Carrillo Pledge of Allegiance 2024

Today, we review the E.P. Carrillo Pledge of Allegiance 2024 in the box-pressed Toro size. The name is derived from the third and fourth installments of the Perez-Carrillo lines, the Pledge and Allegiance, respectively. The idea for the name came from EPC Chief Operating Officer Selim Hanono. While the name is a mashup of the Pledge and Allegiance names, the blend is entirely different as it emphasizes incorporating U.S.-grown American tobacco. Given the cigar’s name and the use of American tobacco, the Pledge of Allegiance is an annual limited edition release just in time for the 4th of July. The series made its debut in 2023, and the Pledge of Allegiance 2024 was the second year the line was released.

SPECIFICATIONS

The Pledge of Allegiance 2024 focuses on U.S.-grown American tobacco. The cigar features a U.S. Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper. There are also two different (undisclosed) American tobaccos in the filler. The filler is rounded off with Dominican and Nicaraguan tobacco. In addition, the blend utilizes an Ecuadorian binder.

Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder: Ecuadorian
Filler U.S. (Two Undisclosed Tobaccos), Nicaraguan, Dominican
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Factory: Casa Carrillo
Toro: 6 x 54 (Box Pressed)

The Box Pressed Toro measures 6 x 54, and this size has been a staple in each Pledge of Allegiance release. There was also a 6 3/4 x 64 Salomon size. Both sizes came in ten-count boxes. A total of 1,776 boxes of the Box Pressed Toro were made (representing the year the U.S. was born). Meanwhile, 248 Salomon boxes were made (the U.S. turned 248 years old in 2024).

Recently, Casa Carrillo (the new parent company name for E.P. Carrillo) announced its Pledge of Allegiance 2025. The 2025 edition features an updated blend and is available in both Box Pressed Toro and Perfecto sizes.

PERFORMANCE

The Pledge of Allegiance 2024 opened with a variety of flavors, including coffee, berry, chocolate, earth, mineral, cedar, and mixed pepper. Early on, the berry and coffee notes took center stage. The earth, mineral, cedar, and pepper settled in the background. During the first third, the chocolate notes occasionally emerged to the forefront. The retrohale brought a blend of mixed pepper. As the second third began, the chocolate flavor gradually faded, giving way to stronger earth and mixed pepper notes.

By the midway point, the earth joined the coffee and berry notes. Once into the second half, the berry receded into the background. Together with the diminishing chocolate notes, the sweetness dissipated from this cigar. As the Pledge of Allegiance reached the final third, the pepper closed in on the earth and coffee notes. The background notes still featured mineral, chocolate, berry, and cedar, but they didn’t fully round out the flavor profile as I had hoped.

The Pledge of Allegiance 2024 delivered a medium-strength, medium-bodied smoking experience from start to finish. The body had a slight edge in terms of strength. The burn required more touch-ups than I preferred to maintain a straight line and path. The draw was on the open side, but it wasn’t overly loose.

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

The 2023 version of the Pledge of Allegiance was excellent and earned a spot on the Cigar Coop Countdown in 2024. I had high hopes for the 2024 edition of Toro Box Pressed, but something was missing with this one. The flavors of the 2024 edition were similar, but less robust. In addition, the balance of the 2024 edition wasn’t quite the same as that of 2023. This was a trend that I noticed while smoking the 2024 edition over the past few months. While the Pledge of Allegiance 2024 isn’t a bad cigar, it was nowhere near the Top 20 status its predecessor had. This is a cigar I’d recommend trying a sample of and seeing what you think.

Summary

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