Gilbert de Montsalvat 15 Years vs. E.P. Carrillo Encore Majestic
Comparisons often offer new insights, especially when it comes to enjoyment and taste. Only by comparing cigars with others can you train your own taste and broaden your horizons. At first, you may be overwhelmed by the abundance on offer, and it can certainly be difficult to find your way around the humidor at your trusted specialist retailer. But over time, your own “library of tastes” will start to grow in your head and your preferences will develop.
And so, welcome to our literary smoking salon! This time we want to focus on the specific comparison of two cigars. It’s about the E.P. Carrillo Encore Majestic and the Gilbert de Montsalvat 15 Years. But why this comparison?
Raymondo Bernasconi – the Swiss mastermind behind the Gilbert de Montsalvat brand – and Ernesto Pérez-Carrillo have enjoyed a long friendship. When it came to creating a cigar for Gilbert de Montsalvat’s 15th anniversary, Ernesto quickly suggested using one of his existing blends, with some minor adjustments. Bernasconi opted for the blend from the Encore series. It was the Majestic format that had been praised to the heavens in the industry’s various trade magazines and triumphed with the highest scores in all criteria. The only difference to the original is the shape and format. The Encore Majestic is a box-pressed Robusto Grande. The Gilbert de Montsalvat 15 Years is a Gordo and classically round, with a closed foot and a pigtail at the head.
This time in our tasting, we want to find out whether these small differences really make that much of a difference. Ideally, you should smoke the cigars at the same time. Should this be a little too much of a good thing, we recommend tasting and enjoying the two cigars on the same day, at least. Relax, take your time and, above all, allow yourself to enjoy them. Make yourself comfortable, grab your favorite tool and a drink. This time I recommend either a pot of freshly brewed black tea, a homemade elderberry-lime-mint lemonade, or a classic cup of coffee.
Let’s begin with the original cigar. The Encore Majestic starts with a pinch of pepper. It really is just a pinch, but you can feel it immediately, especially retronasally. But even in this moment, one of the characteristics that makes this cigar something very special becomes apparent – it’s a subliminal caramel sweetness that hits the tip of the tongue directly. If you want to tease out the maximum sweetness, I recommend the 80/20 method. Simply explained, this means blowing out 80 percent of the smoke through your mouth and 20 percent retronasally. This allows you to perceive the perfect balance between the mouth, nose, and room aroma. You can feel this incredible sweetness immediately. However, it merely serves to round off a taste profile that only reveals itself gradually. The Encore Majestic from Casa Carrillo (formerly Tabacalera La Alianza) impresses above all with its complexity.
But wait, there’s a second cigar! With such a mouthwatering beginning, we mustn’t forget the other leading lady. The mighty Gilbert de Montsalvat is also ready to be sacrificed to the flame.
Wow! I don’t know if you feel the same way, but the difference is brilliant. Almost no pepper, not even in the nose; it’s the sweetness that you feel more immediately. The spice that tickles the palate is nuttier, and there’s an interesting note perceptible on the edges of the tongue. You can guess what might develop here. After the first few puffs of both cigars, I advise taking a short break. Treat yourself to a sip of your drink. Not that the cigars necessarily call for it, but we’re all connoisseurs, and in my case a sip of tea is never a bad thing. The blended room notes of both cigars are delightful – admittedly, perhaps not particularly so for someone just entering the room, but for us passionados it’s divine!
Let’s go back to the Encore Majestic. The short breather of a minute has done the cigar good. The smoke is a bit cooler now; the pepper is barely noticeable, but – and this may also be due to the choice of my accompanying beverage – I can taste some tea in the smoke. Incredibly complex. The middle of the first third is dominated by caramel sweetness and black tea, accompanied by an indefinable spiciness that caresses the palate.
The Gilbert de Montsalvat 15 Years is a completely different story. The initial impression on the edges of the tongue is now intensifying. The short break has also done it good. Because now it’s clear: there’s some cream! Unmistakably, creamy butteriness. This cigar is truly fat and full-bodied. The sweetness proves to be even more subtle here, and I really have to make an effort not to smoke too hastily. You can already tell that this is a divine creation.
It’s time for a break again. It’s especially important to avoid hastiness when smoking two cigars at the same time. It can quickly become far too much. A little tip: Don’t take any risks with experiments like these. Eat plenty of food beforehand. Perhaps set aside something to nibble on and maybe a soft drink with lots of sugar. Nobody is keen on an overdose of nicotine. Both cigars are in the medium-strength range in terms of nicotine content, but if you’re in the wrong frame of mind, you can be caught cold.
The end of the first third of both cigars was an absolutely entertaining overture for a successful evening at the opera. At the beginning of the second third, the Encore Majestic’s aroma becomes much stronger. It now becomes spicier and reveals the character of a cigar made entirely from Nicaraguan tobacco. The initial notes of black tea are joined by hints of earth and leather. This orchestral experience is conducted by the caramel sweetness that we witnessed at the beginning of the cigar. Absolutely first class! Proof that Ernesto is definitely one of the greatest creatives in this industry and one of the very few people to have already secured a place in the cigar Olympus.
The Gilbert de Montsalvat has absolutely no rough edges, both literally and figuratively. It’s as round as a cigar can be. Although this could be interpreted negatively, I certainly don’t mean it that way. Because what this cigar delivers at the beginning of the second third is a creaminess that you look for in vain in many other cigars. The sweetness clearly recedes into the background and is barely noticeable. The spiciness of its sister cigar is more reminiscent of the sherry note of a 25-year-old whisky from Speyside. It clings to the tongue and supports the soft texture of the smoke like a mezzo-soprano singing a soprano’s aria in the main act of Tosca – opera lovers may forgive me.
From the second half of the smoke, both cigars are convincing across the board. They are hard to beat in terms of complexity. The relationship between the two cigars is clearly notable. But although they’re related, they’re more like second cousins than sisters.
The Encore Majestic captivates with its notes of earth, leather, coffee and caramel, combined with a light honey sweetness and a touch of vanilla. The Gilbert de Montsalvat, on the other hand, is impressive in its buttery creaminess, a hint of bergamot, honey, milk chocolate and cocoa, paired with the sweetness of butterscotch. All of this is embedded in an incredibly sweet-smelling smoke. It exudes an aroma that you can experience on an early morning stroll through Paris, when the bakeries take their fresh butter croissants out of the oven while the scent of baguettes is still in the air.
Before the finale reveals its tones, you should give your mouth a little break and perhaps also take in a little moisture, if you’re trying both cigars at once.
The final act of the Encore Majestic comes with a lot of spice, accompanied by dark chocolate and a hint of chili. The anniversary cigar from Raymondo Bernasconi also offers a lot of dark chocolate and the creaminess slowly subsides. At the end of both cigars, snow-white ash remains – along with the desire to repeat the experience.
As an exception, allow me to make a small conclusion. It’s incredible how different the two cigars look. If I hadn’t known about the blend, I would hardly have guessed that they were the same blend. They are completely different cigars. Period!
A direct comparison reveals a relationship, but not a close one. It’s experiments like this that show us time and again how much there is still to discover in the world of cigar enjoyment when one is unbiased and aware of one’s own mistakes and the inconsistencies in human thinking. Perhaps more on this next time.
Until then, stay tuned, and enjoy one of life’s greatest pleasures, which we simply call a cigar.
