Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Size: 6 x 52 “Toro”
Body: Medium/Full
Price: $10.50

Photo courtesy of Corona Cigar Co.

Today we take a look at The Angel’s Anvil 2015 by Crowned Heads.
Thanks to a reader who demanded asylum and anonymity or I’d find the head of a horse in my bed one morning.

A couple things struck me during the research process. First, there isn’t a glut of reviews as is normal for a special limited cigar. And second, there are still Angel’s Anvils for sale at several online stores. The cigar was released 7 months ago and only 1000 boxes in that release…which makes me wonder why there are still cigars for sale?
Well, let’s see.

BACKGROUND:
Release date: June, 2015
Limited release of 1,000 Boxes of 20 Cigars.

Still available at:
Corona Cigar Co. The 2015 is available in singles and boxes only.
Anthony’s Cigar Emporium sells the 2015 in singles only.
Burns Tobacconist offers the 2015 in 5 packs and boxes.
Serious Cigars offers the 2015 in singles and boxes.

Factory: Tabacalera La Alianza S.A.
According to Halfwheel.com:
“The blend for the 2015 version is based off the company’s first limited release, the Four Kicks Mule Kick.”
It is available only to Tobacconist Association of America member shops, of which there are about 73 in the country.
The 2014 release was made in a Churchill size for Crowned Heads by Ernesto Perez Carrillo’s Tabacalera La Alianza in the Dominican Republic.

DESCRIPTION:
This is an oily bitch. Seams are nearly invisible. Lots of seams; both big and small. Some lumps and bumps. An impeccable triple cap. The wrapper is the color of chocolate mocha. Very smooth to the touch.
I like the cigar band a lot. It’s classy and full of symbolism. If you want the whole story, you can go to Halfwheel.com for the low down.

AROMAS AND COLD DRAW NOTES:
From the shaft, I smell cinnamon, spice, barnyard, cocoa, peppermint, honey, and cedar.
From the clipped cap and the foot, I smell strong spice, barnyard, chocolate, cedar, sweetness, honey, floral notes, and coffee.
The cold draw presents flavors of creaminess, chocolate, mint, and sweet cedar.

FIRST THIRD:
The draw is very good.
Right out of the gate, a big pop of spiciness, milk chocolate, salted nuts, espresso, malts, creaminess, and a big dose of complexity.
Strength is immediately medium/full body.

This cigar needed time to breathe. Most reviews did their work at the same time the cigar came out. Mine has had 7 months to age properly. Totally different experience than they had.

Extremely delicious cigar. Depth of character is like a spelunker’s cavern a mile deep.

I had my second terrible night of sleep. Tension, stress, and sadness made my back hurt something awful and never found a comfortable position to sleep in. Of course, waking up crying didn’t help much either. I miss Ebba.

I want to thank all those that commented or sent me emails about their experiences. These are the most articulate, heartbreaking stories I’ve read. Thank you for helping me not feel alone in the loss of my dog. And to make things just peachy, we had to give the vet half down and a check postdated for the 15th when Charlotte gets paid. The check even says “Don’t deposit until January 15, 2016.” So what did they do? They cashed it today and now we are $300 overdrawn. I’m waiting for their office to call back with an answer. I betcha a dollar they try to blame me. Fuckers. They are magicians. They can tear your heart, and wallet, out at the exact same time.

Holy crap. This is a great cigar and I’m less than an inch in.

The Angel’s Anvil 2015 by Crowned Heads is packed solid. No under filling of fillers here.
More flavors show up: raisins, marzipan, buttered toast, fresh fruit, nougat, lime citrus, and herbal notes.
Now, I’m impressed.

Construction is immaculate. The char line a bit wavy but nothing of concern.

The reader sent me three sticks. I smoked one about a week ago. I was so blown away that I made a change to my Top 25 Cigars of 2015 and placed the The Angel’s Anvil 2015 by Crowned Heads at No.9.
As I am still reviewing cigars from 2015, my list is in flux. It will be finalized by February 10.

The thing I love about playing bass live is that one must live in the moment. You don’t think about your problems. You are allowing the music to pass through you…if you’re lucky.

As I can no longer play the bass, I find the same thing occurs when I write a review. I live in the moment. There is no way I could ever go back to writing, taking notes, and then write the review…like I did when I started many years ago.

I write stream of consciousness with no corrections made later. First draft is final draft except for using Microsoft Word Spell Check. So, the point to this rambling is that I love what I do and will miss it terribly.

Now don’t get me wrong. I will continue to smoke cigars like a chimney. Without them, I am lost. There is no way I can sit at home and watch TV without a cigar in my mouth.

Back to the The Angel’s Anvil 2015 by Crowned Heads. I love the Las Mareas, the La Imperiosa, the Jericho Hill, the Four Kicks, the Headley Grange, The Buckingham, The North and South Projects, and the illustrious Las Calaveras Edición Limitada.

I’ve been listening to the second disc of the James Taylor Live album. I found, what I thought was lost, the “Early Days- The Best of Led Zeppelin Volume One.”
I’ve got it cranked so I can barely think. Nice.

SECOND THIRD:
Smoke time is 40 minutes.
This has been a lovely slow and leisurely cigar experience. Big points for that.

The char line is on point. Construction remains perfect.

Here they are: Milk chocolate, salted nuts, creaminess, spiciness, strong espresso, malts, raisins, marzipan, sweetness, smokiness, buttered toast, caramel, fresh fruit, nougat, ginger, lime citrus, and herbal notes.

And now for a breakdown of the malts: Special B Malt, Smoked Malt, Peated Malt, Crystal/Caramel Malt, Coffee Malt, and Chocolate Rye Malt. (See Malt Chart).
That is a lot of malt.

Strength is medium/full on its way to full body.
There is a pine element.

With my back to the living room couch, I call out: “Hey Ebba. You wanna go out? You gotta go pee?” But before I can finish that sentence I realize there is no Ebba.
I’m very tired of crying.

The fruit component makes itself clear: plum, prune, apricot, and nectarine. Nice.
Very subtle mind you. But then The Angel’s Anvil 2015 by Crowned Heads is so complex that it is awash in subtleties and nuance. A deep chasm of character and flavors.

“The Early Days” Led Zeppelin CD is playing all the songs that my early band Homegrown played live…circa 1969-1972. We nailed those tunes. We had a singer that could hit all those high notes or growl like a bear so we pretty much were able to play any song on the charts in those days. The crowds loved us and we were booked nearly every weekend for 3 years.
Some of those songs were highly complicated. Our guitarist, Mike Cook, was the most patient teacher. He and I sat for hours learning the tunes. Yet, Mike in real life, was the most impatient man I knew. Stubborn and his way or the highway. But never while learning a song. Unfortunately, he died a few years ago of prostate cancer.

Guys my age have lots of friends who passed too early. For me…about half.

All of the online stores listed above sell The Angel’s Anvil 2015 by Crowned Heads for the same price. So it’s just a matter of what quantity you want. Some sell singles, 5 packs or boxes.

I’d love to buy a few more but the damn vet took all of our money. This means we have to ask our daughter, Katie, for money. And then we have to listen to her lecture us.

This is a killer cigar and the best part is that it takes its time.
My hat is tipped to Jon Huber. I believe there is another co-owner but I can’t remember his name. Sorry. My bad. Memory slippage.

Some bitterness shows up. Not good.

This didn’t happen in my first cigar. Sometimes that happens if you puff too hard and too often. But I haven’t done that. In a review, I puff about every couple minutes.
Halfway point. Smoke time is one hour.

And just like that…the bitterness is gone. Go figure.
And then a flavor explosion. Wow. No more subtlety. This is an all-out war of the flavors.
Flavor Bomb 1.0.

I still don’t understand other reviewers that gave this cigar too low a rating. Clearly, they smoked it too soon. But then the Big Guys are expected to be the first on the block to review a new cigar. I’m guessing that The Angel’s Anvil 2015 by Crowned Heads needs some extensive humidor time. And I got that.

I used to get the shivers when I played the opening bass line to “Dazed and Confused.” The audience went nuts. And I always had a big smile on my puss.

Now I’m wondering if The Angel’s Anvil 2015 by Crowned Heads should have been placed higher in my Top 25 Cigars of 2015.

The price point is on the money. Instead of being greedy with a very limited production, Crowned Heads chose to be wallet friendly. Kudos and Brava!

I believe the reason that The Angel’s Anvil 2015 by Crowned Heads didn’t sell out in the first month is because most smokers were impatient and didn’t give the cigar its rightful humidor time. That’s fine with me. Otherwise, I would never have the opportunity to smoke and review it.

You ever notice that there are times you have to put the cigar down for a while and then come back to it and the flavors just explode like a pie in the face? I love that. It’s called palate overload.
The spiciness is on the wane. Hope it returns in the last third.

Some of the flavors meld into each other. The last half of my flavor list becomes a whirling dervish.
The malts are now driving the bus. The chocolate is reduced. So is the coffee.

But now it is a very meaty cigar. A big boy cigar. It has a very Cubanesque flavor now.
I’ve never been able to satisfactorily describe what that is. And since my memory is on the fritz, it is harder now. But it reminds me of some excellent Cubans I’ve smoked in the past. I admire the reviewers who can describe a cigar they smoked a year ago. Something, I am no longer able to do.

LAST THIRD:
Smoke time is one hour 30 minutes.
The Angel’s Anvil 2015 by Crowned Heads requires its first touch up of the burn line.

Strength reaches full body. Along with it comes some nicotine. I used to make jokes about having Ebba lie down next to me so when I pass out, I fall on something soft.
Now, I only have hard floor so on goes the crash helmet.

I read the comments about me on the cigar forum Cigar Bum. They were very kind. But I can’t remember my password and the site isn’t cooperating so I can’t go on and say thank you.

I laughed when I read the comment that goes something like this: “Even if he can taste all the flavors he describes…” LOL. Buddies, after smoking cigars for nearly 50 years, my palate is highly toned. Besides, I’ve gotten innumerable emails from readers who have told me they use my reviews to seek those flavors and have found that they were able to train their palates so as able to taste what I taste.

I smoked the first The Angel’s Anvil 2015 by Crowned Heads after a heavy dinner and didn’t really notice the nicotine. So beware. This is not a morning cigar. Don’t be a putz like me by smoking it first thing without any food in your enormous belly.
I love this photo. What a gorgeous cigar:

And heeeeeere’s Johnny!
Flavors return. All of them. Including the roaring spiciness.
Flavor Bomb 2.0.

What is it about the last third that makes the blend so delicious? The sweet spot. I’ve never gotten a good answer. Maybe you can help me out?
Damn Sally. Delicious.

I start to turn towards the couch again but stop mid-turn.

The caramel, chocolate, malts, creaminess, nuts, and fruit are screaming laughter.
The Angel’s Anvil 2015 by Crowned Heads finishes beautifully. No harshness. No heat. No bitterness.
Snag some while you can.
Final smoke time is a little over 2 hours.
With an inch to go, I have to put it down. I have the spins.

RATING: 93

Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS

Tags: cigar review, cigar reviews by the katman, cigars, jon huber, The Angel’s Anvil 2015 by Crowned Heads Cigar Review