Initial Thoughts
If you’ve been paying attention to what’s going on in the cigar industry then you’ve definitely noticed Crowned Heads. In fact this year Halfwheel honored them as their Company of the Year. So clearly the industry is taking notice. The Juarez release is a bit of a new path for Crowned Heads. They have been partnering with other established brands throughout all of 2018, but they haven’t really tackled the ‘value lines’. Enter the Juarez release.
According to Jon Huber, of Crowned Heads, this cigar was a collaboration between CH and a small factory in Esteli called Tabacalera Pichardo. The two entities worked together for a special ‘value blend’ that is being distributed solely by Thompson Cigar.
The cigar comes in the traditional parejo shape with 3 vitolas: 4 3/4 x 52, 6 x 54, 5 x 56. Each size is priced under $8!
This Juarez by Crowned Heads utilizes a Mexican San Andres wrapper, with an Ecuadorian Sumatra binder, stuffed with filler from the Dominican & Nicaragua.
For those of you paying close attention you’ve probably already realized that there is a connection with this cigar and another from the Crowned Heads line, the Jericho Hill. Also, according to Jon, he said this about the blend: “The challenge was put forth to us by Thompson Cigar Co. to create a value-conscious alternative to our Jericho Hill brand” from HW.
That’s one thing that I always love about the cigars from the team at Crowned Heads, they have a great story and marketing behind a great product! So let’s dive into it and see what’s going on.
Looks
This Juarez by Crowned Heads has a fairly simple-looking brand. Yet there’s always something more when you start digging into the branding. At first, you’ll notice a big bull right in the middle of the band. On the back leg of the bull there are 5 prison marks, and above the bull’s head is the crown. Now, based on how the rest of the brand lines up with lyrics in the song, I’m going to guess the 5 marks on the bull are a tribute to the line “I thought I was her daddy, but she had 5 more”. Just a guess and we’ll leave it at that. The crown is most likely a tribute to the brand’s name, Crowned Heads.
Once you take in all the branding and actually look at the cigar you’ll see that it’s a great-looking smoke too. The band is a rich light brown. A few veins and some great texture. The construction on it was very well done.
Let’s go ahead and jump into the smoking section light up and start pulling some flavors off of it.
Flavor
The first thing that I notice on this Juarez by Crowned Heads is the note of sweet tobacco and leather on the foot and barrel of the cigar. There were hints of cream and spice on the cold draw which got me really excited to light it up.
Once I brought the torch to the foot of the cigar I was hit with that spice and a nutty note. Throughout the remainder of the smoke, the experience was perfect. I ashed it every inch or so as best I could. The draw was perfect. The flavors danced around some I would get hit with a nice spice note on the retrohale followed by some creamy notes with a hint of leather. It was a really well-balanced cigar all around. Nothing was overpowering and I smoked it in the afternoon after lunch.
Would I Buy It Again?
Absolutely, to me this is a constant repurchase, especially at the price.
Is It an Every Day Smoke?
Easily, when you’re talking $5.95 for a great Robusto cigar. That’s tough to beat by any stretch of the imagination.
Would I Buy a Box?
Well if its an everyday smoke you better buy a couple of boxes right? I just checked on Thompson and they’re selling at $120 a box for 20. That’s tough to beat. If you’re unsure snag a 5 pack and I guarantee you won’t be let down.
Conclusion
I think one thing that has kept Crowned Heads consistently showing up in the industry is the ability to adapt to new adventures and still deliver fantastic cigars. The Juarez was a new project for them and I think it delivered. In fact I would stand this cigar up against the rest of the ‘budget’ cigars that CA releases every year and I would be surprised if this wasn’t the best smoke out of all of them! So, do yourself a favor, head on over to Thompson Cigar, and pick yourself up a 5 pack of these things, you won’t be disappointed!
