E.P. Carrillo was one of the busier companies at the 2024 Premium Cigar Association (PCA) Trade Show. For the past few years, much of the focus has been on the premium Perez-Carrillo line. During this year’s Trade Show, E.P. Carrillo showcased their latest cigar, the Encore Black, and unveiled a new six-cigar blend lineup called the Essence Series. These blends are now a regular production offering and a new core series for the company. Despite receiving many accolades over the years, it’s clear that E.P. Carrillo is not a company that rests on its laurels.
We have seen E.P. Carrillo collaborate with the Oliva Plasencia and Oscar Valladares factories over the past couple of years. This year, the focus was back on E.P. Carrillo’s factory. Earlier this year, E.P. Carrillo announced it was rebranding its factory from Tabacalera La Alianza to Casa Carrillo. This rebranding was on display at PCA.
On the eve of the 2024 PCA Trade Show, E.P. Carrillo dropped the news on the Essence Series. Each of the series’ installments will have a different wrapper. The focus was on the first release, the E.P. Carrillo Sumatra, which uses an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper. The remainder of the blend features a double binder with tobacco from Nicaragua and Honduras. The fillers use a combination of Nicaraguan and Dominican tobacco. Presented in 24-count boxes, the E.P. Carrillo Sumatra comes in three parejo sizes: Robusto Toro and Gordo. Pricing comes in between $9.25 and $10.75 MSRP.
E.P. Carrillo used PCA to showcase the six planned releases of the Essence Series. The Honduras and Maduro releases will follow later in the year. There are other blends Connecticut, Nicaragua, and Cameroon planned for future release.
As mentioned, there is a new Perez-Carrillo cigar, the Encore Black. This limited production offering is a follow-up to the original Encore, but it features an entirely different blend. Encore Black uses a U.S. Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro over a San Andres Mexican binder and all Nicaraguan fillers from the Condega, Estelí, and Jalapa regions. According to E.P. Carrillo, the tobaccos undergo an extensive 18-month hand fermentation and are aged for at least three years. Following that process, the actual cigars are aged for six months. The cigar comes in one box-pressed size, a 5 3/4 x 52, and is available in ten-count boxes. Encore Black comes in at a $17.00 price point.
Following PCA, E.P. Carrillo announced two additional Encore extensions. The Encore Noir is a rounded cigar and a totally different blend than the Encore Black. The second is the Encore Edicion Unica I Solidarios, a modified blend of the Encore in a 6 x 56 format. The Noir and Solidarios were not on display at PCA. These are targeted for the international market, but some Encore Noir are reserved for events in the United States.
Finally, the E.P. Carrillo Pledge of Allegiance, a limited edition cigar that made its debut in 2023, was showcased. E.P. Carrillo says the cigar will be making a return in time for the Fourth of July celebrations. Pledge of Allegiance highlights the use of American-grown tobaccos. In 2023, 1,776 boxes were released, and it became one of the company’s fastest-selling releases to date.
Interview with Ernesto Perez-Carrillo, E.P. Carrillo
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