Stolen Throne is a new cigar company whose inaugural cigar, Crook of the Crown, launched last year in May. The cigar was created with the help of Texas-based Noel Rojas. Stolen Throne is based out of Virginia and sells out of Atlantic Dominion Cigar Shop, direct on their Facebook page, an on Cigar Federation. It is owned by JR Cannon and Lee Marsh.
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.
Crook of the Crown is said to be a medium plus cigar. The blend uses a 10-year old San Andres maduro wrapper with filler from Indonesia and Nicaragua. It comes in two sizes, toro and robusto.
“There is a nice dark earthy brown that borders on oscuro in appearance. The closed foot is nicely done and the cap is very substantial and smoothed nicely into the body of the cigar. No obvious veins noted and the wrapper is very smooth with a nice satin oil to finish a beautiful appearance.” –Diana (ArmyRN)
Aroma: 90
“Really sweet and chocolaty with a hint of fermentation. ” –John I. (John I.)
Flavor: 96 Strength: Medium Body/Complexity: Medium
“Dark roasted coffee greeted me at the onset of this cigar. However, it didn’t take long to experience a combo of notes; hint of dark chocolate and a bit of red pepper. The finish is delightful with a saltiness on the finish and I’m left feeling like I bit into a salty pretzel. The flavors seem to transition back and forth, from front to back. The pepper subsides toward the end of the first third and a floral hibiscus has now enters the mix.” –Diana (ArmyRN)
“I drew on this immediately rather than simply toasting to take full advantage of the additional wrapper leaf around the closed foot. Really nice notes of dark, rich nutty flavors and some creamy sweetness apparent while lighting. Twenty minutes in this has been really impressive. I’d expected a bolder more in your face experience, but this has been more refined and elegant. Nicely rounded sweetness with nuts and cream evident throughout this third. ” –John I. (John I.)
Flavor: 96 Strength: Medium Body/Complexity: Medium
“Whew!! The second third continues to impress. I’m getting slightly more black pepper that mixes with the espresso and chocolate. Not overpowering. The flavors truly coat your mouth. So far so great!!” –Kevin J. (maninblack77)
“The cigar settles down going into the second third but is still full of complex flavor for me. There is a combination of earthy, meaty, dark coffee and a hint of saltiness that provides a rich and smooth experience for my palette. The floral notes have moved to the back but are still weaving in and out.” –Diana (ArmyRN)
Final Third
Flavor: 95 Strength: Medium Body/Complexity: Medium
“Flavors that have been pronounced in the early portions of this cigar have become more muted in the
finale. The final third is more full bodied, but still in the medium range with flavors of dark coffee and some earthiness going on. ” –John I. (John I.)
“Coffee notes continue to come forward with the salt receding and making room for the floral sweetness to be noted more often. The red pepper makes a slight resurgence in the last third but does not overpower the others in such a way as to cover them up. The cigar continues to be rich and flavorful down to the nub.” –Diana (ArmyRN)
“Even burn and lasted for a good amount of time when left unattended.” –Brian L. (Brian L.)
Construction: 93
“Great construction. Dense and heavy in the hand, but drew well, and performed precisely for the duration of this smoke.” –John I. (John I.)
Overall Strength: Medium Overall Body/Complexity: Medium Experience Overall: 96
“This is a cigar I really want to buy several boxes of. From start to finish it was a winner. Flavors were on point and complex. Construction was impeccable. I’d give this an ‘Extraordinary’. Definitely multi-box worthy.” –Kevin J. (maninblack77)
“I loved this cigar! All the flavors were in my wheelhouse and provided the complexity that I search for in cigars that hit the top of my “must buy” list. The cigar was interesting, never one dimensional and left my palette feeling satisfied. Oh, and did I mention how much I loved this cigar?!” –Diana (ArmyRN)
“Loved this cigar. It’s not exactly the profile that I typically reach for, but a change of pace is a good thing sometimes. This thing was like a candy bar, sweet, nutty, and full of creamy goodness. The addition of some baking spices in the mid portion was a well timed and really sophisticated transition. Loved this smoke.” –John I. (John I.)
“Again not my cup of tea but I can not say it was terrible. It was consistent from start to finish, you can’t overlook that but it wasn’t grabbing my attention either.” –Brian L. (Brian L.)
Blind Cigar Review: Stolen Throne | Crook of the Crown Robusto
Summary
"This is a cigar I really want to buy several boxes of. From start to finish it was a winner. Flavors were on point and complex. Construction was impeccable. I'd give this an 'Extraordinary'. Definitely multi box worthy." -Kevin J. (maninblack77)
