E.P. Carrillo Pledge Purple

Casa Carrillo Pledge Purple

The Casa Carrillo Pledge Purple is a limited edition 6 x 54 Toro handmade at the Casa Carrillo factory in Santiago, Dominican Republic, wearing the same Havana seed Connecticut wrapper from Dunn and Foster that appeared on the original Pledge Prequel, Cigar Aficionado’s 98-point rated #1 Cigar of 2020. The leaf is the same. The age is not. According to Cigar Aficionado, master blender Ernesto Perez Carrillo set aside a portion of that wrapper tobacco in 2021 and continued aging it at his factory. The leaf, sourced from Connecticut tobacco grower Dunn and Foster, is now nearly a decade old. Inside, the blend departs entirely from the original Pledge. The binder is Mexican, and the fillers are Nicaraguan from Estelí, Condega, and Ometepe. The Premium Cigar Association describes the result as “full strength, designed to highlight the evolved character of the wrapper while delivering balance and complexity.” Only 3,500 boxes will be produced, shipping in multiple installments throughout 2026. Priced at $18 per cigar in ten-count boxes. The name “Purple” refers to the band’s color, distinguishing it from the original Pledge’s red band.

• Wrapper: Havana seed Connecticut, grown in the Connecticut River Valley by Dunn and Foster. This is the same wrapper varietal used on the original Pledge Prequel that scored 98 points from Cigar Aficionado. The difference is time. Casa Carrillo set aside a portion of this wrapper leaf after the original Pledge release and continued aging it. The leaf is now nearly a decade old, meaning five additional years of post-harvest maturation beyond what the original Pledge carried. That extra age deepens the wrapper’s oils, softens its tannins, and develops flavor complexity that a younger leaf cannot deliver.
• Binder: Mexican. A departure from the original Pledge’s Ecuadorian binder. Mexican binder leaf is less common in premium cigars and brings a distinctive earthy, spicy quality that contributes to the Pledge Purple’s full strength character.
• Filler: Nicaraguan, sourced from three distinct growing regions. Estelí produces bold, spicy tobacco. Condega is known for sweeter, more rounded leaves. Ometepe, a volcanic island in Lake Nicaragua, produces tobacco with distinctive mineral and earthy qualities found nowhere else. The triple region Nicaraguan filler is an entirely new blend, not the same filler composition used in the original Pledge.
• Size: Toro, 6 x 54. One size only. A generous ring gauge that gives the triple region filler blend room to express itself fully.
• Strength: Full. Both Cigar Aficionado and the Premium Cigar Association confirm Pledge Purple as a full-strength cigar. This is a step up from the original Pledge Prequel, which Cigar Coop rated at medium strength with medium to full body.
• Production: Limited to 3,500 boxes. Shipping in multiple installments throughout 2026, starting in March 2026. Premier Collection release.
• Price: $18 per cigar, ten count boxes ($180 per box).
• Factory: Casa Carrillo factory, Santiago, Dominican Republic. The same facility that produces Pledge, La Historia, Encore, and all Casa Carrillo brands.

The wrapper is the shared DNA between these two cigars, and everything else changes. The original Pledge Prequel uses an Ecuadorian binder and Nicaraguan fillers in a blend that Cigar Coop described as producing “coffee, licorice, black cherry, wood, pepper” at medium strength with medium to full body. Halfwheel detected “strong cocoa nibs, milk chocolate sweetness, leather, creamy cedar, hay, barnyard” from the wrapper alone. The Pledge Purple swaps in a Mexican binder and reorganizes the Nicaraguan filler to pull from three named growing regions (Estelí, Condega, and Ometepe), pushing the strength firmly into full territory. The nearly decade old wrapper has shed more ammonia, developed deeper oils, and evolved its tannin structure well beyond what the original Pledge’s wrapper carried. This is not a rebanded Pledge. It is an entirely new cigar built around the same wrapper at a much later stage of its life.

What to expect from the blend

No detailed third by third tasting notes exist for the Pledge Purple yet, as the cigar began shipping in March 2026. What we can project with confidence is based on the blend’s architecture and the extensively reviewed flavor profile of the original Pledge, which shares the same wrapper varietal at a younger age.

The original Pledge’s Havana seed Connecticut wrapper from Dunn and Foster is the most reviewed component. Halfwheel’s three sample review of the Prequel found cocoa nibs, milk chocolate sweetness, leather, creamy cedar, hay, barnyard, bitter espresso, toast, cinnamon, peanut shells, and a touch of floral across the smoking experience. Klaro Cigars detected “chewy granola bars, milky mocha, raw oats, oiled leather” with “oak tannins, heavier leather, espresso bitterness, vanilla bean, caramel, and cacao nib.” Cigar Coop’s key flavors were “coffee, licorice, black cherry, wood, pepper.” Latino Leaders found “dry fruit, dark chocolate, licorice, cedar wood, leather, charred wood, coffee beans” in the first third, transitioning to “nutty, roast, peanuts, almonds, toast, and woody bread flavors” in the second third. Holt’s Cigar described a “full tilt spice” at the opening with “mesquite and hickory” commanding attention.

With nearly a decade of total age on that same wrapper, expect the leather, cocoa, and cedar to deepen while the raw intensity and any harsh edges soften into a smoother, more refined expression. The Mexican binder will add its own earthy, spicy undercurrent. The Estelí filler brings the bold pepper and spice that makes the cigar full strength. The Condega filler provides sweetness, body, and roundness. The Ometepe filler is the wildcard, the volcanic island soil produces tobacco with a mineral, earthy depth that is unlike Estelí or Condega and may introduce a terroir driven complexity to the profile. At full strength and $18 per cigar with only 3,500 boxes in existence, this is a cigar designed for experienced smokers who want to taste what nearly a decade does to one of the most celebrated wrapper leaves in modern cigar making.

The Perez Carrillo dynasty

The Pledge Purple carries the weight of a family name intertwined with premium cigars for over five decades. Ernesto Perez Carrillo Sr. left Cuba and settled in Miami. In 1972, he officially launched La Gloria Cubana in the United States and established El Credito Cigar Factory in Little Havana. Cigar Aficionado profiled his son Ernesto Jr. in 1992, when production was fewer than one million cigars a year and a small cult of smokers nationwide coveted the La Gloria Cubana brand.

When Ernesto Sr. passed away, his son took over El Credito. In 1990, Carrillo Jr. released a bold new recipe with an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper, Nicaraguan binder, and Nicaraguan and Dominican fillers. That cigar became the La Gloria Cubana Classic, transforming the brand from a local Miami favorite into one of America’s most iconic cigar names. By 1996, demand forced expansion to a second factory in Santiago, Dominican Republic, pushing annual production past one million cigars by 1997.

In 1999, Carrillo sold El Credito and the La Gloria Cubana brand but stayed on to supervise production. A decade later, at the urging of his children Ernesto III and Lissette, he founded E.P. Carrillo and built Tabacalera La Alianza (now the Casa Carrillo factory) in Santiago, Dominican Republic. The factory became the home of La Historia (2014, Cigar Aficionado #2 Cigar of the Year), Encore (2018, Cigar Aficionado #1 Cigar of the Year), and the Pledge (2020, Cigar Aficionado #1 Cigar of the Year, 98 points). Two #1 Cigar of the Year awards in three years. No other active blender has matched that streak. The company rebranded as Casa Carrillo, and the Pledge Purple is among the first releases under that name.

Why the Pledge matters

The original E.P. Carrillo Pledge Prequel earned a 98 rating from Cigar Aficionado, the highest score the magazine had awarded at the time, and was named the #1 Cigar of the Year for 2020. Halfwheel noted the cigar’s debut year magic, writing that subsequent batches of the original Pledge “just haven’t held up in flavor or complexity” and that “the fall off was nearly immediate.” That observation makes the Pledge Purple’s premise even more interesting. Rather than trying to recreate the original Pledge’s first year magic with younger leaf, Carrillo went the opposite direction: take the same wrapper from that original era, give it five more years, surround it with an entirely new blend, and see what a decade of age produces. The Pledge Purple is not attempting to be the original Pledge. It is attempting to answer the question of what that celebrated wrapper becomes when given extraordinary time.

Pairings

At full strength with a nearly decade old Havana seed Connecticut wrapper, Mexican binder, and triple region Nicaraguan filler, the Pledge Purple demands pairings with backbone. A barrel proof bourbon (Booker’s, Stagg Jr., Elijah Craig Barrel Proof) matches the cigar’s intensity and adds caramel, vanilla, and oak that will interact with the evolved wrapper’s cocoa and leather depth. An aged rum (Ron Zacapa 23, Diplomático Reserva Exclusiva, Flor de Caña 18) provides dark sweetness that complements the wrapper’s matured character. Espresso or dark roast black coffee echoes the coffee and cocoa notes that the original Pledge wrapper is known for. A Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, or Barolo provides tannic structure and dark fruit that can stand up to a full strength cigar. An aged cheddar, Manchego, or Gruyère adds nutty, savory complexity. For an adventurous pairing, a Mexican mezcal connects to the cigar’s Mexican binder and adds smoky, mineral, agave character that may interact with the Ometepe filler’s volcanic earthiness.

Quick specs

• Vitola: Toro (6 x 54)
• Wrapper: Havana seed Connecticut (Dunn and Foster), nearly a decade old
• Binder: Mexican
• Filler: Nicaraguan (Estelí, Condega, Ometepe)
• Strength: Full
• MSRP: $18 per cigar
• Box Count: 10
• Production: 3,500 boxes (limited)

What is the Casa Carrillo Pledge Purple?

A limited edition, full strength Toro (6 x 54) from Casa Carrillo, featuring the same Havana seed Connecticut wrapper from Dunn and Foster that appeared on the 98 point rated Pledge Prequel (#1 Cigar of 2020), but aged nearly a decade total. New binder (Mexican) and new filler (Nicaraguan from Estelí, Condega, and Ometepe). Handmade at the Casa Carrillo factory in Santiago, Dominican Republic. Only 3,500 boxes produced. $18 per cigar. Shipping in multiple installments throughout 2026.

How is the Pledge Purple different from the original Pledge?

Same wrapper varietal from the same grower, but nearly a decade old versus approximately five years old at time of the original release. Different binder (Mexican instead of Ecuadorian). Different filler composition (Estelí, Condega, and Ometepe). Full strength versus medium. Larger format (6 x 54 versus 5 x 50). Higher price ($18 versus ~$11). Limited to 3,500 boxes versus regular production. Purple band versus red band. It is an entirely new cigar built around the same evolved wrapper leaf.

Why is the Pledge line famous?

The original E.P. Carrillo Pledge Prequel earned a 98 rating from Cigar Aficionado and was named the #1 Cigar of the Year for 2020. It followed the Encore (#1 in 2018) and La Historia (#2 in 2014), making Ernesto Perez Carrillo Jr. the most decorated active cigar maker in the industry with two #1 Cigar of the Year awards in three years.

Who is Ernesto Perez Carrillo Jr.?

Master blender and founder of Casa Carrillo (formerly E.P. Carrillo). Son of Ernesto Perez Carrillo Sr., who launched La Gloria Cubana in 1972 at El Credito Cigar Factory in Miami’s Little Havana. Ernesto Jr. sold La Gloria Cubana in 1999, founded E.P. Carrillo in 2009 at the urging of his children Ernesto III and Lissette, and has earned two Cigar Aficionado #1 Cigar of the Year awards (Encore 2018, Pledge 2020) and one #2 (La Historia 2014).

What is the Dunn and Foster wrapper?

Dunn and Foster is a tobacco grower in the Connecticut River Valley that cultivates Havana seed wrapper leaf. The Havana seed varietal is a Cuban seed grown in Connecticut’s rich alluvial soil. Ernesto Perez Carrillo used this wrapper on the original Pledge and set aside a portion after the 2020 release, continuing to age it at his factory for five additional years. The Pledge Purple wrapper is now nearly a decade old, making it one of the longest aged wrapper leaves on any commercially available cigar.

What is the Ometepe filler?

Ometepe is a volcanic island in Lake Nicaragua. Tobacco grown in Ometepe’s volcanic soil produces leaf with a distinctive mineral quality and earthy depth that differs from the more common Estelí, Condega, and Jalapa growing regions. Its inclusion in the Pledge Purple filler blend adds a volcanic terroir dimension. Ometepe tobacco is less common in premium cigar blends, making its presence in the Pledge Purple a distinguishing feature.

How many Pledge Purple cigars will be made?

Only 3,500 boxes of ten cigars each (35,000 total cigars). Shipping in multiple installments throughout 2026, starting March 2026. Once the allocation is gone, it is gone. Cigar Aficionado, halfwheel, Cigar Coop, the Premium Cigar Association, The Cigar Authority, and Cigar Dojo all confirmed the 3,500 box production limit.

What pairs well with the Pledge Purple?

Barrel proof bourbon (Booker’s, Stagg Jr., Elijah Craig Barrel Proof), aged rum (Ron Zacapa 23, Diplomático, Flor de Caña 18), espresso, dark roast black coffee, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Barolo, aged cheddar, Manchego, Gruyère, or mezcal. The full strength profile and evolved wrapper demand pairings with backbone.