PCA 2025: Casa Carrillo (E.P. Carrillo)

The 2025 Premium Cigar Association Trade Show (PCA) saw E.P. Carrillo rebrand its company to Casa Carrillo. The name change is the next step in an overall transformation of rebranding that started in 2024 when the company rebranded its factory from Tabacalera La Alianza to Casa Carrillo. While the company is rebranding, the existing lines of E.P. Carrillo, INCH, and Perez-Carrillo are not changing their packaging. At the same time, Casa Carrillo had two new things to show off – including Lissette Perez-Carrillo’s project and the fourth installment to the Essence Series.

La Historia Silk

Lissette is the daughter of founder Ernesto Perez-Carrillo and continues to play an integral role in the company. La Historia Silk is her project. It’s a cigar crafted based on women smokers’ preferences while being enjoyable for everyone. At the announcement, it was revealed that three blends were under consideration, each featuring a different wrapper: San Andrés, Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade, and Ecuadorian Habano. The selected wrappers were based on feedback from women smokers. Afterward a collaborative process involving retailers, consumers, and women participating in cigar sampling followed. Ultimately, the Ecuadorian Habano blend was announced as the winner at PCA 2025.

The final packaging was not showcased at PCA, but the photo below of the three wrappers gives a preview of what we might see from the band. The Silk will be available in a rounded 6 x 52 Toro size. Before the show, Casa Carrillo stated that a release of 500 boxes was scheduled for the third quarter of 2025.

E.P. Essence Connecticut

The Essence Series is a regular production core line in the Casa Carrillo portfolio. Each line focuses on a different wrapper. As the name suggests, the Essence Connecticut focuses on the Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade wrapper. It’s the fourth installment of the Essence Series.

Casa Carrillo, as a company, has been partnering with other factories and its own. The previous installment of the Essence Series, the Essence Honduras, came from the Plasencia factory in Honduras. Essence Connecticut is also being produced in Honduras, but this time at Agroindustrias Diadema S.A.

Essence Connecticut is available in three sizes: Corona, Robusto, and Toro, each presented in 24-count boxes. Based on size, pricing ranges from $8.75 SRP per cigar to $10.00 SRP per cigar. Shipping for Essence Connecticut begins in May.