Ernesto Perez-Carrillo built Encore Black to spotlight the deeper side of Connecticut Broadleaf, and the Robusto rolls that idea into a 5 3/8 x 52 box-pressed smoke made in the Dominican Republic with a U.S. Broadleaf wrapper, Mexican San Andrés binder, and Nicaraguan fillers from Condega, Estelí, and Jalapa. The body lands in the medium to full range, with three years of post-fermentation aging helping the profile feel dark, mature, and well-knit.
