#22 2023 Cigar of the Year: E.P. Carrillo Allegiance Sidekick SPECIFICATIONS Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra Binder: Nicaraguan Filler: Nicaraguan Country of Origin: Nicaragua Factory: TABOLISA Sidekick: 5 x 50 Price: $12.00 Sponsor: No Samples Provided for Initial Review: No Review: E.P. Carrillo Allegiance Sidekick (10/9/23) Appearances on Countdown (By Year/Company): 9 (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, […]
Announcement: The Smoking Syndicate Roundtable #13: Aura by E.P. Carrillo Shengxiao, Part 2
The Smoking Syndicate Roundtable tackles another set of cigars from the Aura by E.P. Carrillo Shengxiao Collection tonight. We are, once again, joined by a special guest Roundtable panelist, Mr. Fred Rewey! The Aura by E.P. Carrillo Shengxiao is an ultra-premium collection introduced by E.P. Carrillo late in 2023. It consists of 12 blends by […]
Cigar Review: E.P. Carrillo Pledge of Allegiance (2023)
The E.P. Carrillo Pledge of Allegiance is the fifth installment of the Perez-Carrillo series. It is also the first limited-edition installment of the series. The name is derived from the third and fourth installments of the Perez-Carrilo line, the Pledge and Allegiance, respectively. The idea for the name is credited to former E.P. Carrillo Chief […]
Cigar News: E.P. Carrillo Escapade 3-Packs Based on Consumer Feedback Released
Earlier this year, E.P. Carrillo announced Escapade, a project where the company is turning to its consumers to determine an upcoming limited-release blend. Last week, the company announced the release of the E.P. Carrillo Escapade three-pack. This consists of three blends where consumers will decide what the limited-release blend will be. Escapade is the second […]
Cigar Review: E.P. Carrillo Platinum Bash (Toro)
On November 16, 2021, legendary blender Ernesto Perez-Carrillo Jr. turned 70 years young. The company celebrated this milestone birthday by releasing a special limited edition cigar. The idea was to go into the blend archives of Ernesto Perez-Carrillo and find an unreleased blend that was not released for various reasons (such as limited tobacco). Ernesto […]
Cigar Review: E.P. Carrillo Allegiance Sidekick
Just before the 2022 Premium Cigar Association (PCA) Trade Show, E.P. Carrillo announced the fourth installment to its Perez-Carrillo line, the Allegiance. The Allegiance is a cigar that Ernesto Perez-Carrillo blended, but it is being produced from Oliva’s TABOLISA factory in Estelí, Nicaragua. It was the second project by E.P. Carrillo being produced outside its […]
Agile Cigar Review: E.P. Carrillo Pledge Firecracker
Agile Cigar Reviews are cigar assessments where we use a lightweight, shorter format. These will never take the place of our comprehensive reviews. They are only used on blends we have previously assessed. This might be a blend we are re-scoring or giving a score for the first time. It might be a blend we […]
PCA 2023: E.P. Carrillo
Over the years, Ernesto Perez-Carrillo has become synonymous with creating legendary cigars and establishing a factory (Tabacalera La Alianza) that has produced many releases for industry leaders. However, at the 2023 Premium Cigar Association (PCA)Trade Show, things were a little different. The two releases that E.P. Carrillo featured were not being done at their own […]
Cigar News: E.P. Carrillo Short Run 2023 to be Produced by Oscar Valladares
Last year, E.P. Carrillo shocked many people by releasing two projects not produced at its factory: INCH Nicaragua (Plasencia S.A), and Allegiance (Oliva). On the eve of the 2023 Premium Cigar Association (PCA) Trade Show, E.P. Carrillo announced another shocker. – the company’s Short Run 2023 edition will be produced in Honduras by Oscar Valladares […]
Cigar Review: E.P. Carrillo INCH Nicaragua No. 60
In 2012, E.P. Carrillo would launch a line focused on large ring gauge cigars known as the INCH Series. Large ring gauge cigars are nothing new to Ernesto Perez-Carrillo as he was considered somewhat of a pioneer in this area while he was with La Gloria Cubana.It was back in 2012, the INCH was originally […]