One thing that E.P. Carrillo’s portfolio overhaul has done well is address some gaps in the portfolio. One such gap was a value-priced cigar offering. At the 2016 IPCPR Trade Show, E.P. Carrillo launched an offering to address this gap called the Grand Prize.

The Grand Prize, along with the new Tabacalaera Alianza Natural and Rosado blends are part of E.P. Carrillo’s new Factory Series line. The line is described as follows:

The Factory series arises from the daily work on the rolling tables of Tabacalera La Alianza, Ernesto Perez- Carrillo’s factory in Santiago, Dominican Republic. Ernesto’s relentless pursuit of efficiency and sustainability of each process is paramount to the development of each cigar in the Factory Series. It is a series designed to achieve optimal use of raw materials that have been meticulously selected, processed, rolled, aged and classified by Ernesto himself. Tabacalera La Alianza offers exclusive products with unique tobacco kept under the most rigorous quality control to keep a high level of consistency. Personally reviewing each cigar and seeking excellence and attention to detail, nothing escapes the vigilante eyes and mind of the master himself.

Another interesting nugget about the Factory Series is that the cigars in this series do not carry the E.P. Carrillo name.

Grand Prize consists of an Ecuadorian wrapper and binder. It also contains a filler of tobaccos from five countries – USA, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic. The cigars are available in four sizes, each packaged in 24 count boxes. Pricing ranges from $3.15 to $3.65.

At a glance, here is a look at the Grand Prize line:

Blend Profile

Wrapper: Ecuadorian
Binder: Ecuadorian
Filler: USA, Ecuadorian, Nicaraguan, Mexican, Dominican
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic (Tabacalera Alianza)

Vitolas Available

Robusto: 5 x 50 (SRP $3.15)
Toro: 6 x 50 (SRP $3.35)
Churchill: 7 x 49 (SRP $3.50)
Gordo: 6 x 60 (SRP $3.65)

Photo Credit: Cigar Coop