On Thursday, February 20th, my Procigar 2025 visit was to Casa Carrillo, the factory owned by Ernesto Perez-Carrillo. One might remember that at Procigar 2024, I was at Casa Carrillo when it had been rebranded from Tabacalera La Alianza. Although I typically avoid visiting the same factory two years in a row, I found myself in a different situation this time. Specifically, on the eve of the festival, I was informed that my tour at PDR Cigars on Thursday was cancelled. Therefore, with limited options for a replacement, I ultimately decided that Casa Carrillo would be the best choice among those that remained.
Again this year, the tour was conducted by Jorge Luís Fernández Maique (called “Maique”). Owner Ernesto Perez-Carrillo hired Maique to be the factory’s General Manager in late 2021. Maique has worked in various roles at Habanos S.A. in Cuba. Additionally, he played a vital role in the development of the Cohiba Behike. Last year, I was blown away by Maique on the tour I got. Some will say I became a Maique fan-boy. Honestly, it’s hard to dispute that. Maique delivers a clinic on how to do factory tours.
The big question was whether Maique could deliver another standout performance, and the answer was a resounding yes! One thing that impresses me about Maique is his approach at the start of the tour. He says, “This is a factory, not a museum,” and he repeated those words last night. Factories, with the exception of a few such as Tabacalera A. Fuente, have an industrial feel. Casa Carrillo certainly has this industrial vibe, but that’s not a negative aspect. The factory has a lot of charm and is an enjoyable place to be. The Christmas lights in the back of the Galera are a great example of this charm.
Casa Carrillo has changed somewhat since last year. A few walls were moved around the 40,000-square-foot facility. But the biggest change is that Casa Carrillo has recently acquired a new warehouse across the street, which is currently about half full. However, what I’ve learned about warehouses is that you can never have enough space.
I’ve long said that the Procigar tours are different. I’ve mentioned many times that Procigar is also about showcasing Dominican culture, and the Procigar factory tours incorporate some of that to various degrees. While Maique is correct that “this is not a museum,” Casa Carrillo brought touches of Dominican culture into the factory for us.
First up, there was a Dominican coffee stand set up adjacent to the factory floor area:
Visitors to tobacco farms are often offered fresh coconut juice. For real, the coconut is cut open with a machete, and you drink the juice out of it. This was the first time I was ever offered coconut juice in a factory. 
Coconut drinks are a staple during farm tours, and so is the pig roast tradition. I’ve experienced pig roasts at other factories, but this one truly stood out.
Like last year, Brugal Rum (a Dominican Rum company) was also there. They did a pairings seminar with the group.
The pairing featured the E.P. Carrillo Encore Celestial and Brugal 1888 rum. One of the exciting aspects was retro-haling the smoke from the cigar into the rum glass and letting it sit, allowing the smoke to blend with the rum. This technique significantly transformed the experience. We also tried a similar method with an old-fashioned cocktail.
Finally, I’m covering the gifts each factory gave Procigar attendees this year. It’s always interesting to have something to bring home. Casa Carrillo primarily focused on cigars—and they were quite good ones.
- E.P. Carrillo Pledge Lighter Cutter set
- Cigar Pack 1 – these had some cigars that received accolades from Cigar Aficionado.
- La Historia E-III
- Encore Majestic
- Pledge Prequel
- Encore Celestial
- Cigar Pack. 2 – this had some newer releases
- Endure Robusto
- Endure Toro
- 15th Anniversary
Photo Credits: Cigar Coop
