Cigar news you can use: Reported by C.A. Magazine

When Ernesto Perez-Carrillo introduced his new brand, Pledge, back in June, pricing had not yet been determined. Now not only has the cost been set, but the company has also announced a contest where 12 customers have the chance to win prizes, including a special humidor signed by the Hall of Fame cigarmaker and his daughter Lissette.

The E.P. Carrillo Pledge, which is scheduled to launch in late-August, is the third cigar in the company’s Perez-Carrillo Series that includes two highly rated brands: La Historia and Encore. The La Historia E-III earned the No. 2 spot on our 2014 Top 25 list, while the Encore Majestic was the 2018 Cigar of the Year.

Pledge is made from a blend of Connecticut Havana-seed wrapper, Ecuadoran binder and Nicaraguan filler. It will come in two, box-pressed sizes: a 5 inch by 50 robusto called Prequel that will retail for $10.75 per cigar, and the 6 by 52 Sojourn that will sell for $12 per stick. Both cigars will come packed in boxes of 10.

To help celebrate the release, Perez-Carrillo and his daughter Lissette have organized a “scavenger hunt” contest of sorts where 12 fans can win a prize kit that includes a special Pledge rosewood, 75-count humidor with a glass top (without cigars) plus a cutter and lighter. Each humidor will bear the signature of Perez-Carrillo and his daughter.

The contest works as follows: Ernesto Perez-Carrillo personally signed the underside of 12 Pledge Prequel cigar bands, which have been randomly placed on cigars that will be included in the first 1,250 boxes that will be shipping to stores later this month. If you find a cigar with the autographed band, you win. To verify, winners must return to the store where they purchased the cigar and take a photo with the owner of the shop, then post that photo to either Twitter or Instagram, tagging either the official EPC Cigar Co. Twitter or Instagram accounts.

Due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, Pledge will be released to only a select few retailers. To help you find a store that may carry Pledge, check out the company’s Find a Retailer section on their website.