E.P. Carrillo Pledge Sojourn

E.P. Carrillo Pledge Sojourn | Agile Cigar Review

Today, we review the E.P. Carrillo Pledge Sojourn. When Pledge was released in 2020, it came in two sizes – Prequel (Robusto) and Sojourn (Toro). The Prequel is the size that garnered much of the attention and accolades, but the Sojourn seemed to go under the radar. The Pledge line is the third blend in the Perez-Carrillo Series – a series that pays homage to company founder Ernesto Perez-Carrillo’s family members. In this case, Pledge pays tribute to all cigar smokers – part of the extended family of E.P. Carrillo.

Pledge now has three regular production sizes, each with a specific name: Prequel, Sojourn, and Apogee (a Gordo size which was added later). Prequel and Apogee can be tied to the beginning and end of a journey, respectively. A sojourn is a temporary stay at some point in a trip—and it could be tied to the middle of the journey. One can infer that the 6 x 52 size of Sojourn is somewhere between the Robusto and Gordo sizes.

SPECIFICATIONS

The wrapper is a Connecticut-grown Havana seed wrapper. Owner/blender Ernesto Perez-Carrillo has always been enamored with this wrapper. He worked on several limited editions with it, but with Pledge, it became an ongoing release. The remainder of the blend features an Ecuadorian binder and all Nicaraguan fillers.

Wrapper: Connecticut Havana
Binder: Ecuadorian
Filler: Nicaraguan
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Factory: Casa Carrillo
Sojourn: 6 x 52

PERFORMANCE

The Pledge Sojourn opened up with coffee, earth, and mineral notes. This was soon joined by chocolate, licorice, and black pepper notes. The chocolate and licorice notes became primary early on. The pepper, coffee, earth, and mineral notes settled in the background. The pepper was milder on the tongue and retro-hale early on but gradually built up on both fronts in intensity.

Meanwhile, the earth notes also increased in intensity, displacing the chocolate notes in the forefront. The second half combined the licorice and earth notes. The chocolate settled into the background and dissipated by the final third. During the final third, the pepper closed in on the licorice and earth notes in the forefront. These notes were still rounded out by coffee and mineral notes.

Throughout the smoking experience, the Pledge Sojourn delivered medium-bodied flavors countered by medium strength. However, the burn and draw could have scored better. The burn required excessive touch-ups to maintain a straight burn path and line. The draw was on the open side. I usually prefer a little more resistance on my draw.

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

In terms of the flavors, the first third of the E.P. Carrillo Pledge Sojourn was the best I have had on any of the sizes of this blend. While I feel that the Pledge Prequel best represents the blend, I place the Sojourn in second place. A less-than-stellar burn slightly hampered the assessment score. Had the burn performed at a higher level, we might be discussing the Sojourn as having a Cigar Coop Standard of Excellence designation. This is a blend I would recommend to either an experienced or novice cigar enthusiast. As for myself, this is a cigar I would buy and smoke again. I’d be curious to smoke a few more of these down the line to see if they perform a little better.

Summary

Key Flavors: Coffee, Licorice, Earth, Chocolate, Mineral, Pepper
Burn: Good
Draw: Very Good
Complexity: Medium Plus
Strength: Medium
Body: Medium
Finish: Very Good