The number of industry veterans is dwindling, so when thinking about Ernesto Pérez-Carrillo having been making cigars for over 50 years, it’s quite an accomplishment. There’s a wealth of knowledge in all facets of the trade, but one element to Carrillo’s personality that sets him apart is his willingness to share his knowledge and mentor the younger generations eager to learn the ways of a true master. Before any of us can begin to understand the man he is today, we must take a look back at his impressive career.

From Havana to Little Havana

Ernesto Pérez-Carrillo Sr. was a senator in Cuba in the years leading up to the Revolution, representing the famed Pinar del Río region. Nearly a decade before his political career began, Carrillo Sr. purchased the El Crédito cigar factory, grew tobacco in San Cristóbal, and acted as a purchasing agent for a tobacco broker. Once Castro assumed power in Havana in 1959, Ernesto Sr. became a political target, so he and his young family fled in one of the earlier waves of emigrees to Miami with little more than the clothes on their backs.

Ernesto Jr. was only seven years old when he left Cuba. He grew up watching his father work odd jobs in the restaurant industry before opening a chinchale – a little cigar factory – in Little Havana in 1968. The ever-increasing expat population resulted in many chinchales, and the Carrillo’s was named El Crédito in a nod to their factory back home. Joining his father as a semi-disinterested part-time employee in 1970, Ernesto dreamed of becoming a professional drummer. In 1974 El Crédito began rolling a non-Cuban version of the La Gloria Cubana brand, as his father purchased the rights before they fled the island. When his father was about to sell the business in 1976, Ernesto had a sixth sense that it would be a mistake, and thus the sale was canceled. Once Ernesto Sr. passed away a few years later, Ernesto Jr. put all his efforts behind La Gloria Cubana, transforming it into one of the hottest cigars of the 1990s with an initial 90-point rating from the earlier issues of Cigar Aficionado. 

Growth and Transition

By 1997, Ernesto’s El Crédito factory produced over one million cigars in Miami and nearly six million in their Dominican facility. He was a force and despite two factories, sometimes couldn’t keep up with the demand. Nearly 20 years after he and his father were approached by a buyer, another entity came knocking at his door: General Cigar Company (GCC). Carrillo sold it all to GCC – the factories, the shop in Miami, and the La Gloria Cubana brand he championed – and in exchange agreed to work for General and impart his expertise for their gain.

Ernesto spent 10 years as a salaried GCC employee, further developing La Gloria and being its brand ambassador. Many credit him with initiating the “big-ring” trend, creating line extensions under La Gloria Serie R at a 58-ring and a 60-ring size, respectively, packing 20% more Ligero into the blend. If you question Carrillo about larger format premiums, he’ll still defend them as a Master Blender, citing that it’s a great way to experiment and implement more tobaccos into the long-filler core. With many brands following suit, by the mid-2000s, bigger and bolder blends were no longer anomalies in humidors nationwide and continue to be made to this day. 

A Family Affair

There’s a common theme to E.P. Carrillo’s life and career: reinvention. It should come as no surprise that in 2009 he did it again, opening his independent, namesake company alongside his children, Lisette and Ernie. He opened a new factory in the Dominican Republic initially called La Alianza, and it’s recently been rebranded as Casa Carrillo, further solidifying the work he is doing as the personal and professional patriarch of the Carrillo clan. 

If you’ve kept up with industry news since EPC Cigar Co. came to fruition, you’ll know that his facility collaborated with other prominent names such as Crowned Heads, Alec Bradley, and Viaje, lending his expertise, tobacco, and staff to these third-party contracts. In many other industries it would be unheard of for a direct competitor to willingly share “trade secrets” with others, but not in Carrillo’s world: he’ll talk your ear off about tobacco if you engage him. His “sharing is caring” approach is honestly a breath of fresh air, as the number of living legends in the cigar business dwindles down year-after-year. The traditions associated with this business were always passed down from generation to generation, and Ernesto is an open encyclopedia in a library of otherwise closed books.

Accolades Upon Accolades

Carrillo is no stranger to praise, continuing to earn high ratings from multiple publications with each release. Although these accolades further cement his name within the annuls of cigar history, there’s another achievement which is unparalleled: Ernesto Pérez-Carrillo is a two-time #1 Cigar of the Year Winner.

Within the past decade, Casa Carrillo has created four ‘95’+ rated blends, all of which have been within Cigar Aficionado’s Top Five rankings across respective years: La Historia (‘95’ rated; #2 of 2014), Encore (‘96’ rated; #1 of 2018), Pledge (‘98’ rated; #1 of 2020), and Allegiance (‘95’ rated; #5 of 2023). The careful selection of tobaccos, quality of raw materials, and intricate blending of all four of these super-premiums represent decades of experience in a physical form. If asked to describe today’s E.P. Carrillo portfolio, two words come to mind – sophisticated and satisfying – because his dedication to excellence and innovation never take the back seat. His instincts are keen, and despite feeling what could only seem like immense pressure to craft hit after hit, he listens to his gut and doesn’t rush the process. 

The Next Chapter

It’s rather easy to ask the “what’s next” question, especially when considering the long and illustrious career Carrillo has enjoyed, but there’s one thing for him which is never out-of-focus: family. It was family that got him into this business, and it’s family that helps keep his business going. He’s a proud grandfather, but that doesn’t mean he’s forgotten what his parents taught him, seeing things in their son he couldn’t see for himself. Alongside his family they’ve launched Carrillo Cares, an initiative which raises money for charitable organizations and causes by donating profits from the sale of his cigars; most recently, his granddaughter, Skye, has spent time in the factory learning how to roll. 

American politician Brad Henry once said, “Families are the compass that guides us. They are the inspiration to reach great heights, and our comfort when we occasionally falter.” What better way to sum up a man whose compass remains rooted in family yet guides him to share his fortune with the world.