2018 is the 5th years Crowned Heads has released the Las Calaveras Cigar, a limited annual edition. Each year it features a new blend and celebrates the Mexican holiday of Día de los Muertos or Days of the Dead.
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.
This years’ blend features a Mexican San Andrés wrapper with Nicaraguan binder and filler. The packaging this year is inspired by a zinc etching by José Guadalupe Posada, La Calavera Catrina. It uses the now popular decorative skull design as the boxes of the cigar. This year’s release comes in four sizes, three of which come in boxes of 24 and one is available only the sampler. LC46 (5 5/8 x 46) — $9.95, LC50 (5 x 50) — $10.95, LC54 (6 x 54) — $11.95, 2018 Sampler Exclusive (5 1/2 x 56).
Vital Stats:
Vitola: Corona Gorda
Length: 5.625″
Ring Gauge: 46
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Mexican San Andrés
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Factory: My Father Cigars S.A.
Blender: John Huber, Don Pepin Garcia
Number of reviewers: 4 – Daniel S. (Daniel S.) Diana(ArmyRN) Jason H.(Jokey Smurf) Matt H. (Mattehh)
Price: $9.95
Age: 5 Months
Release Date: June 2018
Contributed by: Puro Cigar House
Initial Impressions
Appearance: 91
“I would say this cigar is a corona vitola with a nice looking maduro wrapper. The seams stick out a little but overall the appearance of this cigar is not too bad.” –Daniel S. (Daniel S.)
Aroma: 90
“I am only getting a very mild aroma from this cigar including on the dry draw. There are hay notes with a hint of barnyard but nothing repulsive to the nose. The barnyard scent is definitely stronger at the foot of the cigar. I did a deep v cut and the dry draw in fairly mild. I’m getting no real hints of what this cigar may bring me on the burn.” –Diana (ArmyRN)
First Third
Flavor: 91
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium
“On the draw I am getting black pepper with sweet finish. The retro is super sweet. The pepper and and sweetness continue throughout the first third. The flavors really sit and last on the tongue.” –Daniel S. (Daniel S.)
“The first thing I noticed was the plentiful smoke produced by this cigar. Almonds are mixed with a hint of salt and citrus which produces an almost mineral taste. About an inch into the cigar the flavors lay back a bit and the nuances of leather, coffee and mild cocoa are more predominant. There is a mild tingle of white pepper in the background that comes forward on the finish.” –Diana (ArmyRN)
“As I am getting into the middle third, I am still getting the pepper and sweetness. However, the flavors are more complex and the flavors are stronger.” –Daniel S. (Daniel S.)
“The second portion of this cigar remained very good, almost to the point of exceptional. There was a bit of chocolate that added itself to the leather and oak and really served to deepen the delightful flavors that were present in the beginning. Through the nose the smoke remained much the same but started to develop a very nice resting aroma that makes is hard to put down.” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)
“As I am getting into the final third the flavors are the same, no transitions but I am still enjoying this cigar. a little bitterness is coming to come up. No more sweetness but starting to get some chocolate flavors and the last inch was really good.” –Daniel S. (Daniel S.)
“Most of the flavors have muted at this point in the smoke. The pepper is pretty much gone except for a slight tingle on the end of my tongue. The leather, cocoa, floral and citrus are all mixed fairly even. The flavors sort of flatten too much for me but it’s still fairly tasty.” –Diana (ArmyRN)
Overall Impressions
Draw: 93
“The cigar had no draw issues at all. It is a bit looser than I think it should be as the cigar burned just a little hot. I had to draw light on the cigar to not have the burn overpower the flavors toward the end of the cigar. A small punch may have been a better option for this rather than the deep v cut I used.” –Diana (ArmyRN)
Burn: 94
“I had no issues with the burn. No touch ups or relights.” –Matt H. (Mattehh)
Construction: 93
“The draw and burn were good so I did not notice any construction issues. ” –Matt H. (Mattehh)
“I really enjoyed this cigar it had a nice progression of strength and finished strong. It had a nice mix of flavors and with some time the flavors I could not pick up might become more present. Will smoke this one again.” –Daniel S. (Daniel S.)
“I would have considered this a great smoke if the flavors had held into the last third. It was an interesting mix of flavors for me. The citrus and floral was questionable at moments, bordering on bitter, but not enough for me to not like the cigar. Having leather, cocoa and almond at the beginning helped balance the cigar. White pepper brightened the smoke but was never too overpowering. A tasty cigar with an interesting profile that I wished would’ve stayed there through the last third but overall a very good smoking experience.” –Diana (ArmyRN)
“This was a really fine smoking experience. From the initial light, through the final puff, this cigar had a variety of flavors that were enjoyable and changed enough to make the smoke entirely interesting and a true pleasure to experience. ” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)
“We can call this cigar a one note wonder. Was almost the same all the way through. The beginning had me worried with the metallic pineapple. (Oh boy, I am going to get crap for that flavor combo.) The stick didn’t keep me interested. Was just ok and was just ordinary.” –Matt H. (Mattehh)
To view the complete scores and notes, click here.
Blind Cigar Review: Crowned Heads | Las Calaveras 2018 LC46
Overall Score – 90 – Very Good
Blind Cigar Review: Crowned Heads | Las Calaveras 2018 LC46
Summary
“I really enjoyed this cigar it had a nice progression of strength and finished strong. It had a nice mix of flavors and with some time the flavors I could not pick up might become more present. Will smoke this one again.” –Daniel S. (Daniel S.)
