Wrapper: Mexican San Andrés
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Size: 6 x 54 Toro
Strength: Medium/Full
Price: $15.25
Date Released: August 2025
Quantity Released: 1500 boxes of 24 cigars x 3 sizes (5 x 52, 5 x 56, 6 x 54)
Factory: My Father Cigars S.A..Estelí, Nicaragua
My cigars received 2 months of naked humidor time.
BACKGROUND:
From Crowned Heads press release:
“What’s unique about this year’s Las Calaveras release is that not only are we utilizing a San Andres cover leaf, but it’s a color grade that most people would not immediately associate with San Andres (Mexico) wrapper,” said Jon Huber, co-founder of Crowned Heads, in a press release when the cigar was announced in June. “We selected a mid-priming wrapper, which resulted in a lighter Colorado color to the cigar as opposed to the more commonly seen darker maduro shades of Mexican San Andres wrappers used. This particular wrapper really complements the blend and allows for the coffee, espresso, and toffee notes to come to the surface that can typically get lost under the pepper and earth profile that the darker, higher priming wrappers yield.”
THE WHOLE MEGILLAH:
The green cigar band and footer band makes a nice complement to the bronze wrapper allowing for a patina like finish. This is a big stick.
Removal of the footer band takes a hunk of wrapper with it. I use my Humidimeter to test the humidity. It reads 64%. So it’s not swollen, just roller error.
Aromas from the wrapper are scant. Barnyard dominates with lesser notes of grape leaves, baking spices, dark chocolate, black coffee, and spicy pepper.
The middle (11mm or 7/16”) destination on my PerfecPunch works beautifully on this large bulbous cap. The perfect blowhole is a result. I begin the sucking process but the cigar has none of it. Dead air. I opt for a second shill of the review with my PerfecDraw. It requires only one insertion and I’m done. Hmm. Memories of youth.
The cold draw is much of the same with its absence of variety. Barnyard, which rarely translates to flavor, malt, chocolate, espresso, and black pepper. The Nicaraguan leaf stats’ calling cards.
I like how the cigar starts with earthy flavors of apples fritters, caramel, espresso, and almonds. Right out of the gate, the burn gets wonky. The errant char line must be corrected.
I chose this cigar to review because I like to save Fridays for cigars I like. I’ve smoked one stick before this one 3 weeks ago and targeted it for a review. As tobacco is the relish tray of desserts, its natural tendencies are unpredictable.
I have a great idea how to best use the National Guard. Have the soldiers pick up a shovel and work on the ever-lingering unfinished street construction across the USA. We are all tired of seeing roads turned topsy turvy in perpetuity with a sea of orange cones.
Here’s an oddball tidbit. When Curved Air came on stage, we did so without our instruments so we could make a grand entrance…a little bow and a curtsy. Made me uncomfortable. Like most string endowed players, we find comfort holding our axe close at hand. I would have my bass in the dressing room before a concert, tuning it, incessantly playing it, going over riffs and runs, and improvising with Stewart while he played sticks on a counter or chairs. Then a few minutes before we went on, the roadies would enter. I’d hand over my bass. It would disappear in the hands of a strange man named Beric Wickens. The designated music would begin to introduce us. We would stand at the base of the stairs leading to the stage waiting for our cue. “And now. Please welcome…CURVED AIR!!”
Flavors are subdued but earthy. The list is modified into three items: chocolate, malt, creamy, and mild black pepper…er, wait.
To keep me balanced in my opinions, in the background, I have the first (1934) Three Stooges short “Woman Haters” on the tube. Besides being artists at slapstick, the boys could sing like champs.
Despite my whining, the cigar is very tasty. This is not a blend that will test your cigar sommelier background. It is pleasant, smooth, not a single crispy edge, and has a wonderful mouth sensation as inch two is in full swing (20 minutes). So, there’s that. I’m Jewish so I tend to be critical and negative if left alone in a room too long.
A roadie would have a flashlight aiming at the stairs so we wouldn’t trip. Up we went. I’d jauntily hippity hop to my place next to Copeland’s massive drum kit and in front of my concert sized bass amplifiers. My bass would be leaning against one of the amps. I’d sling it over my shoulder. Darryl counted us in with a loud, “1-2-3-4” One time, at the start of Way’s interminably long psychedelic violin solo, I tripped on the top step of the stairs leading me to safe haven away from the speakers. I went flying into the air. Two giant roadies, on both sides of the stairs, caught me like I was a Flying Wallenda. If they hadn’t, I would have broken my neck for sure. Thankfully, I left my bass sitting atop my bass rig. Stewart and used the 7-minute break to light up a huge bowl of steaming hashish which primed us to go back on stage and play our theme song ‘Vivaldi” played in double time. We usually stared at each other, mouths agape, eyes wide, spittle flying, and laughing our asses off.
The burn sucks. No mincing words. In the current 2025 market, a $15 stick is the equivalent of a 2010 $11.00 cigar. Stil, not a Padron but we expect something out of the ordinary. And decent construction would be nice. My first stick had no burn issues.
Strength is medium.
Inch three begins and the flavors excel with very smooth elements of malted milk, creamy caramel, fresh apple slices, toasted bagel, mild black pepper, milk chocolate, and a touch of cinnamon. What else you need, right boychik? Sorry.
Here’s where I stand. Flavors are good. I’m all in. Construction is incrementally annoying. If this thing can keep from self-immolating itself before I finish, I will provide an omnipotent rating of appreciation and acceptance. What?
I take my first sip of water because the vein on my Chevy Impala is bluer than normal. But there is no scratchiness or lick of harshness to this smoke. This is a huge plus for making a high score attainable. Sophisticated flavor and depth helps too.
Another time, as Stewart was making a huge flourish to signify a break in a tune, his arms lifted high into the air, waited a beat, and he fell backwards. Smack dab backwards. Copeland’s drum riser was several feet high making it about 8 or 9 feet above the floor. The roadies always piled his drum cases behind the tall stage and drum riser. He fell into those cases, and they acted as a stunt man’s soft fall. But not that soft.
The first half would have been an easier cruise if not for the construction issues, but I’m batting .500 with two sticks. That’s not a bad average…depending on which angle you’re looking from. A gorgeous sweet spot kicks in. Damn, Louise. I’ve had my cigars for a mere two months. There is light at the end of the tunnel. A couple more months and we could have a real wang dang doodle.
All the skin on the underside of his arms was stripped bare. We stopped playing as we had a percussionist missing in action. I ran off stage, and then behind it, in time to see Stew jump straight up into the air with his eyes as wide as saucers. Blood was streaming from his arms. He screamed, “I’m OK! I’m all right!!” His face was white as a ghost. The roadies surrounded him. They checked him for bones sticking out where they shouldn’t stick out and he seemed to be structurally sound. He pushed everyone aside and ran up the stage’s stairs and up the steps on his drum riser.
Disregarding the leaf stats, this blend reminds me of a marriage between the Umbabog Bronzeback and the Casdagli Daughter of the Wind. How odd but good for smokers on all 9 continents…er, wait. The Mex wrapper with Nic guts has a Dominican/Broadleaf flare. Like me when I dance under the moonlight in Charlotte’s nylons and high heel sneakers.
I stared at the roadies and they stared back. We did the Alfred E. Newman, “What Me Worry?” and everyone got back into their respective correct positions. A minute later we picked up where we left off. Stewart’s drums were covered in blood. The roadies, as roadies do, complained bitterly about the cleanup process. The next morning, Sonja gave Stewart some her special medication before breakfast. He felt fine. But later in the day, he was hurting. We found a hospital and he was bandaged properly. That night, the show went on as scheduled. Me? Once, I think, I sprained an ankle bending over to grab a pick I dropped on stage.
The second half slows down its progression. The sweet spot, while engaging, is losing impetus. The forward momentum is stalling. It is in stasis. Still a good cigar but I expected more. I will stick my neck out and report that future humidor time will even things out. The blend has all the makings of an excellent cigar. I just wish I had better things to report at the two-month mark of home detention.
And then in the last couple of inches, the blend picks up the pieces and instead of becoming bland and harsh, becomes super flavorful and smoothly earthen. This is a very good sign. If this was a dog, this would not happen. I would have become uber disappointed and thrown it across the room where Sammy sits with his signed catcher’s mitt. The last third is giving me a boner this big. This is true redemption. It’s not about a wide variety of flavors because who cares about that. It’s about the depth, the refined quality, the complexity, and the transitional quality. We have a winner. I’m going to ignore the construction issues as I just might have gotten a bum stick. With 3-4 months of humidor time, this cigar will be a keeper. And I will rate it based on future outcomes. I know I shouldn’t do this and reviewers are supposed to do this, but I’m a reporter, not a reviewer.
While the cigar appeared to be a touch psychotic, it might be worth a stab. Did I review it too soon? Possibly. Will it become an even and balanced blend with more time? Probably. If you’ve got the dough and the wife is not paying attention, I’d go for it. If she is breathing down your neck, then I’d wait for something you’d really like to try as lots of cigars are coming down the chute in the next few months.
You can purchase the Crowned Heads Las Calaveras Edición Limitada 2025 from sponsor Small Batch Cigar. Take 10% off with promo code KATMAN.
RATING: 94
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Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS
