As a cigarmaker who has pretty much done it all, Ernesto Perez-Carrillo has little to prove. He started as a true boutique operation in Little Havana, then became nationally recognized, before eventually selling his operation to one of the biggest cigar companies in the world. After that, he started all over again.

So what can someone like Perez-Carrillo give the cigar world that he hasn't already? The answer is the E.P. Carrillo Selección Oscuro Piramides Royal. It's dark and imposing, but don't let that scare you. The blend isn't as aggressive as one might think. While it's certainly full of assertive character, it's nuanced as well. This effect is produced by the creative blending of Mexican wrapper, Ecuadoran binder and Nicaraguan filler.

Perez-Carrillo is always playing with different tobaccos and experimenting with blends, and he has the means to do so. He owns the Tabacalera La Alianza factory in the Dominican Republic and is very involved in the sourcing and blending of his tobacco. This cigar is not only full of dried-fruit notes and a chocolate-covered raisin sweetness, but is an exercise in restraint and balance. Perez-Carrillo has redesigned the band, which you see here, but there are still cigars in the market with the original band.