Epic Ten: A beautiful anniversary cigar from a brand who cares

The Epic Ten cigar was released to mark the tenth anniversary of Epic Cigars. Two years in the making and crafted with the care and attention that I have come to expect from this brand, I had the privilege of tasting this cigar during a virtual herf organised by Boutique Smokes at which the former owner and man behind the cigars was a guest. I had heard great things about the Epic Ten and was eager to take the opportunity to sample it with the man himself, Dean Parsons, along with other sisters and brothers of the leaf.

With its rich maduro wrapper from Cameroon and box pressed toro vitola, this is an elegant looking cigar that gave off aromas of earthy cedar and cocoa. The cold draw added a sumptuous creaminess into the mix and made me eager to cut, light, savour and explore the flavours that the cigar had in store for me.

I started out with no drink to pair with the Epic Ten as I wanted to focus on the flavours that the cigar offered up. The first ones were the cocoa that I had smelt as I slipped the stick out of its cellophane wrapper, and warm cedar. These made a beautiful and appetising combination that rewarded the time I took over each draw. While some cigars can leave a dryness in the mouth and do need some liquid to go with them, this was not the case here.

Eventually I did decide to pair a Penderyn Madeira cask whisky with the cigar, and whilst they worked beautifully together, I still found myself wanting to savour each separately as well. This was the same with the cocktail that I mixed myself as I was entering the second half of the cigar, but I digress.

As I smoked my way through the first third of the cigar, enjoying every mouthful of fluffy and clean smoke, I started to get hints of fresh green peppers and sweet moist prunes. The ash kept growing and most of the people in the herf commented on just how strong it was. When mine finally dropped after an inch and a half, I was left with a perfect cone from the ligero leaf in the absolute centre of the cigar. This pattern continued the full six inch length of the cigar and I was left with three perfectly formed ash balls up to two inches in length.

Entering the middle of the Epic Ten I was greeted by a clean charcoal flavour that was quickly followed by that of a crisp, fresh Caesar salad. By this point I had finished off my wee dram of whisky and was considering the next drink. With the chocolate notes still present in the flavour palate, I decided to mix myself a Toffee Negroni – a rum and Aperol variation on the classic Negroni. The grapefruit and dark sugar from the cocktail allowed leather and a rich apple flavour to come through from the cigar as I savoured it right down to the last few millimetres just over two hours after lighting up.

An enormous thank you has to be given to the brilliant customer service from Boutique Smokes as, no thanks to Royal Mail, I was nearly unable to join the Epic Ten virtual tasting. Being that this is an anniversary cigar, it has had a limited run, which is such a shame as this is definitely a cigar that I would like to keep stock of in my humidor. Suffice to say, if you get an opportunity to try this one out, grab it with both hands!

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Epic Ten Cigar Details