Average through and through. The flavors were a bit too reserved and light. If it was more intense, this flavor combination would be a winning blend no doubt. But since it wasn't, I got bored of it pretty quick and wanted to move onto the next one. The Crowned Heads Belgian Blue LE 2025 is a pass for me.
Flavor-wise, the profile and progression strongly suggest a Nicaraguan character of earthy, wood-driven and spice-accented. In the end, this Crowned Heads Tennessee Waltz CG is a cigar that delivers consistency and solid construction but falls short of leaving a lasting impression, landing comfortably in Average territory.
The Crowned Heads Broadway Epicure offered a restrained and balanced start, highlighted by sweet tobacco, nutmeg and some subtle vegetal notes. Unfortunately, the profile lost its balance in the second and final thirds, as dryness and bitterness began to weigh down the experience. The burn and draw were excellent throughout, but overall the flavor performance couldn’t sustain the promise of the first third.
The Crowned Heads Moose Kick Limited Edition 2024 impressed me with balanced and complex flavor combinations that kept my interest through the review process. Often times, regional cigar releases can fall flat but Crowned Heads has delivered a winner here. Those outside of the Canadian cigar market might think the price point is high, but it is in the correct range for premium cigars on the shelf, after taxes. Obviously it would be great if I could get my hands on these at the US pricing, but I'm still going to seek out a few more of these while they are still available.
I enjoyed the Crowned Heads Las Calaveras Décimo Aniversario. I thought it was a balanced cigar, and one that would do well with age and dry-boxing. The flavor profile worked well with the strength and cigar, and I enjoyed the pepper, sweet spices, cocoa and coffee qualities. The oak notes were enjoyable as well. Overall, a nice smoking cigar and a good looking one. It may shock you to read this, but I would pick these up again and smoke.
The Crowned Heads Coroneta Habano Earl did more than enough in the first and second thirds with flavor combinations and balance to keep me engaged. The last third was still pleasant, but I felt it lacked the same complexity that was present from the previous sections of the cigar. I thought the Crowned Heads Coroneta Habano Earl did more than enough to make me want to return to this in the future, and the price point is perfectly reasonable for the current market levels in 2024.
This Crowned Heads Míl Dias Maduro Sublime was a fun Broadleaf offering. Nice rustic Broadleaf flavors. Not too much to scare some less seasoned smokers away, but still present enough to capture a heavier smoker. Size went well with the maduro blend. Nice offering and will be interested if we get another maduro/Broadleaf release in the future.
The Crowned Heads La Vereda No. 50 had some promising moments in the first third, but the remainder of the review experience was flat, with no dynamic character that made the experience stand out from the crowd for me. Crowned Heads has put out a number of cigars over the years that have really impressed me, and the La Vereda No. 50 was one I was looking forward to. The combination of flavor profile and premium price point make this an easy pass in the future for me, unfortunately.
I enjoyed the Crowned Heads Mil Días Marranitos E648 LE2023 and I felt every aspect of this cigar made it box worthy. It is a fun smoke with an enjoyable flavor profile that fits in well with the summer and fall. It would even be a nice winter smoke depending on the circumstances. I would be interested in seeing how it ages, but I imagine it will mellow out some and the flavors will blend together even more.
Cohesive, balanced and just a delicious flavor profile. I can go on and recap about the flavor experience, but this time, the highlight is really the factory of NACSA. The cigars out of there simply do not miss. I'm starting to think it's a safe bet to try cigars coming out of NACSA in general.