These cigars have really been all the rage amongst my cigar friends and I am usually not a big fan of hype in the cigar world for several reasons. One, seldom does the cigar hold up to the hype. Second, I like to make my own judgments about a cigar before I hear all kinds of other things about them. Third, hyped cigars become exceedingly difficult to find in local B&M's and I hate that.
This cigar has a strange name, and I am always amused by cigars with strange names as I am able to speculate as to the reasoning behind the name. In this case the cigar company is Crowned Heads so I'm thinking someone there may have been kicked many times in the head, like four perhaps? I am only speculating and I think if that were the case you would call your company Helmeted Heads. Anyway, I digress badly.
The cigar presents with a simple band that has some very mundane graphics to it, it is nice looking but really does not do much for or against the presentation impressions. The wrapper is mottled and rough looking, but it appears to be applied well which makes me happy because up until this point the cigar was looking cheap. The construction seems to be acceptable and I can't detect any issues upon inspection. The pre light aroma shows some cedar and roasted nut essence. The pre light draw has some wheaty flavors and some light spice notes.
The cigar opens with a profile that is surprisingly deep. The core flavors show some light brushes of maple, cedar and oaky flavors that provide a nice combination for a very woody flavor up front. These flavors are offset nicely by a touch of vanilla sweetness that provides a nice counterpoint to the main body of wood flavors. At the back of the palate there is a dusty flavor of tobacco that has some sharpness to it. The draw is very solid at this point, with maybe just a tad too much resistance for me, but I am not laboring to produce smoke. The burn is very sharp and I can't see any issues at this point.
The first half of the cigar continues to show some nice depth, but lacks some complexity that would round out the cigar nicely. The core profile is still full of wood flavors that become lighter and sweeter as time goes on. There are still some flights of vanilla here, but they are fleeting and I would like some more. There is also some roasted nut essence sneaking into the presentation here and it adds a nice dimension, but does not lend to complexity as the cigar is more eclectic than stable at this point. The back of the palate still has a dusty texture, but nice tobacco flavor exists here and I am reminded of the Tobacos Baez from the Pepin line. The draw continues to perform well. The burn is still solid to this point.
The final half of the cigar shows little development and this is where the cigar loses luster for me. The core profile continues to show wood flavors with some vanilla and spice, but there is no complexity to the smoke and it becomes predictable, but still good. The back of the palate is still feeling dusty to me, but the tobacco flavors continue on and provide a nice background throughout the smoke. The draw stays solid to the end, and the burn is solid all the way through.
The finish was a little bit short, but showed some wood and spice flavors.
Appearance- 85 a very average looking smoke
Taste- 87 a nice profile, but more complexity was needed
Construction- 91 nice performance, but the draw was tight early
Strength- 86 a nice medium
Overall- 87.75 above average, but nothing spectacular
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