E.P. Carrillo Encore Majestic: The 2018 Champ

A smooth, even Nicaraguan wrapper with a faint sheen, rolled to that impeccable standard you expect from Ernesto Perez-Carrillo. The Majestic is the robusto-format vitola in the Encore line - the one that carried the whole line to the top of the 2018 rankings. I clipped the cap clean and drew cedar and a soft cocoa sweetness, the construction firm and flawless in the hand. There's a quiet confidence to a cigar this well-made; it doesn't need to look flashy, and it earns attention through how it's built.

It opens on a bright pepper - red and black spice leading, quick but not aggressive - before a cocoa richness settles in underneath. What strikes me immediately is the draw: effortless, smooth, giving a clean volume of smoke with no work at all. The burn started dead-even. This is an elegant medium-full, and the balance is the point - the spice announces itself, then makes room for the sweeter core rather than dominating. A composed, polished start that tells you this cigar was blended with real intent.

Through the middle the cocoa deepens into dark chocolate, cedar threading through, a caramel-toffee sweetness rounding the edges. This is where the Encore's balance really shows - every note sits in proportion, nothing crowds anything else. My burn stayed razor-even, the ash holding firm in inch-plus segments, pale grey. It's refined rather than powerful, and I find that restraint more impressive than raw strength. If you want a cigar to punish your palate this isn't it; if you want one that rewards attention, it very much is.

The final third brought espresso and a light leather-and-earth depth forward over the cocoa, the body holding at medium-full and staying elegant across about an hour. It never turned hot or lost its composure. My honest read is that the Cigar of the Year nod was deserved - this is a beautifully balanced, impeccably built Nicaraguan. The only real debate is value: it sits at the higher end of the mid-tier, and a few smokers wish it hit harder for the price. But if refinement is what you're after, the Majestic delivers it start to finish.