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Out of the Humidor: E.P. Carrillo more info »
Date: August 18, 2010
Publisher: Haute Living
Author: Michael Herklots
New York, NY
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Choosing a Marketing Plan: Traditional or Social Media? more info »
Date: February 24, 2010
Publisher: NY Times
Author: Jane L. Levere
New York, NY
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E.P. Carrillo Review more info »
Date: February 3, 2010
Publisher: Toasted Foot
Author: Matthew Michael
Macon, GA
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E.P. Carrillo Review more info »
Date: January 24, 2010
Publisher: The Weekly Cigar
Author: Danny Principe
Fort Lauderdale, FL
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E.P. Carrillo Review more info »
Date: January 19, 2010
Publisher: Nice Tight Ash
Author: Charlie Cathcart
Maryland
Out of the Humidor: E.P. Carrillo
| Address: | New York, NY |
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E.P. Carillo Edicion Limitada 2010
Today’s cigar marketplace is flooded with “boutique brands”; many nothing more than a gringo with enough backing to produce a “limited” number of cigars and release them through “select” retailers often only to have the bottom fall out and end up being blown out at pennies to the dollar on a discount website. But there are certainly exceptions, many of whom have been featured on this blog, and many who will be in blogs to come. But before this onslaught of out-of-nowhere boutique BS, the cigar industry really had two classes; the “big name” time honored brands that people smoked because their father and their father’s father smoked them, and the small local brands that were created for and sustained by their local market without ever really capturing national or global acclaim. So how did the “little guys” finally gain credibility as viable brands? How did the mom and pop factories become real players? One man changed the game, and paved the road for the rest of the “boutique brands” to follow. Who pioneered the change? Easy. Ernesto Perez-Carillo.
Perez-Carillo came from a tobacco family. His grandfather began making cigars in Cuba in the early 1900’s and his father and namesake worked in tobacco as well before becoming a Cuban Senator. In 1959 the family relocated to Miami and in 1961 Ernesto Sr. opened the El Credito cigar factory where eventually the famed La Gloria Cubana brand would be made. At that time, Ernesto Perez-Carillo, Jr. was a 19-year-old newly married drummer who worked part time with his father while pursuing his music career. When his father passed away in 1980 when Jr. had to take control of the business.
El Credito’s business during the 80’s was steady but not growing, mostly making cigars for the local Miami market. However, the increased popularity of cigars in the United States during the early to mid 1990’s and a favorable rating in Cigar Aficionado Magazine in 1993 catapulted Perez-Carillo, the El Credito factory, and his La Gloria Cubana brand to be the one of the hottest brands in the U.S. with demand far over supply naturally creating one of our industry’s first “boutique brands”.
In 1999 General Cigar Company purchased Carillo’s El Credito factory and the corresponding brands with Perez-Carillo remaining “president and cigar master” of the El Credito division. But in March 2009 Carillo announced his departure from General Cigar Company walking away from the factory and brands he built.
But he quickly announced his new venture. Following his family tradition with daughter Lisette and son Ernesto III joining him, they successfully launched the E.P. Carillo “Inaugural” cigar in late 2009 followed by the E.P. Carillo “Short Run” in early 2010. Just this past week at the industry’s annual International Premium Cigar and Pipe Retailer’s Convention in New Orleans, LA, the Perez-Carillo family debuted their new E.P. Carillo “Core Line” as well as a 2010 Edicion Limitada. The family is embracing the philosophies and ethics that they always have, the ones that built El Credito in the first place, keeping production small and controlled while maintaining quality and consistency. Now the Godfather of the Boutique Cigar is right back where he belongs … at the top!
Choosing a Marketing Plan: Traditional or Social Media?
| Address: | New York, NY |
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| Website: | www.nytimes.com |
EPC CIGAR COMPANY manufactures and distributes cigars that are hand-rolled in the Dominican Republic from Ecuadorean, Nicaraguan and Dominican tobacco. It has been in business since April, although the family that owns it previously ran a successful cigar company that was sold to Swedish Match in 1999.
THE CHALLENGE To develop a cost-effective and efficient marketing strategy to promote the company and its new brand, E. P. Carrillo, while building on the family’s legacy.
THE BACKGROUND EPC Cigar, based in Miami, is owned and operated by the Perez-Carrillo family, whose Cuban-born patriarch, Ernesto Perez-Carrillo, established El Credito Cigars in 1968; its best-known brand was La Gloria Cubana. After Mr. Perez-Carrillo’s death, his son, Ernesto Perez-Carrillo Jr., sold El Credito to Swedish Match in 1999, working there until March 2009. Mr. Perez-Carrillo Jr., 58, remains a big deal in the cigar world.
He was encouraged to start EPC Cigar by his daughter, Lissette, 36, a lawyer based in Miami, and his son, Ernesto Perez-Carrillo III, 28, a management consultant based in New York, both of whom had worked for El Credito while growing up. The three family members run the company, which employs 34 people in Miami and the Dominican Republic.
Its first product was a $13 limited-edition inaugural cigar released in December; it will be followed this spring by the core E. P. Carrillo line, which will be available in five sizes priced from $6 to $8.
E.P. Carrillo Review
| Address: | Macon, GA |
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| Website: | www.toastedfoot.com |
I debated the scoring in this category; at $13 a stick, and the fact that is a limited run cigar, I made a minor deduction. The experimental wrapper used for this cigar will not be available again until 2012; perhaps then, when grown in larger quantity, the price will decrease a bit and the stick will be easier to come by. I had to pace myself on this one, as I never wanted to put it down in between puffs; it was so complex and yet incredibly smooth. Though a seasoned veteran, this is one heck of an introductory cigar! If you see these, pick up a box because I doubt this exact blend will be produced again.
(Total: 9.3)
E.P. Carrillo Review
| Address: | Fort Lauderdale, FL |
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| Website: | theweeklycigar.com |
Vitola: Encore
Length: 5 3/8″
Ring Gauge: 52
This is a cigar I have been wanting to try for some time, but a $13+ pricetag kept me away. Thankfully, Ken, the very generous owner of my local B&M (http://www.cigarsandmore.com) was nice enough to give me one and, I have to say, this is one of the finest cigars I have had the pleasure of smoking.
The Verdict
Appearance: 14/15
This cigar is beautiful. There is not a lot of oil to the wrapper, but the veins are tiny, and the cap is applied in a way that makes it almost flush with the the wrapper leaf. The cigar is firm and evenly packed. There are 3 water spots on the wrapper, which is something you see every now and again, particularly with Cuban cigars.
Flavor: 25/25
The wrapper smelled of sweet hay/grass, and the cold taste had hints of raisin and cinnamon. The draw seemed a bit snug, but as soon as the cigar was lit, it opened up perfectly.
The first few puffs were incredible. The taste was unbelievably complex, and included cinnamon, honey, a slight grassiness, raisin, and pepper (think a softer white pepper as opposed to a Cubao or Tatuaje).
As the cigar progressed, the body picked up slightly, going from mild/medium to medium. The ash was strong, and held on for around 2”. The second third showed a similar taste profile, but the honey/graham sweetness and cinnamon picked up and I started to notice vanilla in the background.
The pepper faded out in the second third, and picked up again in the final third. At this point, the body had crept to the medium/full range.
Construction: 23/25
The construction was top notch. The burn was mostly straight, but went jagged a few times. The remarkable thing was that no matter how bad the burn got, the cigar always evened itself out.
Overall Impression: 34/35
What can I say? This cigar is a masterpiece. It tastes like a cross between a Cuban Romeo y Julieta Short Churchill and a Davidoff Aniversario No. 3. At $13, the E.P. Carrillo Edición Inaugural 2009 is a steal. This is the perfect smoke for a lazy Sunday afternoon outside on your deck, and would be even better paired with an iced latte. If I had the money, I would pick up a box or two in a heartbeat. Also, if I had smoked this cigar before I put out my Top Cigars of 2009, the E.P. Carrillo Edición Inaugural 2009 would be very near the top.
Final Score: 96/100
E.P. Carrillo Review
| Address: | Maryland |
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| Website: | nicetightash.com |
Ernesto Perez-Carrillo is most associated with his original cigar creation, the La Gloria Cubana. After rave reviews in the first issues of Cigar Aficionado, the brand help lead the industry into it’s first big boom in the mid-1990s. In 1999, Swedish Match/General Cigar purchased the company from Ernesto, and he stayed there for 10 more years, until the spring of 2009. Wanting to return to his roots as a family-run boutique cigar manufacturer, he started a new company, EPC Cigar Co., along with his two children, Ernesto III and Lissette. Limited to 150,000 cigars, the Edición Inaugural 2009 is the first release from this new venture, with their first full release due in April 2010. Billed as medium bodied, the mix of Nicaraguan and Dominican filler are bound by two 5 year old Piloto Cubano binders, one from Nicaragua and one from the Dominican Republic, and is encased in an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper that has been aged for 3 years.
