Crowned Heads Mother Church JR 50th Anniversary – Blind Cigar Review

Cigar Info

JR Cigar has been celebrating their 50th Anniversary in 2021. For this milestone they have been releasing a series of collaboration cigars with big name brands, one of them being Crowned Heads. Together, they released the Crowned Heads Mother Church JR 50th Anniversary in March. This release celebrates both the 50th anniversary of JR Cigar and pays homage to Crowned Heads’ roots in Nashville, Tennessee.

The name comes from the famed Ryman Auditorium, Nashville’s legendary music venue. Formerly known as the Grand Ole Opry House, the Ryman has played host to several of the most legendary musical acts of the last 100 years, including Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash and the Foo Fighters. Due to its origins as The Union Gospel Tabernacle in 1892, the venue has long been known as Mother Church by Nashville natives.

Crowned Heads Mother Church JR 50th Anniversary is rolled at Tabacalera Pichardo in Nicaragua, a frequent team up with Crowned Heads recently. That factory also makes their Mil Dias and Juarez lines cigars. The blend uses an Ecuadorian Corojo 99 wrapper, Connecticut broadleaf binder, and aged tobacco from three of the main growing regions of Nicaragua for the fillers. The cigar comes in a unique box designed to look like the stained glass windows and church-like features of the Ryman Auditorium. Mother Church comes in 10-count boxes and only one size, a 7 x 48 Churchill. Each has an MSRP of $12.90 or you can pick up a box for $129.00. Only 500 boxes were productid for this release.

Vital Stats:

Vitola: Churchill
Length: 7″
Ring Gauge: 48
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Corojo 99
Binder: Connecticut Broadleaf
Filler: Nicaragua
Factory: Tabacalera Pichardo
Blender: Eradio Pichardo, Jon Huber
Number of reviewers: 5 – Ryan H. (Ryan H.) Alan (Eulogy) Mickey T. (irratebass) Doug S. (Unpossible_1) John A. (Bostoneo)
Price: $12.90
Age: 4 Months
Release Date: March 2021
Contributed by: JR Cigars

Initial Impressions

Appearance: 91

“It is certainly an impressive-looking cigar. I feel like it’s slightly longer than a standard Churchill with an odd shade to the wrapper as it goes from light at the cap to a darker hue at the foot. The cap is very small but well applied and tightly coiled. The seams are invisible but I found a repair in the wrapper that is not entirely glued down. ” –Alan (Eulogy)

Aroma: 93

“Subtle notes of fragrant hand soap? Oh wait, that’s just from my freshly washed hands. Let’s try this again, except along the actual cigar wrapper. Unsweetened chocolate and a slight touch of almonds are about the only thing that comes to mind from the aroma. ” –Doug S. (Unpossible_1)

First Third

Flavor: 92
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium

“Cold draw is the infamous Raisinets! Yes, they’re back and I couldn’t be happier! So I go ahead and light it up and take a handful of draws to get things going. My oh my, sweet cherry pie….” tastes so good, makes a grown man cry…” I think you know the rest. And if you don’t, for shame! ” –Doug S. (Unpossible_1)

“Off the bat, I am hit with a delicious medium-bodied profile of slightly toasted leather with an amazing finish of peppered sweet cream, wow! A very savory malty note comes in shortly after and continues to amaze me with a pancake and syrup profile, simply savory profile.” –John A. (Bostoneo)

Second Third

Flavor: 93
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium

“Cigar is light-medium in strength. The profile continues to be light and calming mild black pepper on the front, orange zest earth, and cream to finish. It really reminds me of a dream sickle. Very good combo.” –Ryan H. (Ryan H.)

“Picking up some marshmallow notes mixed with more peanuts and some earth has snuck in there. The cigar teeters on mild-medium in strength.” –Mickey T. (irratebass)

Final Third

Flavor: 89
Strength: Medium-Strong
Body/Complexity: Medium-Full

“Rolling into the last third, a rich medium flavor profile exists. Rich flavors of salt, pepper, syrupy sweetness, and cedar provide a complex profile that simply sticks to your tongue long after putting the cigar down to rest. Working towards the end the sweetness keeps building and building and coats my entire tongue,

unable to taste anything else.” –John A. (Bostoneo)

“There’s some competition to the cherry pie now. Out of nowhere, a substantial amount of baking spices rounds out the final couple inches of this cigar. I am a little surprised by this as the cigar stayed the course for almost the entire time, so I wasn’t expecting any changes. ” –Doug S. (Unpossible_1)

Overall Impressions

Draw: 93

“Maybe a touch too tight for my personal preference. I never felt like I was fighting the draw but I was always aware of having to draw. ” –Alan (Eulogy)

Burn: 96

“I never needed to do any touch-ups or relights. It did get a little wonky while burning through the patch but it didn’t really affect the rest of the burn and corrected itself quickly. ” –Alan (Eulogy)

Construction: 94

“Construction was perfect. Absolutely flawless. Plenty of smoke, about 1 to 1/4 inch ash and burned cool.” –Mickey T. (irratebass)

Overall Strength: Medium
Overall Body/Complexity: Medium-Full
Experience Overall: 91

“An easily boxable cigar very enjoyable very relaxing good balanced transitions. Really takes me back to my childhood chasing that ice cream truck for that ice cold dream sickle.” –Ryan H. (Ryan H.)

“It’s very good. There wasn’t a real progression in terms of flavors but they worked well together. I’m not sure I would reach for it often due to the size and its slow burn. At two and a half hours of hardcore peppery draw and retrohale, I feel a bit used up for the rest of the day. ” –Alan (Eulogy)

“Eh this cigar was alright I guess. It didn’t blow my socks off, and I wouldn’t brag about it, but the burn, construction, & draw was impeccable. Typical flavor notes of peanuts, marshmallows, and earth. I would smoke it again if handed to me, but I wouldn’t seek these out. ” –Mickey T. (irratebass)

“This cigar was a most excellent after-dinner cigar. It embodied almost exactly what you’d want from a dessert cigar. No, I’m not talking about that artificial sweetness you get from flavored cigars, but instead, I’m talking about the richness and perfect body that hits just right. On top of that, it is so well made that I found myself admiring it while smoking it. Definitely the highlight of my day and would not be opposed to picking up more.” –Doug S. (Unpossible_1)

“In conclusion, this cigar was absolutely delicious 80% of the way. The great medium-bodied profiles of sweet and savory flavors kept me coming back for more and more. Towards the very end, the overwhelming syrupy sweetness just coated my tongue and left for more to be desired. Overall, however, a wonderful cigar that I would smoke again.” –John A. (Bostoneo)

Smoking Time (in minutes): 131

To view the complete scores and notes, click here.

Crowned Heads Mother Church JR 50th Anniversary – Blind Cigar Review