Crowned Heads carved out a nice path through a treacherous 2020. I’ve been quite vocal about my love for CH since Jon Huber launched the brand back in 2011. Four Kicks (the company’s first release) was a revelation and Headley Grange (their second) became a fan favorite. The hits just kept on coming after that. Yet after several solid years, the CH hype train slowed a bit in the mid 20-teens. They were still producing great smokes, but the online chatter seemed to die down. That’s when they brought in Miguel Schoedel to be their national sales manager. Though likely due to a number of combined factors, it seems that the company’s path has been on a nice uptick ever since.
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This leads us to 2020, when Crowned Heads burst back onto the scene with several exciting and highly-rated blends. In fact, they released 10 different cigars (regular production and LE combined) last year, including standouts Mil Días and Four Kicks Capa Epecial.
Mil Días Double Robusto Breakdown
- Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
- Binder: Nicaragua
- Filler: Nicaragua | Peru | Costa Rica
- Factory: Tabacalera Pichardo (Nicaragua)
- Production: Regular Production
- Vitola: 6⅜″ × 50 “Double Robusto”
- Price: $10.75 (MSRP)
Appearance
Inspecting the cigar, the Ecuadorian Habano wrapper was velvety to the touch. The construction was on point, with no unsightly seams or blemishes. I’ve smoked both the pre-release and regular-release versions of this cigar. Between the two, the overall feel was similar, showing a red, white, and gold color palette. The pre-release featured a red cross, which, upon further review, is made up of four red “Ms”. That red “M” went on to become the main image on the regular-release band. Personally, I love the look of the final band—it’s simple and powerful.
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Smoking Experience
Pre-light, the beautiful Ecuadorian Habano wrapper exuded prominent notes of cabinet spices along with French bread crust, mild earth, and cedar. The cold draw was filled with notes of raisins, oatmeal, cinnamon, and white pepper spice. It was obvious this was going to be a complex cigar.
The flavor profile started out with a warm cinnamon note mixed in with some milk chocolate, nougat, and graham crackers, as well as a clean white pepper spice on the retrohale. These were the initial core flavors—joined by an undercurrent of earth and cedar—and they intensified over the first half-inch or so.
The white pepper intensified on the retrohale as we approached the midpoint of our journey. The overall profile took on a steadily growing richness, while adding notes of caramel and toasted almonds.
The final third closed out nicely, with a cinnamon and raisin oatmeal vibe that was simply amazing. The undertones of earth and wood remained, along with the spicy white pepper on the retro. The balance of sweet, earth, and spice was near-perfect throughout.
Would I Smoke This Cigar Again?
Yes, I would. Yes, I will. Yes, I have.
- Mil Días is the second Crowned Heads release to come out of the Tabacalera Pichardo factory (following the Juárez brand of 2018).
- Flavor: Medium-plus
- Strength: Medium
- Body: Medium-plus
- Roasted peanuts
- Nougat
- Oatmeal
- Cabinet spices
- White pepper
- Cedar
- Earth
- Smoke Time: 1 hour, 40 minutes
- Pairing Recommendation: Michter’s US1 Kentucky Straight Rye | Westmalle Trappist Dubbel ale | Rye old fashioned
- Purchase Recommendation: I’m not usually a “box buyer,” but I’ll make an exception in this case
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- Deeply complex
- Doesn’t overpower the palate
- Grabs your attention from the start
- Second half is slightly less intricate than the first
