E.P. Carrillo’s New Pledge Launching Later this Year
If you went to the 2019 Big Smoke Las Vegas weekend, you got more than just a cigar when you visited the E.P. Carrillo booth—you also received a ballot with three names on it: Bequest, Pledge, Prequel. The guests were told that their votes would help determine the name of the company’s follow-up project to Encore (2018 Cigar of the Year) and La Historia (No. 2 Cigar of 2014), two of the most highly praised cigars ever created by legendary cigarmaker Ernesto Perez-Carrillo.
Ultimately, the Big Smoke guests chose the name Pledge, and the new cigar is expected to start shipping to retail stores in August. (The Coronavirus pandemic delayed the original March launch date.) Pledge will be the third cigar in what the company calls the Perez-Carrillo Series. While La Historia was a tribute to the Perez-Carrillo family’s history in tobacco and Encore honored Ernesto’s grandchildren, Pledge is an homage to all cigar smokers.
“With each sample of the six different blends for Pledge I worked on, I asked myself, ‘Is this cigar worthy to follow La Historia and Encore?” said Perez-Carrillo in a press release. “And I was very pleased when I found the
one.”
The chosen blend features a Connecticut Havana-seed wrapper, Ecuadoran binder and Nicaraguan filler. The first release of Pledge will come in two, box-pressed sizes that measure 5 inches by 50 ring and 6 inches by 52 ring. Prices have not yet been determined, and the company says it will be adding new sizes in the future.
Only a select few retailers will be receiving the first release of the Pledge due to the fact that production was limited because the company’s Tabacalera La Alianza cigar factory in the Dominican Republic was forced to shut down for a time due to the pandemic. More shipments to additional retailers are expected to follow in the near future.
