Cigar Info
La Imperiosa is the second Crowned Heads regular production brand (following-up ‘Jericho Hill’) released from the My Father Cigars, S.A. factory in Esteli, Nicaragua, for worldwide distribution. Originally a Cuban brand from the early 1900’s, La Imperiosa translates to ‘the imperative,’ or, “..that which is absolutely necessary or required.” The La Imperiosa artwork and band were inspired by the original Cuban vista and band of years gone by. Today we are reviewing the Crowned Heads | La Imperiosa Magicos.
This cigar was reviewed blind (no bands) by a panel of at least 4 reviewers. They did not know what they were smoking beforehand. The scores are an average of all the reviewers' scores with outliers removed. All of our cigars reviewed are shipped to the panelists with Boveda packs to ensure optimal smoking experience.
The blend of 100% Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos, finished with a dark and imposing Ecuador Habano Oscuro wrapper, is identical to the Las Calaveras EL 2014 blend. Released in May 2014, the Las Calaveras EL 2014 brand went on to become one of the year’s most sought-after new releases, and was praised by cigar enthusiasts around the world. Despite selling-out in a matter of weeks, the demand for Las Calaveras EL 2014 remained high and constant. As a result, it became ‘imperative‘ and ‘absolutely necessary‘ to respond to that demand.
Packaged in traditional 24-count boxes, La Imperiosa is available in (4) classic Cuban vitolas: Corona Gorda – 5 3/4” x 46, Magicos – 4 1/2” x 52, Double Robusto – 6 3/8” x 50, Dukes – 5 1/2” x 54.
The cigars arem anufactured at My Father Cigars, S.A., Esteli, Nicaragua. MSRP rages from $8.25 – $9.75. Although the same blends as Las Calaveras 2014, they are all in different vitolas.
Vital Stats:
Vitola: Robusto
Length: 4.5″
Ring Gauge: 52
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano Oscuro
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Factory: My Father Cigars S.A.
Blender: Jon Huber
Number of reviewers: 4—–Ryan (Youngryan216) Stefan (Stefan) Jack (Jack_H) Wes (SosaCub4Life)
Price: $8.75
Age: 4 Months
Release Date: July 2015
Contributed by: Crowned Heads
Initial Impressions
Appearance: 94
“This stick has a very dark brown wrapper that is smooth and seamless. There are no prominent veins or obvious soft spots along the body. It has a bit of an oily sheen to it, and is nearly flawless in construction all the way down to the triple cap.” –Ryan (Youngryan216)
Aroma: 92
“Notes of sweaty leather and cocoa powder emanate from the wrapper, while the cold draw exhibits a sweeter profile of milk chocolate, grains and some bourbon-like sweetness.” –Stefan (Stefan)
First Third
Flavor: 91
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium
“A very tasty start to this stick, marked by notes of chocolate fudge backed by wood on the palate, a dash of black pepper on the back palate and retrohale, and some green leaf bitterness on the finish. Halfway through the first third, there is a build-up of creaminess, then the woodsy component takes the lead (characterized by a quite focused wood grain note) as the burn line approaches the second third.” –Stefan (Stefan)
“Smooth lemony citrus flavor. I get white pepper and some light herbal notes. It changes pretty quickly and the flavor gets slightly stronger with an earthy retrohale. The draw is solid and the burn is razor sharp.” –Jack (Jack_H)
Second Third
Flavor: 91
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium
“The second inch is the flavor crescendo of this short robusto. Softer notes of fresh baked bread join the flavor profile, but it still maintains delicious caramelized meat and earthy core flavors. The smoke has a nice creamy quality to it and is never overly dry. The retrohale is very long with notes of fresh leather, mineral and a slight pepper spice. The most unique thing about this cigars retrohale is the subtle zest on the palate that reminds me of toned down black peppercorn. However, the strength of the spice increases as the burn progresses. And while pepper in a flavor profile is not anything new or groundbreaking, the amount of spice here is a really good balance for the overall earthy / meaty vibe this stick gives off.” –Ryan (Youngryan216)
“The woodsy note is the main player of this second third, backed by a little white pepper on the back palate and retrohale, and by a hint of tannin bitterness on the finish. Around the midpoint, there’s an addition of a bready, slightly buttery component, then the initial cocoa note starts re-emerging toward the end of the second third, seemingly less sweet this time around.” –Stefan (Stefan)
Final Third
Flavor: 91
Strength: Medium-Strong
Body/Complexity: Medium
“The final third is shaping up to be my favorite. I get a minty flavor with a really nice leather taste. It is stronger than the other third, and also, it has some nice earthy spice on the retrohale. The ash has held until the band.” –Jack (Jack_H)
“By the end of the second third, the burn line has totally corrected itself and the draw has opened up. Some of the spice has returned in the final third, but still, overall the cigar is a real smooth creamy smoke. The return of some spice is nice and compliments the creamy sweetness.” –Wes (SosaCub4Life)
Overall Impressions
Draw: 93
“The draw was solid. Nothing special, but not bad by any means.” –Jack (Jack_H)
Burn: 93
“The burn got off right away but did correct itself by the end of the second third. It never did effect the smoke.” –Wes (SosaCub4Life)
Construction: 93
“The cap came off easily and the wrapper stayed intact throughout the smoking experience. The ash held on solid for two inches and was thick and mostly white with some grey streaks. I ashed once during the entire smoke with no flakiness to the ash while smoking at all.” –Ryan (Youngryan216)
Overall Strength: Medium
Overall Body/Complexity: Medium
Experience Overall: 91
“Overall, this was a pleasant smoking experience. This is a good medium-full strength stick that would be great after dinner and would pair well with a nice sipping rum or a dark stout. Although it is a shorter sized robusto, it is definitely a slow burner. My impression of this particular stick is that it could really benefit from some age. The tobacco seemed really fresh, and in my opinion, affected combustion a bit. This may also have been why smoking the last inch was unpleasant. I would definitely smoke it again in about 6 months to a year and possibly in a more substantial vitola.” –Ryan (Youngryan216)
“A quite tasty stick that seems might be better suited as a longer vitola.” –Stefan (Stefan)
“This cigar was a nice mix of a dark wrapper with nice smooth subtle flavors that aren’t always typical of a cigar with this dark and oily of an exterior. I enjoyed the quick transitions and the way this cigar changed completely from the beginning to the end. It was a small cigar and a bit of a quick burner, but something I can see as 5 pack worthy.” –Jack (Jack_H)
“Overall, this was a nice, smooth, creamy smoke with some sweetness. There was a good amount of spice at the beginning and it did return some towards the end. I would like to smoke it again to see if the draw and burn were better with a different stick. I would smoke this again for the flavors and assume the draw and burn would be better.” –Wes (SosaCub4Life)
Smoking Time (in minutes): 66
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Reviewer
|
Appearance
|
Aroma
|
1/3
|
2/3
|
3/3
|
Draw
|
Burn
|
Constr.
|
Overall
Experience |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ryan | Youngryan216) | 97 | 92 | 88 | 97 | 85 | 95 | 90 | 97 | 95 |
| Stefan | Stefan) | 93 | 92 | 92 | 90 | 88 | 93 | 95 | 90 | 90 |
| Jack | Jack_H) | 90 | 90 | 90 | 90 | 95 | 93 | 97 | 95 | 90 |
| Wes | SosaCub4Life) | 95 | 97 | 95 | 92 | 95 | 88 | 90 | 90 | 92 |
To view the complete scores and notes, click here.