While the acronym PCA has been dominating the headlines lately, a new cigar for the TAA—the Tobacconists’ Association of America—is on its way to those stores.

It’s the E.P. Carrillo 2023 TAA, a 6 x 52 box-pressed toro that uses an Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper, a Connecticut broadleaf binder grown in the U.S.A., and fillers from the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua. The company calls it “a medium strength, complex and aromatic cigar with notes of pepper, earth, nuts and cocoa,” adding that the finish is long and creamy with a touch of cedar rounding out the cigar.

“I am really looking forward to retailers’ and consumers’ reactions to this special TAA exclusive,” said Ernesto Perez-Carrillo Jr. in a press release. “We used distinctive well-fermented Ecuador Connecticut wrappers which blend amazingly well with rich Connecticut Broadleaf binders.”

The cigar is priced at $13 per cigar and $130 for a box of 10 cigars. It is produced at Tabacalera La Alianza in the Dominican Republic and limited to 1,000 boxes.

The TAA is a membership-baed group, which also includes approximately 40 manufacturers, that gathers annually to discuss issues facing the industry and retailers, as well as to have its annual trade show, a unique event that works on a group buying format in order to secure exclusive deals for these generally high-volume merchants.

Image courtesy of E.P. Carrillo.

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Patrick Lagreid

I strive to capture the essence of a cigar and the people behind them in my work – every cigar you light up is the culmination of the work of countless people and often represents generations of struggle and stories. For me, it’s about so much more than the cigar – it’s about the story behind it, the experience of enjoying the work of artisans and the way that a good cigar can bring people together. In addition to my work with halfwheel, I’m the public address announcer for the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks during spring training, as well as for the Salt River Rafters of the Arizona Fall League, the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury and previously the Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League. I also work in a number of roles for Major League Baseball, plus I'm a voice over artist. Prior to joining halfwheel, I covered the Phoenix and national cigar scene for Examiner.com, and was an editor for Cigar Snob magazine.