The Wrapper Comes From a 98-Point Cigar's Crop
Same Leaf, Shorter Cigar, and a 2020 Backstory
Two things make this worth your attention this week. The Pledge Purple Robusto starts moving to retailers the week of October 12, which is right now. And the Pledge Purple Toro that came out in March is already sold out on our shelf, so if you wanted into this blend, the Robusto is the opening.
I'm Gerard, and at Mardo we try to teach about cigars rather than just move boxes. So let me tell you what's actually interesting here, because it isn't the new size.
AT A GLANCE
- 5 1/4 × 52 box-pressed — same blend as the 6 × 54 Toro from March.
- Wrapper is Connecticut Havana-seed from the 2020 crop — the same crop as the original Pledge.
- $16.50 per cigar, $165 per 10-count box.
- Limited production, not a one-and-done edition. More may come through the year.
- Mardo Money eligible, and we ship free on orders of $100 or more.
That Wrapper Came Off a Very Famous Crop
Here's the part I'd want someone to tell me before I bought one. The Connecticut-grown Havana-seed wrapper on this cigar, supplied by Dunn and Foster, comes from the same 2020 crop used for the original Perez-Carrillo Pledge.
And that original Pledge wasn't just well received. The Pledge Prequel was named the No. 1 cigar of 2020 and carried a 98-point rating. It was Ernesto's second Cigar of the Year, and it landed in his fiftieth year in the business.
So "six years of history behind this tobacco" isn't a marketing phrase. The leaf on the Pledge Purple Robusto was grown the same season as the leaf on a cigar that got a 98. That's a real, traceable connection, and it's rare to be able to say it this precisely.
Worth knowing too: Ernesto first encountered Connecticut Havana-seed wrapper back in the early 1980s and fell for it the first time he smoked it. He's not reaching for this leaf because it's trendy. He's been chasing it for forty years.
The Blend, and What Sits Under That Wrapper
Under the Connecticut Havana-seed is a Mexican binder, with Nicaraguan filler pulled from three regions: Estelí, Condega and Ometepe. It's handmade at Casa Carrillo in the Dominican Republic.
One detail I find genuinely interesting: the 2020 Prequel used an Ecuadorian binder. Pledge Purple uses a Mexican one. So this isn't the old cigar in new clothes — it's the same celebrated wrapper crop built on a different foundation. Different structure, different intention.
Pledge Purple Robusto — the details
| Size | 5 1/4 × 52, box-pressed |
|---|---|
| Wrapper | Connecticut Havana-seed (USA), 2020 crop, Dunn and Foster |
| Binder | Mexican |
| Filler | Nicaraguan — Estelí · Condega · Ometepe |
| Made at | Casa Carrillo, Dominican Republic |
| Packaging | Boxes of 10 |
| MSRP | $16.50 per cigar · $165 per box |
Why a Shorter Cigar Isn't the Same Cigar
People sometimes assume a new vitola is just a convenience option. It isn't. The Toro is 6 × 54. The new Robusto is 5 1/4 × 52. Same tobacco, different cigar.
A narrower ring gauge shifts the ratio of wrapper to filler, which gives the wrapper a louder voice — and on a cigar built around a specific famous wrapper, that matters. A shorter length also means the smoke travels a shorter distance before it reaches you, and the cigar heats up on a different curve. Combustion changes, so flavor delivery changes.
The box press is doing work too. A pressed cigar packs the filler differently than a round one and tends to draw differently. If you want the mechanics, our guides on whether ring gauge matters and on box-pressed cigars both apply directly here.
That's exactly why I'm curious about this one. I've got no interest in guessing how the Robusto compares to the Toro. I want to smoke both.
Limited Production, Not a One-Time Drop
Let me be precise, because these two things get mixed up constantly. Pledge Purple is a limited production cigar. That is not the same as a one-time limited edition.
Limited production means quantities are restricted and additional shipments may come through the year. So you shouldn't panic-buy, but you also shouldn't assume it'll sit there waiting for you. Our own shelf is the evidence: the Toro from March is already gone.
Mardo's take
- I'm always interested when Ernesto Perez-Carrillo introduces something new, especially when there's a story behind the tobacco. This is not just another size added to an existing line. It's a 2020 wrapper crop — the crop behind a 98-point cigar of the year — showing up in a format that will smoke differently from the Toro that came before it.
- Is it worth chasing? At $16.50 I think it's reasonable for what it is, and if you liked the Toro or you've been curious about the Pledge line, this is the version that's actually obtainable right now. If you want to understand the lineage first, the Pledge Prequel — the 98-pointer itself — is on our shelf at $13.40. Buying both and smoking them back to back is the most educational $30 you could spend this month.
- What I won't do is tell you how it tastes. We haven't smoked the Robusto yet, so there are no tasting notes and no rating from me here. When we light one, you'll get the real thing.
Where to Find It at Mardo
The Pledge Purple Robusto page is live on our site at $16.50 a cigar and $165 a box of ten. Follow the page for inventory updates — and remember it's Mardo Money eligible, and we ship free on orders of $100 or more, which a box clears on its own.
EP CarrilloCasa Carrillo Pledge Purple RobustoSee the Robusto
That's the whole case: a wrapper with a documented pedigree, a format that will behave differently from the one before it, and a blender who has been loyal to this leaf since the 1980s. I'd rather you understand that before you spend $165 than after. At Mardo Cigars, we teach about cigars, not just sell them.
Same crop as a 98-point cigar.
The Pledge Purple Robusto is $16.50 a cigar, $165 a box of ten. Mardo Money eligible, free shipping over $100.
Browse E.P. CarrilloMardo Cigars sells premium tobacco products intended for adults 21 and older. Please enjoy responsibly.
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