Initial Thoughts
I was really excited to try one of this year’s new releases from IPCPR, Crowned Heads’ Le Carême. I’m going to be the first to admit that I have no idea how to pronounce this and I probably won’t even try to do so in public. I went and picked these up from one of the local shops here in Nashville. I wanted to smoke a couple on it’s own and get the flavor profile down and then pair it with a nice whiskey and see what else developed.
From what I’m told from credible sources, when blending this cigar E.P. Carrillo said it tasted like a chocolate soufflé. This cigar like others from the Crowned Heads line are made in EPC’s factory in the DR. That review note of ‘chocolate soufflé’ gave the idea to name it after a popular French cuisine icon Marie-Antoine Carême who popularized the soufflé, there ya go. That’s your knowledge for the day!
Looks
Per usual with other Crowned Heads releases this Le Carême cigar looks fantastic. The packaging is great with a solid white background and some blue and silver piping. The band looks elegant and enticing while sitting on the shelf too. The dark Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper is gorgeous as well. It looks like a dark chocolate shell to the tobacco inside. I’ve always been a fan of Broadleaf and the way it looks. So much texture, and color to it.
Function
The head of the Le Carême looks fantastic as well, a nicely place cap with dark and visible seams. The foot looks well packed also. I believe overall the cigar is trunk pressed which is a similar build to the Headley Grange, which we all know that I’m a huge fan of.
After nipping the cap off my new Xikar Large Ring gauge cutter I was puffing away. The dry draw was a little tight, but it gave way to some of those delicious flavors that are coming down the road. I rolled the cigar between my fingers and it had a nice and cushy bounce back so I’m all ready to light this thing up and get rolling.
Smoking
I think this particular cigar was still a bit wet from the local humidor. It took awhile to get burning on one side. It just seemed damp on that side. After about the first 1/4″ it started to even out and burn a lot better. After that the cigar was flawless and was a pleasure to smoke.
Flavor
With the previous comment from EPC about this being a ‘chocolate souffle’ it was going to be hard to come up with anything else that tops that. What I picked up instantly on was this sweet aromatic tobacco flavor. Followed up by hints of rich mocha and some lighter more subtle notes of leather. I definitely got that creamy note mixed with chocolate which I’m assuming is the chocolate souffle that EPC was picking up. On the retro I got a good dose of spice that help balance this thing out. Gave it a nice little kick to add some depth & variety to the smoke. Overall a really solid smoke. I have enjoyed about 3-5 of these now and I have to say it’s another hit for the boys at CH!
Would I Buy It Again?
Absolutely.
Is It an Every Day Smoke?
Very possibly.
Would I Buy a Box?
Without a doubt.
Conclusion
Each release that comes from CH seems to be a favorite out in the marketplace. It’s amazing how they continue to create fantastic cigars that offer something new each time they step up to the plate. I can honestly say that none of their cigars taste like one another and that’s amazing to me. The Le Carême is definitely a great release from this year and you should certainly go pick up 3, 5, or a box!
