E.P Carrillo Pledge Apogee Cigar - Box of 20

Length: 6 1/4"
Ring Gauge: 58
Strength: Medium to Full

Packaging: Box of 20
Vitola: Toro
Smoking Time: 60 Minutes

Wrapper: Mexican San Andres
Binder: Ecuador Sumatra
Filler: Nicaragua

Rated Cigar of the Year for 2020 by Cigar Aficionado. 

E. P CARRILLO 

The roots of the Perez-Carrillo family are in Cuba, where Ernesto Sr. was born in 1904. He began learning about tobacco and cigars early in his childhood from his father who rolled and sold penny cigars in the streets of Havana. After working as a tobacco buyer for many years, Ernesto Sr. launched the family cigar dynasty in 1948 when he purchased El Credito, a small cigar factory in Havana. The Perez-Carrillo family became well-respected in Cuba, and Ernesto Sr. was elected to the Senate in 1954 and 1958.

But, as the Cuban Revolution took hold and Castro gained control of Cuba, the Perez-Carrillo family’s life changed forever - the government confiscated the family’s properties including the beloved El Credito factory. Fearing for their safety, the family fled to Miami, but not before leaving Ernesto with a lasting impression of his homeland.

Ernesto Sr. expected the move to be temporary, but it soon became clear that returning to Cuba was not to be, Ernesto Sr. focused on making Miami his home. Returning to what he did best: making cigars. Nine years passed, but finally Ernesto Sr. was able to purchase a cigar factory in Little Havana, fittingly naming it El Credito.

His son and namesake Ernesto (Who originally had a passion for chasing a dream in Jazz music and not cigars) worked alongside his father, Ernesto to make cigars for the locals in Little Havana. It wasn’t until his father contemplated selling El Credito in 1976 that young Ernesto realized that this was his calling in life. He convinced his father not to sell, and for the next four years, he shadowed him to see how a master created a cigar. When his father passed away in 1980, a 29-year old Ernesto took over the reins of El Credito

Today, Ernesto gives credit to his father for teaching him most of what he knows about cigars. The most valuable lessons Ernesto learned from his father were from the examples he set in his everyday life – dedication to work, humility, patience and respect. These are the same principles behind each cigar created by Master Blender Ernesto Perez-Carrillo.

PLEDGE

The EP Carrillo Pledge Lonsdale Cigars are the latest instalment of the iconic blend that has quickly earned its place among the greatest smokes of all time. As most smokers know, the EP Carrillo blend was awarded the number one title by Cigar Aficionado for the year 2020.

The Pledge is dedicated to cigar aficionados. It also embodies Ernesto Perez-Carrillo’s promise to his fans to “never stop working with the best tobaccos and bringing new and innovative blends” Featuring a unique Connecticut wrapper, a leaf that Ernesto had become fond of during the early '80s. This wrapper has been combined with an Ecuadorian binder and all-Nicaraguan fillers, with the recipe being finalised with a box-press.

Pledge is a testament to Ernesto Perez-Carrillo’s dedication to excellence and innovation in cigar crafting. This full-bodied masterpiece is crafted with the finest tobaccos, delivering a rich and complex flavor profile that has captivated cigar enthusiasts worldwide.

Cigars need a BOOST?

The resulting experience lives up to the high expectations of Perez-Carrillo cigars, offering a medium/full intensity and long-lasting complexities of red pepper spice, hickory, candy-covered chocolate, aromatic botanicals, nougat, and a dark underbelly of ripe stone fruit.

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93 / 100

"...resulting in a bold smoke full of cocoa powder, black pepper and hickory. Some sweet notes of vanilla and marshmallow also come through. Of note is the wrapper, a dark leaf of Cuban-seed tobacco from Connecticut..."