IPCPR 2013: E.P. Carrillo

IPCPR always delivers a few surprises, some big, some small, some you should have seen coming and some you shouldn’t. E.P. Carrillo’s booth contained a few of each this year, as they welcomed Crowned Heads into their bigger space, they revealed three cigars previously announced and had the packaging for a fourth that has become a regular release but nothing had been said about to this point.

First up, the things we knew about. E-Stunner was on full display, and you can read more about it here. The 4 x 46 has some kick but isn’t over the top, and was one of many smaller vitolas to be found on the show floor. Also, it’s a nice contrast to the larger cigars that were prevalent throughout the show. Also available are 5 x 50 and 5 1/2 x 54 vitolas, with MSRPs of $5.50, $6.45 and $7.20. It should be at retail in mid-August.

Speaking of large cigars, the INCH gets a 7 x 70 in both natural and maduro. It’s large. The boxes are large, too. 24 cigars to a box, $12.00 per stick.

Announced but not on display was the New Wave Connecticut Selectos de Oro, a new 6 1/2 x 43 vitola that has a $6.00 MSRP. More details here.

On display but not announced was the 2013 Edición Limitada, and my are the boxes gorgeous:

As for the cigars, they are a Toro vitola that come 20 to a box and have an MSRP of $16 per stick. Blend notes weren’t readily available, but the wrapper is Mexican San Andrés. Look for it in October, complete with velvet pouch to keep the box protected.

Update (July 18, 2013) — An earlier version of this story misidentified the new vitola of the New Wave Connecticut as the Divinos when it is the Selectos de Oro.

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.