Casa Carrillo Ascend for a Warm Autumn Evening

The recent spate of cooler evenings had me thinking more and more about coffee-influenced cocktails to pair with my evening smoke. And then, as is often the case in Virginia, the temperature reversed direction. After a string of cool 60° evenings, we went right back to temperatures above 80° as the sun was setting.

That switch caused me to set aside my plans for an after-dinner Revolver, replacing it with a classic Bourbon Old Fashioned. I didn’t change my cigar plan, however. For the cool after-dinner smoke, I grabbed a Montecristo Espada Conquistador Ricasso. The cigar is part of the Espada family from the company formerly known as E.P. Carrillo, which was rebranded as Casa Carrillo in 2025. This particular addition to the Espada line was introduced in June 2026. I added some to the humidor only about six weeks ago, but figured that was enough rest time to light one up.

The box-pressed 5 x 50 Ascend Saddle features an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper over Nicaraguan binder and fillers. The cigar is made at the Casa Carrillo factory in Santiago, Dominican Republic. The Ascend lineup was introduced in mid-2026, and my cigars have had about six weeks of rest in the humidor.

The cigar opens with notes of cedar, roasted nuts, earth, and soft spice. There’s already a creamy sweetness to the smoke. As the cigar progresses, lightly roasted coffee notes join in. A bit of black pepper and cedar remain in the background, but neither is a major part of the profile. The cigar eventually moves into the medium-full-bodied realm, remaining well-balanced with good depth of flavor.

The Old Fashioned turned out to be an excellent accompaniment to the Ascend. The drink doesn’t overwhelm the cigar’s softer coffee notes, allowing the cedar, nuts, baking spice, and sweetness to stand out. The bourbon cocktail adds its own caramel and vanilla notes, but the pairing never strays into overly sweet territory. The bourbon’s oak and vanilla also seem to reinforce some of the cigar’s own woody and sweet notes, while the expressed orange provides a bit of brightness that keeps the combination from becoming too heavy.

I particularly liked the way the two worked together without either one dominating. The Ascend has enough flavor and body to stand up to the bourbon, while the Old Fashioned provides just enough sweetness and contrast to complement the cigar’s richer notes. It was a fairly straightforward pairing, but sometimes that’s exactly what you’re looking for.

The Casa Carrillo Ascend Saddle was a fairly quick smoke, just around 45 minutes. The short-and-sweet pairing was rich but not heavy. Just the thing for a warm autumn evening repast.

The return of 80° evenings was a reminder that Virginia wasn’t quite ready to let go of summer yet. But that’s OK. There’s a good cigar and drink pairing for just about any weather.

Cheers!