatement. Casa Carrillo went from really not doing well with its packaging to becoming one of the best in the business. Battleborn might be the finest packaging release in the portfolio. I would never have thought that army green and camouflage designs would work within the Perez-Carrillo lines, but this comes off well on both the band and the box. The dog tag packaged with each box is a nice touch.
OVERALL ASSESSMENT
Final Thoughts
I smoked four Battleborn Cigars, and each time, I hoped it would deliver a striking experience that would really wow me. Unfortunately, that moment never came. While this isn’t a bad cigar by any means, it really lacks that thrilling factor. Casa Carrillo has crafted some impressive blends in the past, but their recent focus has been on numerous premium limited editions, including the Battleborn. Priced at $22.00, this cigar simply doesn’t stand out from the competition. In the end, I would recommend trying it out for yourself before deciding to buy.
Summary
- Key Flavors: Coffee, Lemon Peel, Earth, Cocoa, Pepper
- Burn: Very Good
- Draw: Excellent
- Complexity: Medium
- Strength: Medium (1st Half), Medium to Full (2nd Half)
- Body: Medium (1st Half), Medium to Full (2nd Half)
- Finish: Very Good
Rating
Value: Try a Sample
Score: 88
REFERENCES
Photo Credits: Cigar Coop, except where noted.
(*) Indicates this is not factored into the score or value rating
