Wrapper: Nicaraguan Shade Grown Jalapa (Aged 4 Years)
Binder: Nicaraguan Jalapa
Filler: Dominican (Piloto Cubano Ligero), Nicaraguan (Estelí Ligero, Seco, Corojo ’99) All Aged 3 Years.
Size: 6.5 x 52
Strength: Medium/Full
Price: $19.60 ($17.75 or lower depending on seller and promo codes.)
My cigars have had 2 months of naked humidor time.
Considering the extensively aged tobacco used, the cigar should shine…or not.
BACKGROUND:
Released August 2023.
Regular Production.
Factory: Tabacalera La Alianza S.A. (E.P. Carrillo)
In addition to the aging given to the leaves prior to rolling, they received an extra 90 days of rest afterwards.
You can check out info on this cigar from Cigar Aficionado.
This is the most expensive cigar that Crowned Heads has ever released.
An alternative journey in Jon Huber’s history of producing mostly smaller cigars.
La Vereda No. 50 5.375 x 50
La Vereda No. 52 6.5 x 52
La Vereda No. 54 5.675 x 54
La Vereda No. 56 6.25 x 56
THE WHOLE MEGILLAH:
Crowned Heads needs to update their website as there is zero information about this cigar.
Heavy cigar. Smells intensely of dark chocolate, cinnamon, and peppers. Mole sauce.
The draw is tighter than this old man likes. I withhold judgment as whether to use my PerfecDraw this early. I feel my socks tugged on and as I look down, there is my PerfecDraw begging. I can’t hear it, but it is on one knee, so I recognize the absurdity of its request. And yes, its pronoun is “it.”
Tasty says this Central Time Big Kahuna Burger. Notes of caramel, creaminess, black pepper, and malt.
Savory v. Sweet is on point immediately. Nice. Complexity is rich with desire. Those three words sound like a 1940’s noir film title.
The aging of tobacco is easily recognizable. I fucking knew 2 months would be OK. I didn’t mean to say fuck. Sorry. You can take the kid out of the white middle-class upbringing, but you can’t expect maturity.
Life is like having a colonoscopy. ~ Albert Brooks.
Strength is medium/full. Medium never had a chance.
This cigar will do well with extended humidor time. I feel the truth…all things considered.
The aged tobacco is doing the heavy lifting. Flavors are muted but depth of field is running amok.
Why do you always take the hard road? I only see one road. ~ Albert Brooks. Ditto.
The blend gets lazy at 1” burned. It started with good intentions and now just lies there. No movement. I can’t count the women.
There was a price adjustment to this cigar pretty early on. Not sure why. Maybe disappointment was to blame. Dunno.
Strength reneges and comes home to medium. How odd.
You takes your chances when you build a cigar using aged tobacco. This is a roll of the dice with a natural product. You just never know.
The black pepper is spicy and needs to take a break.
Martin & Lewis was rock n roll before rock n roll.
Being a slow roll might turn this thing around.
Zero chocolate. Zero espresso. Strange for Nic tobacco not to head this way. Creamy. Malty. Toffee. The rich aged stuff may save the day.
I can’t believe I never saw Jimi play. Where was my head at. Of course, he was gone by the time I had hit 20.
Unexpected flashback. I remember fondly the time I spent with drummer Stewart Copeland doing radio interviews ala The Marx Brothers meets The Three Stooges when we were in Curved Air. It pissed off the band leaders, but we didn’t care.
Halfwheel’s Minato said he tasted potato. So do I. Damn. Not good.
The cigar should really be doing better.
I get flashes of Hendrik Kelner and then it vanishes. I have one stick left. I shall return to the scene of this accident in a few months. But my 55 years of smoking cigars tells me this may have been good intention gone sour.
I want to know why the government of this country can’t take care of the people who are keeping us safe. ~ Jerry Lewis. Amen.
A slightly wonky burn does a “Heeere’s Johnny. All I can visualize is Nicholson’s face.
Stiff ash. Lamentations for such a condition.
If I take Viagra, my toes get hard.
The cigar feels like it is on a vision quest to discover itself. Roaming the desert looking for a couple of tablets.
I never got Charlie Chaplin.
I’ve had great success being a total idiot. ~ Jerry Lewis. Ditto.
I want to report greatness. I want to fawn over. I want a 1970 Ford Pinto. I want to go out in flames. I get none of this.
The parking brake is on. The blend needs a serious kick in the arse.
I take no points away from Crowned Heads for trying. A swing and a miss.
The cigar is 7/8’s Nicaraguan but all I taste is Dominican.
I just remembered. I promised to review the Viaje Anniversary 15th Anniversary Silver Pt. II. Shit. I forgot. Both the Black Limited and Gold were stupendous Nic puros. Night and day from this cigar blend.
“Mississippi Queen.” Mountain. Leslie West and bassist-vocalist Felix Pappalardi. Always a club rocker back in the day.
Finally. The halfway point. One hour. Fingers crossed.
Here’s the thing. This is a regular production cigar. Did Huber find a trove of aged Nic and Dominican tobacco whose supply will never run out.
The cigar has 3” to prove itself. So far, expectations have been shattered.
Strength is medium/full once again. Going for full tilt.
The blend is part misunderstood and part slip-up. Yet, it was still released. I feel bad for Huber. I feel worse for the consumer.
“Beast of Burden.” 1978 feels a million years ago.
Flavors: Caramel, unsalted butter, malt, black pepper, a touch of lemon citrus, and creaminess. Where’s the bridge?
The richness of the aged tobacco is a nice baseline. But it never jumps into action.
So close. I want to like it.
Full tilt arrives. Holy shit. I don’t mind strength if it is accompanied by character. Nothing funny about this cigar.
Yet, I don’t want to put it down. I keep hoping for a sign of intelligent life.
I introduced a new category. Value Spotlight brings some past cigar reviews into the light of day to re-introduce you to good budget blends.
I’d love to tell you I reviewed this cigar too early. I don’t think so. Experience will out
I rate cigars with the consideration of price. No one else does. I do. Every move you make, every breath you take, you consider the price when deciding what to purchase. I’m not going to recommend you pay $90 for a $40 fiver just because it tastes good. I won’t sanction promiscuous greed. Sometimes, cigar industry folks are one step removed. No wonder no one talks to me.
Three of my sponsors have these cigars in stock: Small Batch Cigar (10% off with promo code ‘katman’), Luxury Cigar Club (15% off with promo code ‘katman), and Atlantic Cigar.
RATING: 85
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