The long-awaited Encore from E.P. Carrillo will soon arrive at retailers, as the company has announced that it will get its widespread release on March 15.

The Nicaraguan puro is centered around a two-year aging process for the wrapper that involves the use of tercios, bundles of tobacco held together by royal palm leaves and rope.

“I like to make blends that are not only going to activate your senses around the palate, but stimulate your senses everywhere, making it a whole body experience,” said Ernesto Perez-Carrillo Jr. via a press release. “With this wrapper, I believe we have delivered. It’s always interesting when you smoke it, within every inch you will find a different complexity, and you find that it changes as you smoke. It keeps you coming back to the cigar. Some cigars you smoke and you smoke and you forget you’re smoking it, not Encore.”

The four vitolas are named for Perez-Carrillo’s grandchildren:

  • Perez-Carrillo Encore Celestial (6 1/8 x 50) — $11.75 (Boxes of 10, $117.50)
  • Perez-Carrillo Encore Valientes (6 1/8 x 52) — $12.25 (Boxes of 10, $122.50)
  • Perez-Carrillo Encore Majestic (5 3/8 x 52) — $11.50 (Boxes of 10, $115)
  • Perez-Carrillo Encore El Primero (6 7/8 x 54) — $12.50 (Boxes of 10, $125)

“My father blends from the soul and challenges himself with every blend, said Lissette Perez-Carrillo, Ernesto Perez-Carrillo’s daughter and co-owner of E.P. Carrillo. “The Encore’s name came from the concept of that last song at a concert, the one we all want to hear after a great performance. Being a former musician, my dad could relate to that very well,” she added.

The cigar has been on the radar for more than two years, with some of its earliest reports coming back in February 2016.

Images 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 MLB.com, 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.