July 11, 2023 Patrick Lagreid PCA 2023,  PCA 2023 Booths

PCA 2023: E.P. Carrillo

While I don’t know if I’d call it a storyline, I’ve become increasingly interested in the collaborations that E.P. Carrillo has been doing lately, working with companies and factories beyond their own Tabacalera La Alianza on new lines. I’m never quite sure how much to make of such things, though I do find myself interested in the results.

This year, the company had two new releases. One is the latest installment of a limited edition, and the other is new size of an existing line. Both are made at other factories.

As for the company’s booth this year, there is no mistaking it is E.P. Carrillo’s, with plenty of branding, a tall central tower with shelves filled with the company’s existing lines, and display cases on the outside edge with new products. It is also connected to Crowned Heads’ booth via an internal hallway, something I do not recall seeing before.

E.P. Carrillo Short Run 2023

For the first time since its debut in 2009, a Short Run release is not being produced at Tabacalera La Alianza. This one is being made by Oscar Valladares Tobacco & Co. in Honduras. It was a decision driven by the availability of tobacco, specifically Honduran tobacco grown in Copan. Valladares had some at his factory, and Ernesto Perez-Carrillo wanted to use it. That led to a collaboration between the two companies—and the individuals whose names adorn them.

  • Wrapper: Ecuador (Havana)
  • Binder: Nicaragua
  • Filler: Nicaragua and Honduras
  • E.P. Carrillo Short Run 2023 Robusto (5 x 50) — $10.75 (Box of 24, $258) — 1,250 Boxes of 24 Cigars (30,000 Total Cigars)
  • E.P. Carrillo Short Run 2023 Toro (6 x 52) — $11.75 (Box of 24, $282) — 1,250 Boxes of 24 Cigars (30,000 Total Cigars)
  • E.P. Carrillo Short Run 2023 Gordo (6 x 60) — $12.75 (Box of 24, $306) — 625 Boxes of 24 Cigars (15,000 Total Cigars)

Production: See Above

Release Date: Late July/Early August 2023

E.P. Carrillo INCH Nicaragua No. 70

The INCH Nicaragua line, which debuted in 2022 and is made by Plasencia Cigars S.A. in Estelí, is adding the No. 70 size, which measures 7 inches in length, and has a thick 70 ring gauge. This is a size found in several of the INCH’s other lines. It becomes the fourth size available in the line, and everything about the cigar stays the same from a blend perspective.

  • Wrapper: Nicaragua (Jalapa)
  • Binder: Nicaragua
  • Filler: Nicaragua
  • E.P. Carrillo INCH Nicaragua No. 70 (7 x 70) — $15.50 (Box of 24, $372)

Production: Regular Production

Release Date: September 2023

Overall Score

E.P. Carrillo E.P. Carrillo INCH Nicaragua E.P. Carrillo INCH Nicaragua No. 70 E.P. Carrillo Short Run 2023 PCA 2023
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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.

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