Initial Thoughts
So I’m on a bit of a Crowned Heads kick this week. After smoking the Las Calaveras I figured I might as well try this new Jericho Hill that everyone has been talking about. So I headed over to the local shop Stogie’s Ale & Fine cigars to hang out with Patrick and pick up some Jericho Hills.
As with every Crowned Heads cigar this one has a very unique backstory behind it. If you’ve been lucky enough to get to hang out at the Crowned Heads offices, chances are you’ve seen the giant Johnny Cash portrait behind Jon Huber’s desk. After knowing how much music influences their new brands such as Four Kicks & Headley Grange. I figured it was appropriate to ask Jon one day, so when are you going to make a ‘Johnny Cash’ cigar? He said something to the effect of “How could I not be influenced by this man lurking over me every day?” He said if, and when we do make one, it won’t be quite as simple as the “Man in Black” cigar.
Always one for crafting a great story they started building this brand around a song Johnny Cash performed on Live at Folsom Prison and also portrayed by Joaquin Phoenix in the movie “Walk the Line”. The name Jericho Hill comes from the arresting sheriff who captures the villain, Willy Lee, in the song. Now Willy Lee just so happens to be one of the vitolas available as well. Another available vitola is the 44s which is the caliber bullet that Willy Lee uses to shoot his lady friend in the song. The other two vitolas are the LBV & OBS. The LBV is a nod to track 7 on the record “The Long Black Veil”, and OBS is a nod to track 6 “Orange Blossom Special”. It’s always interesting to see how they craft these stories around the cigars that they’re working on.
A little about this cigar in terms of what’s actually inside of it. It’s all Nicaraguan filler & binder, but the wrapper is a leathery & textured San Andres Mexican wrapper. Jon said this is a bit of a nod to the song as well because ole Willy Lee was arrested down in Juarez, Mexico. This is the 2nd cigar that Crowned Heads worked on with the Pepin family down at the My Father’s Cigars factory in Esteli. I think that covers just about everything we can say about this cigar without smoking it. So let’s get into it.
Looks
Taking a look at the box of the Jericho Hill you might not think much about it. It’s a fairly simple dark-stained box with the name across the top. It’s not nearly as detailed as the Headley Grange box, but there’s something to be said for its simplicity. The band on this cigar is fairly unique the middle contains a badge-like symbol, which I can assume probably has some sort of subtle nod to the sheriff in the song. Inside the ‘badge’ there is a crown very similar to the crown from the Las Calaveras band. I’m starting to think that has something to do with “Crowned Heads” just guessing here.
Below that there are ‘tick marks’ 4 vertical and one that acts as the 5th slanted through to the rest of them. My guess is that it stands for their 5th regular line of cigars. Even though the Las Calaveras is a Limited Edition each year, it’s still going to be a regular production. I could be completely wrong on all of this, but after knowing how the guys at Crowned Heads like to hide little things like that in their designs that’s what I’m going with. It’s like playing a real-life game of the Da Vinci code here.
The side of the band has a callout to the great state of Tennessee. It has the Tri-Star logo which is used on nearly everything associated with the state. So that’s a nice callout to the state as well.
Once I got passed the band, taking a look at this San Andres wrapper I began to notice a lot of texture to it. It’s very rugged and has a lot of tooth on it. I love how the San Andres wrapper looks and feels. It’s a dark oily wrapper that is just begging to be smoked. Up and down the wrapper you can see the seams. They’re more noticeable towards the cap but overall this Jericho Hill looks fantastic.
Function
I busted out my cutter and went to work on the cap. One quick snip and I was testing the dry draw. Perfection. Just a bit of resistance and I was able to pick up a good dose of flavors coming through.
I rolled the cigar between, there was quite a bit of give with this cigar, mainly because of the box press style. Those rounded corners make it slightly more delicate, at least I think so.
The foot is well-packed, there is really dark tobacco right in the middle which looks very enticing. You can see the thickness of the wrapper on the outer edge of the foot as well. Almost like a Connecticut Broadleaf. I think this Jericho Hill is ready to smoke, so let’s get on with it.
Smoking
Lighting it up this cigar it took right off and just started pouring out smoke. That thick wrapper was burning nice & slow and even from the very beginning. I really like the texture of the wrapper it almost acts as a grip when you’re smoking it. The first third burned great. I never had an issue throughout the entire cigar. I eventually nubbed this thing. Flawless smoking experience, just like the Las Calaveras. I guess those Pepin guys know a thing or two about rolling cigars…
Flavor
Here we go, what sort of flavors are we gonna get with this Jericho Hill?
On the pre-light I’m hit with some sweet cocoa and hints of buttery goodness. There’s a nice aroma of sweet tobacco and I pick up on a sweet note coming through on the cold draw as well.
The first third gives off a nice spice on the retrohale. It’s not as powerful as a lot of the cigars that come out of the Pepin factory. It’s a bit milder. There’s also this nice mix of earthiness and honey that is working well on my palate.
During the 2nd third, I’m getting more of that honey note. It’s coming through, but there’s also this note of savory char coming in as well. It’s honestly making me think of sipping on some bourbon. Those are some of the more common notes from a bourbon. That char is a nice bit of complexity added to help balance out the sweetness of the honey for sure.
The final third brings on more of the same for me. The spice has started peeking back out, especially in the retrohale. What I love is how smooth this cigar is in every facet. The retrohale might be one of the smoothest that I’ve ever smoked. It’s very complex, but not overpowering and in your face. It’s delicate enough to let you pick up on all of these flavors. Overall it hung around a medium-full in terms of strength. Definitely full-flavored, that’s to say the least.
Would I Buy It Again?
Over and over again.
Is It an Every Day Smoke?
Quite possibly. The price is right, especially on the smaller vitolas.
Would I Buy a Box?
I plan on it, maybe more than 1 if I can find room in my humidor. I might have to do a giveaway to make some room.
Conclusion
I think it’s pretty well known that my #1 cigar is the Headley Grange. I can smoke that cigar every day and never get tired of it. But after smoking 3 of these Jericho Hills. I think it is a strong contender to overtake the HG in the #1 spot. This cigar is completely different than the HG, and it’s so many things that I love. As my tastes evolve I continue to find new things that I really enjoy. This Jericho Hill just seemed to hit on all of those. I think the San Andres wrapper is what set it apart for me. There’s something special about that leaf that helped give this cigar an outstanding 10/10. Seriously, I think you’ll be blown away when you smoke this cigar. Now go out and find them!
