Initial Thoughts
I’ve been waiting for what feels likes years for this cigar to come out. Quite a few months ago Jon Huber over at Crowned Heads told about this project that he was working on with Altadis U.S.A owner of numerous cigar brands including the American Montecristo brand.
Just like every other Crowned Heads brand / blend this one started with an idea and a story and built from there. As they say in Nashville ‘it all starts with a song’. Thus the Ciudad de Musica was born. The translation of the brand is City of Music which is obviously an homage to Nashville, where Crowned Heads is based. If you look at the initials CdM it’s also a nice nod to the line of retail shops Casa de Montecristo. I have to imagine that was done on purpose.
What’s great about this collaboration for both brands is that it will introduce them to other audiences. For a ’boutique’ brand like Crowned Heads this Ciudad de Musica cigar will put their name in front of a lot of cigar smoker’s who don’t go near the boutique end of the cigar store. For the behemoth Montecristo brand this is a great connection to boutique smokers who will hopefully step up and try some of their other great lines of cigars. I have a feeling this is going to be a win win for both brands.
So let’s dive into some of the details of this Ciudad de Musica:
Tobacco Blend
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan, Dominican
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Vitolas
Corona Gorda: 5 5/8 x 46
Robusto: 5 x 50
Sublime: 6 x 54
Piramide: 6 1/8 x 52 (CdM Exclusive) (Can’t wait to try this size!)
This Ciudad de Musica, like many other Crowned Heads cigars, is being produced in the Dominican Republic by Ernesto Perez Carillo. Well I think that’s enough of the back story and it’s time to jump straight into this cigar and see what it’s all about.
Looks
Even before I heard anything about the blend for this Ciudad de Musica I knew that the packaging was going to be an absolute home run. Combining the classical look and feel of the Montecristo brand with the creative flair from Crowned Heads there was going to be no shortage of design ideas.
Looking at the box it’s a strong shiny black shine to it highlighted with the Montecristo regalia in a burnt orange color opposed to their traditional gold look. Even the clasps and the hinges on the box are this same color which I think it’s a huge minor details in the design.
Looking at the band, it’s a large band to be frank. However, it looks really bad ass. I love how the logos of each brand has been stacked to show that it’s a collaborative blend. Again, connecting different audiences through this single blend. My favorite part of the band is the bottom medallion / token whatever you want to call it. The Ciudad de Musica songbird. I could see this icon taking on it’s own brand and additional blends to come. So we’ll see if they have something else rolled up their sleeves for the future.
The Ecuadorian Habano wrapper on this cigar is absolutely gorgeous. Great texture to it a few veins running up and down but overall very smooth and chocolately looking wrapper. I’m excited to jump in and light this cigar up.
Smoking
As soon as I nipped off the cap for this Ciudad de Musica I was able to make a nice clean easy draw. Honestly, I love smoking cigars from the EPC factor I feel like they are some of the highest quality in terms of QA. I rarely have any burn or draw issues. Just such a great production team down there.
For this review I’m smoking the 5 x 50 Robusto vitola. Before I light the cigar I have to remove this band. As much as I love to leave bands on while I smoke I’m afraid this one is just a bit to close to the foot of the cigar. I actually asked Huber about this and he showed me how easily the band slides right up the barrel of the cigar. Ernie and team put a separating piece of material (I’m sure this has a name, I just don’t know what it is) below the band so that the glue from the band won’t stick and tear the wrapper of the cigar and allows it to easily be removed… See what I’m talking about just great quality coming out of Tabacalera La Alianza down there in the DR!
As I work my way through this Ciudad de Musica I’m blown away by the smoking quality. Tons of rich flavorful smoke and the ash that is holding on is fantastic. At points it has that look of stacked dimes. Which to me signals great production and great leaf quality as well. Let’s get into the flavors and see if this cigar can stack up to everything else it has going for it.
Flavor
The first thing that I’m hit with when nosing the cigar is the powerful notes of a black pepper spice and earth. The foot of the cigar gives off both notes in equal portions and I’m excited to begin puffing to see what else lies underneath.
Once I get the fire to this cigar and it starts churning off that nice thick smoke I’m able to pick up on some defined notes throughout the entirety of the cigar. First off that black pepper spice is front and center especially on the retrohale. It’s followed up with a nice mixture of roasted coffee that finishes with a bit of a mocha note to add some hints of sweetness around the blend. One of the lasting flavors on my palate is one of cedar / wood. It’s not overpowering by any means but it is one of the last flavors that cling on.
The retrohale on this cigar is fantastic, complex yet not overpowering. I feel like there are some additional flavor notes hiding that I haven’t been able to pull to the surface but maybe they’re right where they need to be. If you think about it like a mastered piece of music there are the dominant tracks and instruments. Then there are supporting instruments behind that aren’t meant to be heard, but help beef up the entire piece to make it a complete work of art.
Would I Buy It Again?
Absolutely.
Is It an Every Day Smoke?
Very possible.
Would I Buy a Box?
Without a doubt, and you should too.
Conclusion
I would have to say that this Ciudad de Musica is a hit. It’s always a tall order to build a collaboration between two brands. You hope for greatness and sometimes you get a dud. However, I think this cigar hit all the right notes (it’s also very easy to make puns with when writing so that helps inept reviewers like me). I can’t wait to try some other vitolas of this Ciudad de Musica especially the Piramide. That vitola is one of my favorite shapes and can be hard to pull off but I have a feeling these guys will knock it out of the park. The final word, go track down this cigar right now. Take in the packaging and appreciate everything it has to offer. Then sit down and slowly enjoy this cigar and really dig into the flavor profile and you’ll more than happy you did!
