Thursday, April 21 2011
After a well-deserved hiatus, in 2009, Ernesto Perez-Carrillo, renowned for La Gloria Cubana cigars, announced that he was starting a new cigar company. Using his initials, EPC, Ernesto formed the company with his daughter Lissette, and his son, Ernesto Perez-Carrillo III. Having taken over the reigns of Tabacalera El Credito from his father a generation earlier, it made perfect sense that EPC Cigars would also be a family-run business. In just under two years, E.P.C. Cigars has made huge strides in the premium cigar marketplace. With several already highly-acclaimed releases to their credit, plus two more recent releases, and another coming this summer, Cigar Advisor felt it was time to catch-up with Don Ernesto.
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Cigar Advisor: What was the first cigar you ever smoked, and what do you remember most about it?
Ernesto Perez-Carrillo: It was a Candela. Back then, I was a drummer. I was driving to a gig with the windows up in my car. When I started playing, right in the middle of a drum solo, I threw-up. That happened one more time in the beginning, but never again.
CA: Tell us a little about your Cuban heritage in terms of your family background, etc.
E. P-C: My grandfather started in 1904 making cigars in the streets of Cuba. My father got into the business around 1928 as a tobacco broker for an American company called Cubanland Tobacco. He bought the El Credito Cigars in Cuba in 1948. He left Cuba in 1959, and in 1968 reopened El Credito in Miami's "Little Havana."
CA: After already having made your mark in the big leagues, what was it that drove you to start-up a new premium cigar company?
E. P-C: I wanted to go on my own and start over. The exciting thing about being successful is not the getting there, but the journey; and the fact that my two kids were going to be part of that journey made it even more exciting and worthwhile.
CA: When EPC Cigars launched, what were you thinking of, in terms of your consumer, when you decided to rollout with the EPC 2009 Inaugural blend?
E. P-C: I wasn’t thinking of what was happening in the market. It was more about coming out with something that was very unique and different than what my customers were used to getting from me. Some were disappointed, because they were expecting another Serie R or LGC, but that's not what we are about. We are a new company with a new vision, and of course, all new blends.
CA: Following your own act is a tall order. With so many cigars in the market since La Gloria Cubana came to prominence, were you afraid EPC would not achieve a similar consumer acceptance, or did it matter?
E. P-C: If it achieves the success of the LGC, that would be great, but that is something I don’t think about. The market is going through the most exciting time that I can remember since I’ve been in the business, which is over 40 years, and this is where the challenge and excitement comes in; trying to make the best cigar possible that our customers will enjoy.
CA: What's been the biggest surprise since you started EPC Cigars?
E. P-C: The response from all our true fans that were with me during the LGC era, and now with more coming on board with the EP Carrillo line.
CA: Tell us about how you developed your New Wave Connecticut and Elenco editions.
E. P-C: The NWC is basically a tone downed Short Run Core Line blend using a different wrapper, an Ecuadorian Connecticut seed. It's mild to medium, with some spice and a unique taste profile. The Elencos we made because of the success of the LE 2010. We had some of the Brazilian Habano wrapper that we used for it, and though we’ll only produce 50,000 of the three sizes this year, there will be more availability of this wrapper, whereby we can keep producing it year after year, though still on a limited basis.
CA: In an interview I did last year with your daughter, Lissette, I asked what it was like working with you. So, what's it like working with Lissette and Ernie Jr.?
E. P-C: Since they are young and have a different feel for the business, we’ve had our differences, But the good thing is that we listen to and learn from each other. Although it’s family, when it comes to business we are very aware that family issues stay at home. If we want it to succeed, this is the way it has to be.
What advantages, if any, are there to working on a more limited production scale?
E.P-C: I love it, because of the control one has over the quality of the tobacco and the cigars. It’s more of a one-on-one with the whole process of making a cigar. You also don’t have to keep large inventories, and are more flexible in the blends you can introduce to market on short notice if the need arises.
CA: You're going to be introducing the EPC Core Maduro line this summer at IPCPR. Why did you decide to go with a Mexican San Andres wrapper leaf?
E.P-C: I was going to use a Mexican maduro, but opted for a Broadleaf, which is one of the best I’ve seen in over 15 years. We’ll also be using a Mexican in the future, but this Broadleaf is great. It reminds me of the one we bought back in the 70’s from the Portilla family grown by Zera Farms in Connecticut.
CA: Since EPC Cigars entered the market less than two years ago, you've introduced four editions, with the 5th now coming this summer. Do you ever question whether or not you're giving your current editions enough time to catch on? Or it is more like throwing darts and seeing which stick?
E. P-C: We are doing what we think the market is looking for nowadays; new, exciting blends with different tastes and strengths. Plus, I feel if I have something good to offer the community of cigar smokers, why keep it for some special event?
CA: Considering a day doesn’t go by without reading about another smoking ban, are you optimistic or pessimistic about the future of the cigar industry?
E. P-C: I’m very optimistic, and this is one of the reasons I got back in it. We live in the greatest country in the world, and sooner or later those making all these anti-smoking laws will realize it.
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