Cigar: Crowned Heads Four Kicks
Size: Sublime (6 x 54rg)
Filler: Nicaraguan
Binder: Nicaraguan
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Price: $6.95 $8.65
Individual Weight: 16.79g
Manufactured: Tabacalera LaAlianza S. A., Santiago, Dominican Republic
Pre-Light: Us, us, us and them, them, them . sings David Gilmour on Pink Floyds track Us and Them from their 1973 album, Dark Side of the Moon as I sit down to review this new cigar by Crowned Heads, the Four Kicks. I sit and listen, rolling the cigar between my fingers while occasionally lifting it to my nose to smell the different oils that Ive activated by the heat of my touch. The song reminds me of all the differences between the smaller cigar brands and the big guys. When I say big guys, I dont mean the family owned businesses around the world that work every day to grow the best tobacco they can, process it in house, and put it to market through small mom and pop shops like we all imagine our cigars coming from. I mean corporations. Like the one that caused Jon Huber of Crowned Heads to leave his position at CAO International in 2010 because of their new parent company moving the CAO headquarters to Richmond, VA from Nashville, TN leaving many of their longtime friends and family without work. With, with, with .Without, without, without he continues, just as Mr. Huber continued his passion to create wonderful, complex, full-flavored boutique quality cigars for the people that brought him the success hes seen, the throngs of cigar smokers worldwide that care more about the cigars they smoke than profit margins, overhead costs, and production quantities. No, it seems Mr. Huber wants to produce passionate cigars for passionate cigar smokers.
Being billed as a big smoke for the full-flavored cigar lover, I start to understand how this might be possible just by picking the cigar up. The cigar is rolled fairly firmly, covered in a satiny feeling Ecuadorian Habano wrapper. It is a beautiful shade of dark caramel, with a nice oily sheen to it without much tooth. The band is a very nice and understated design done in what looks to be a Ferrari red and gold pairing, with intricate embossed logos on either side of the main Four Crowns marking. The embossment on the right side is the Crowned Heads crossed-guns symbol, and on the right are three small lone stars. Of all the new cigars that have debuted recently, this is the one Ive wanted to review the most. Its passion and story enthrall me to smoke this one, as I have long considered myself to be, how Jon Huber describes it, a rebellious child, who evolved into an angry adolescent, and finally matured into an adult whose personality centered on excellence, confidence, and determination. It sounds like just my kind of smoke.
A dry draw presents sweet woodiness that could be compared to a deep breath at a saw mill that hasnt been run in 40 years. It has the definite complexity of cedar and ash, but without the sharpness that comes in fresh cut lumber. Smelling the foot provides the aroma of un-steeped Earl Grey tea bags. You even get the slight papery sweetness you find in your tea from the paper teabag.
Light: Wow. When blowing on the foot to check to see if the cigar is evenly lit, I am met with a mouth full of cream, almond, a bit of lingering spice at the back of the throat, and a wonderful hidden cinnamon note. Caramel starts coming through immediately on retro-hales and more leather starts to come to the forefront. I find very sweet and roasted flavors on smaller puffs, with larger draws producing a more floral flavor.
1/3rd: The first third really woody and full of a macadamia nut creaminess that coats the mouth. Surprisingly however, the taste doesnt seem to over linger. It washes clean with a simple swallow or inhaled breath through the mouth. The leather on this one is thick and meaty. There is also a sweet floral component I have yet to nail down just yet. What is surprising to me so far about this cigar is the buttery smoothness of the smoke while being full flavored and relatively medium to full-bodied. As I near the end of the first third, Im reminded of the Tatuaje Petite Black Label I reviewed recently. This cigar shares many of the same flavors for me, with the caramel flavor being more pronounced in the Four Kicks.
½ Way: Dominant flavors of leather and roasted red bell pepper are most noticeable now. The bell pepper isnt so much a flavor as it is a recognizable sweetness followed by a slight hint of spice. There is a bit of nougat that also finds its way onto my tongue in-between puffs. It is more of an aftertaste than a flavor to be found by puffing. Nearing the end of the first half, the cigar smoke starts to present some astringent like flavors when double puffing. The spiciness has subsided for the time being, and now is enjoying what I would call wood heaven.
Final 3rd. The final third starts off with a sweet nuttiness that I can compare to candied pralines. The spice has completely disappeared now, leaving me with wonderful warm, soothing touches of aged tobacco similar to a Saint Luis Rey. The cigar has developed very nicely, and has remained consistent in the areas of flavor and body. The complexity of this cigar is relatively deep; although there are more complex Ive had in the past, albeit at a much higher price point. In a much appreciated find, the band comes off without hassle on this cigar. Something that far too many cigars fail to provide in my opinion, making the enjoyment youve had while smoking it dissipate when you go to remove the band, and end up struggling with it, making ash fall all over yourself.
Final Thoughts: For the money, I have yet to find a cigar that is as joy inducing as this cigar has been the past two hours. From the very get go I was surprised by the complexity of its character, the subtle undertones, and the development and marrying of the flavors found in the last few inches. I was also caught off guard by the amount of nicotine found within. This cigar made me a bit dizzy by the end of smoking, and required two glasses of water to remain hydrated properly. All in all, this is one of the best smokes Ive had in a long time. The consistency in flavors made smoking it a pleasure and I look forward to reviewing the other Four Kicks vitoilas in the future. That being said, the roll did have a couple of soft spots and the ash didnt hold on quite as sturdy as I like, but I dont discount it in the quality department as it did not affect the burn character or flavor in any way. In my opinion, if you have the opportunity and a couple of bucks, do yourself a favor and grab a Four Kicks as soon as you can, as I can see this one being a fast seller.
Go to The Daily Tobacconist for the full review, high-resolution pictures, and final score!!!
Size: Sublime (6 x 54rg)
Filler: Nicaraguan
Binder: Nicaraguan
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Price: $6.95 $8.65
Individual Weight: 16.79g
Manufactured: Tabacalera LaAlianza S. A., Santiago, Dominican Republic
Pre-Light: Us, us, us and them, them, them . sings David Gilmour on Pink Floyds track Us and Them from their 1973 album, Dark Side of the Moon as I sit down to review this new cigar by Crowned Heads, the Four Kicks. I sit and listen, rolling the cigar between my fingers while occasionally lifting it to my nose to smell the different oils that Ive activated by the heat of my touch. The song reminds me of all the differences between the smaller cigar brands and the big guys. When I say big guys, I dont mean the family owned businesses around the world that work every day to grow the best tobacco they can, process it in house, and put it to market through small mom and pop shops like we all imagine our cigars coming from. I mean corporations. Like the one that caused Jon Huber of Crowned Heads to leave his position at CAO International in 2010 because of their new parent company moving the CAO headquarters to Richmond, VA from Nashville, TN leaving many of their longtime friends and family without work. With, with, with .Without, without, without he continues, just as Mr. Huber continued his passion to create wonderful, complex, full-flavored boutique quality cigars for the people that brought him the success hes seen, the throngs of cigar smokers worldwide that care more about the cigars they smoke than profit margins, overhead costs, and production quantities. No, it seems Mr. Huber wants to produce passionate cigars for passionate cigar smokers.
Being billed as a big smoke for the full-flavored cigar lover, I start to understand how this might be possible just by picking the cigar up. The cigar is rolled fairly firmly, covered in a satiny feeling Ecuadorian Habano wrapper. It is a beautiful shade of dark caramel, with a nice oily sheen to it without much tooth. The band is a very nice and understated design done in what looks to be a Ferrari red and gold pairing, with intricate embossed logos on either side of the main Four Crowns marking. The embossment on the right side is the Crowned Heads crossed-guns symbol, and on the right are three small lone stars. Of all the new cigars that have debuted recently, this is the one Ive wanted to review the most. Its passion and story enthrall me to smoke this one, as I have long considered myself to be, how Jon Huber describes it, a rebellious child, who evolved into an angry adolescent, and finally matured into an adult whose personality centered on excellence, confidence, and determination. It sounds like just my kind of smoke.
A dry draw presents sweet woodiness that could be compared to a deep breath at a saw mill that hasnt been run in 40 years. It has the definite complexity of cedar and ash, but without the sharpness that comes in fresh cut lumber. Smelling the foot provides the aroma of un-steeped Earl Grey tea bags. You even get the slight papery sweetness you find in your tea from the paper teabag.
Light: Wow. When blowing on the foot to check to see if the cigar is evenly lit, I am met with a mouth full of cream, almond, a bit of lingering spice at the back of the throat, and a wonderful hidden cinnamon note. Caramel starts coming through immediately on retro-hales and more leather starts to come to the forefront. I find very sweet and roasted flavors on smaller puffs, with larger draws producing a more floral flavor.
1/3rd: The first third really woody and full of a macadamia nut creaminess that coats the mouth. Surprisingly however, the taste doesnt seem to over linger. It washes clean with a simple swallow or inhaled breath through the mouth. The leather on this one is thick and meaty. There is also a sweet floral component I have yet to nail down just yet. What is surprising to me so far about this cigar is the buttery smoothness of the smoke while being full flavored and relatively medium to full-bodied. As I near the end of the first third, Im reminded of the Tatuaje Petite Black Label I reviewed recently. This cigar shares many of the same flavors for me, with the caramel flavor being more pronounced in the Four Kicks.
½ Way: Dominant flavors of leather and roasted red bell pepper are most noticeable now. The bell pepper isnt so much a flavor as it is a recognizable sweetness followed by a slight hint of spice. There is a bit of nougat that also finds its way onto my tongue in-between puffs. It is more of an aftertaste than a flavor to be found by puffing. Nearing the end of the first half, the cigar smoke starts to present some astringent like flavors when double puffing. The spiciness has subsided for the time being, and now is enjoying what I would call wood heaven.
Final 3rd. The final third starts off with a sweet nuttiness that I can compare to candied pralines. The spice has completely disappeared now, leaving me with wonderful warm, soothing touches of aged tobacco similar to a Saint Luis Rey. The cigar has developed very nicely, and has remained consistent in the areas of flavor and body. The complexity of this cigar is relatively deep; although there are more complex Ive had in the past, albeit at a much higher price point. In a much appreciated find, the band comes off without hassle on this cigar. Something that far too many cigars fail to provide in my opinion, making the enjoyment youve had while smoking it dissipate when you go to remove the band, and end up struggling with it, making ash fall all over yourself.
Final Thoughts: For the money, I have yet to find a cigar that is as joy inducing as this cigar has been the past two hours. From the very get go I was surprised by the complexity of its character, the subtle undertones, and the development and marrying of the flavors found in the last few inches. I was also caught off guard by the amount of nicotine found within. This cigar made me a bit dizzy by the end of smoking, and required two glasses of water to remain hydrated properly. All in all, this is one of the best smokes Ive had in a long time. The consistency in flavors made smoking it a pleasure and I look forward to reviewing the other Four Kicks vitoilas in the future. That being said, the roll did have a couple of soft spots and the ash didnt hold on quite as sturdy as I like, but I dont discount it in the quality department as it did not affect the burn character or flavor in any way. In my opinion, if you have the opportunity and a couple of bucks, do yourself a favor and grab a Four Kicks as soon as you can, as I can see this one being a fast seller.
Go to The Daily Tobacconist for the full review, high-resolution pictures, and final score!!!