5-15-12 been in my humidor since 8-27-11
Room 101 Namakubi Tiburon: (6 x44)
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Honduran Generoso seed
Filler: Dominican and Honduran Vuelta Abajo"
Blender: Matt Booth, Christian Eiroa
I've seen a few reviews of this cigar. It seems like it is mandatory for the reviewer to give a long detailed history of the name of this cigar. I will not do that. If you want that info it is readily available HERE to anybody who wants to read it.
I would much rather talk about the tobacco itself.
The binder on the Namakubi is the same leaf that is used on the Camacho Super Limitado as a wrapper leaf. This Leaf was developed by Christian Eiroa's father and named after his grandfather. It was an experimental leaf that had limitations. The flavor and color were good but the yield for wrapper leaf was not as high as hoped. As a wrapper leaf it was very limited and made for an expensive cigar with a short run. Fortunately for Matt Booth, this leaf still made good binder leaf. The inconsistencies in the overall look make less of a difference when there is a wrapper leaf to be placed over it.
The filler leaves contain a Honduran Vuelta Abajo leaf. Vuelta Abajo is a district of the Pinar del Rio Provence in Cuba. This region is considered one of the best regions to grow tobacco in the world and where much of the tobacco from the world class Cuban cigars is grown. The tobacco industry in this region can be traced back to the 1830's. The Honduran Vuelta Abajo is seed specifically from this region grown in Honduras.
The cigar has a great presentation. I wouldn't expect anything less than that from an artist. The red and black band is striking in and of itself and it is a perfect compliment to the cigar that has a reddish hue to it. The wrapper is far from flawless but the ruggedness of it is not distracting in any way. The only problem I see is self inflicted where at some point I chipped the wrapper right on the foot. I should smoke past that within the first 3 minutes.
the smell of the cigar is nothing remarkable, just light tobacco notes that are boarder-line hay. The lick on the cap is incredibly mild. There is not enough there to even make an assessment, but once I cut off the head I am presented with a gift of flavors including a spice and licorice note. I did win.
A soft flame lights the Namakubi gently. The first few draws are a bit lighter in flavor than I thought they would be. There is a musk note on this cigar that is actually a dominant flavor. It is in the initial flavor and through the nose. Most cigars that have a musk seem to only have it through the nose. As it gets going there is a leather note on the finish along with a soft spice. The flavor of each puff seems to fade in as to not overwhelm the palate. The spice comes on slowly and hangs on well through the finish. There is a strange sweetness that is very hit or miss in this first third. It is on the initial part of the draw and is very light. It almost catches you off guard.
The ash is a bit flaky and falls earlier than I am used to for a cigar this size at less than a half an inch.
The middle third seems to have a transition from musk over to a slightly more woody flavor. There are elements that are reminiscent of the 101 Connecticut. This is of course stronger and spicier. I do feel it is a very different cigar and the similar elements can be chalked up to blending style. The intermittent sweet note has developed into a sweeter nutty note that reminds me why I love Honduran tobacco so much. The burn is not even but it seems to always correct itself. By the end of the middle third the cigar has thinned out some with a cinnamon like spice being a dominant flavor and most everything else falling to the back. There are still some nutty notes and it is still quite enjoyable.
The final third brings on more toasty notes and a vanilla note. The cinnamon is still there and this makes a wonderful combo. The cigar ends on a more pepper note. I can now feel that this is a full bodied smoke.
even though this got the same rating as the 101 Connecticut I would choose the Connecticut over this one, mainly because I enjoy a milder cigar to a full bodied one.
Good review kuzi. Like you, I prefer the 101 connie to the Namakubi. Unlike you, I don't rate them the same. The connie is WAY better to me, and I actually prefer full bodied cigars. To me, the connie was a home run, the Namakubi was just good.
Have you had an OSOK yet? That's a freakin home run too.
Thanks for your insight Kuzi! Like BigT said, the OSOK is yet another Room 101 home run.
i read your review after i did mine and i was very happy to see that you picked up much of the same things i did with mine, especially the vanilla notes.
do you have a blog that we can check out? id love to see that and follow you on twitter if you are there too. im on twitter @kuziscigar
5-21-12 been in humidor since: 8-22-09
Cigar.com 2009 Forum Blend Sumatra
Toro 6 x 50
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra
Binder: Habano Jamastran Honduras
Filler: Nicaraguan condega viso, Ometepe Nicaragua Ligero, San Andrew Mexico Seco
Blender: Cigar.com forum at large.
April third 2009 a thread was posted in the Fledgling cigar.com forum. At this time the forum was just over a year old (forum birthday is 1-15-08) and Vulchor had joined two days before. My most recent review at that point was on 3-31-09 where I reviewed the Camacho SLR Maduro (it got a 8.9). This thread would change the way the forum worked forever. It would solidify the relationship between the forum members and Cigar.com. It opened the eyes to many about the process that is cigar manufacturing. This thread is made of legend. What made the thread so special? Cigar.com was blending a forum blend. It seemed so innocent at the beginning. But it grew. People got involved. This is the thread that made this place a true community. There are forum members that showed up long after the cigars were gone that wish they could get some. A few of the lucky ones have a few left.
I will do my best to be objective even though my hand was in this (though it was a very limited basis). It will be hard to be subjective. I have a lot of love for this cigar, mainly for what it represents for this community.
The cigar is fairly dark and it feels firm and heavy in the hand. There is no real band on this cigar just a plain white band with AAA printed on it. There is a small crack on the cigar about half way through that I hope will not influence the experience. Other than that the wrapper is smooth and silky in texture with a slightly oily feel as well.
The smell is a heavy barnyard. A lick on the cap is slightly sour and spicy. Once cut with my trusty Xi2 the draw has rich flavors to it. There is quite a bit of spice on the cold draw. There is also an underlying sweetness with an almost clove feel. The draw is firm but not bad.
Lit with my usual Xikar EX soft flame. The first few puffs have the classic woody spice and pulp texture that tells me that it has Nicaraguan tobacco. Through the nose there is a musty oak. As the cigar settles in the spice dies down but the texture stays pulpy. The oak becomes the dominant flavor. There is also a leathery note on the finish. The first ash holds on for well over an inch. Its about this point where I notice a vegetable-like sweetness.
The middle third is very much like the first third but the crack has made the burn fairly ugly. The flavor does not seem to have taken a turn for the worse. That is good because I here for the flavor. The crack seems to be acting like the cigar is slightly over stuffed. As the cigar gets to the end of the middle third a nutty undertone develops and the oak dissipates.
The final third is past all burn and wrapper issues. The cigar has seemed to settle down quite a bit and is now mostly cinnamon, pepper, and oak. i feel that this is how the cigar should have been but the other problems along the way hurt its performance.
These hold a very special place in my heart too. Participating in the blending was everything you described and a real highlight in my hobby. I haven't had one in over two years but I'm planning on having one of each wrapper in the fall. For me these forum blends fall directly into the scenario that the atmosphere contributes as much to the smoke as the blend itself. Whenever I smoke these I am brought back in time and the experience is always wonderful.
6-1-12 been in humidor since 2-27-12
Crowned Heads Four Kicks Robusto (5 x 50)
Wrapper: Habano Ecuador
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Blender: Ernesto Perez-Carrillo
Thanks to Zack for getting this to my front door.
Crowned Heads, as a company, was born from the sale of CAO International inc. to Swedish Match Group (better known as General Cigar co.). Any time there is a corporate takeover/buyout, things change. Sometime for the better, sometimes lets just focus on the good to come out of this.
Jon Huber (one time CAO Director of Lifestyle Marketing ) saw the impact of the CAO sale first hand. He saw his [cigar] family breaking down. He saw his work from the last 15 years being sold. As the story goes, he was filled with a range of emotions and the anger, rebellion, confidence, and determination that Huber felt was mirrored in the song Four Kicks by Kings of Leon. He formed the Crowned Heads company and used the song to inspire their first release.
Ernesto Perez-Carrillo, a cigar veteran of E.P. Carrillo and La Gloria Cubana fame, is the blender for this inaugural cigar for Crowned Heads. This is a first for him as this is the first cigar that he has blended under contract for another company. After leaving General, Ernesto Perez-Carrillos goal was to only contract himself out to other companies to blend. That did not happen. His children joined him in his cigar venture and the E.P. Carrillo brand was born.
This cigar has a simple gold and red band with the words Four Kicks on it. There is no mention of Crowned Heads anywhere on the band. That name will probably never be on any cigar that the company puts out. Crowned Heads is the holding company. The cigar is a medium brown in color and has an oily feel to it. At first glance it looks seamless and it has minimal veins that stand out.
The smell on this cigar before the light is mild with a woody feel to it. The lick on the cap has a light flavor. It is so light that I have a difficult time pinning it down. There may be a slight sour on it but I hesitate to say that. After a cut with my double guillotine, the cigar finally begins to give up some of its flavor. There is a sweeter earth taste that has a cedar undertone.
The light is done with a soft flame.
The opening puffs are woody and have a bit of a sour/citrus note. There is a spice on the finish from the get go. As the cigar settles in, the sour note is gone and there is a subtle sweetness especially on the initial part of the draw. This sweetness is immediately followed by a cedar note. The middle flavor is difficult to name but it is somewhere between coffee and earth. Through he nose there is a spice and wood like many cigars with Nicaraguan tobacco. Late on the finish more spice comes out. It is nice and soft and ends at the exact moment I want it to.
The first ash falls early at about half an inch. However, only half of it fell. The cigar is left with a quarter inch of ash. This leads me to believe that there was some damage near the foot of this cigar at some point. The burn is not perfect but it seems to correct itself constantly.
The middle third of the cigar are much woodier and sweeter. The cedar notes have crept into the finish and the spice has fallen away for the most part; it only exists now through the nose. This is a very unique woody flavor. It is unique mostly because this is the most cedar cigar I have ever smoked. The flavor is intense and I notice that the power is already starting to be felt. The body, or mouth-feel, is rich and has a slightly pulpy texture, probably from the Nicaraguan tobacco. This texture is not something that I am usually a big fan of but because of the over the top cedar flavor, works very well.
The final third is an extension of the middle third with a slow build up of spice. The spice that shows up is never overpowering. Its just a complement to the rich woody notes. Other than that the flavor stays the same, and Im glad it does. Any change would be for the worse given what has come before. The burn has started to veer off course but still no actual touch ups are needed.
6-1-12 been in humidor since 2-27-12
Crowned Heads Four Kicks Robusto (5 x 50)
Wrapper: Habano Ecuador
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Blender: Ernesto Perez-Carrillo
Thanks to Zack for getting this to my front door.
Crowned Heads, as a company, was born from the sale of CAO International inc. to Swedish Match Group (better known as General Cigar co.). Any time there is a corporate takeover/buyout, things change. Sometime for the better, sometimes lets just focus on the good to come out of this.
Jon Huber (one time CAO Director of Lifestyle Marketing ) saw the impact of the CAO sale first hand. He saw his [cigar] family breaking down. He saw his work from the last 15 years being sold. As the story goes, he was filled with a range of emotions and the anger, rebellion, confidence, and determination that Huber felt was mirrored in the song Four Kicks by Kings of Leon. He formed the Crowned Heads company and used the song to inspire their first release.
Ernesto Perez-Carrillo, a cigar veteran of E.P. Carrillo and La Gloria Cubana fame, is the blender for this inaugural cigar for Crowned Heads. This is a first for him as this is the first cigar that he has blended under contract for another company. After leaving General, Ernesto Perez-Carrillos goal was to only contract himself out to other companies to blend. That did not happen. His children joined him in his cigar venture and the E.P. Carrillo brand was born.
This cigar has a simple gold and red band with the words Four Kicks on it. There is no mention of Crowned Heads anywhere on the band. That name will probably never be on any cigar that the company puts out. Crowned Heads is the holding company. The cigar is a medium brown in color and has an oily feel to it. At first glance it looks seamless and it has minimal veins that stand out.
The smell on this cigar before the light is mild with a woody feel to it. The lick on the cap has a light flavor. It is so light that I have a difficult time pinning it down. There may be a slight sour on it but I hesitate to say that. After a cut with my double guillotine, the cigar finally begins to give up some of its flavor. There is a sweeter earth taste that has a cedar undertone.
The light is done with a soft flame.
The opening puffs are woody and have a bit of a sour/citrus note. There is a spice on the finish from the get go. As the cigar settles in, the sour note is gone and there is a subtle sweetness especially on the initial part of the draw. This sweetness is immediately followed by a cedar note. The middle flavor is difficult to name but it is somewhere between coffee and earth. Through he nose there is a spice and wood like many cigars with Nicaraguan tobacco. Late on the finish more spice comes out. It is nice and soft and ends at the exact moment I want it to.
The first ash falls early at about half an inch. However, only half of it fell. The cigar is left with a quarter inch of ash. This leads me to believe that there was some damage near the foot of this cigar at some point. The burn is not perfect but it seems to correct itself constantly.
The middle third of the cigar are much woodier and sweeter. The cedar notes have crept into the finish and the spice has fallen away for the most part; it only exists now through the nose. This is a very unique woody flavor. It is unique mostly because this is the most cedar cigar I have ever smoked. The flavor is intense and I notice that the power is already starting to be felt. The body, or mouth-feel, is rich and has a slightly pulpy texture, probably from the Nicaraguan tobacco. This texture is not something that I am usually a big fan of but because of the over the top cedar flavor, works very well.
The final third is an extension of the middle third with a slow build up of spice. The spice that shows up is never overpowering. Its just a complement to the rich woody notes. Other than that the flavor stays the same, and Im glad it does. Any change would be for the worse given what has come before. The burn has started to veer off course but still no actual touch ups are needed.
6-13-12 been in humidor since 9-28-11
Padron 1926 no.2 52 x 5.5
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Maduro
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Blender: Jorge Padron
The 1926 was a cigar released in 2002 in honor of Jose Padrons 75th anniversary. The cigar differs than the Anniversary line in a few ways, one of the more notable ways is that the tobacco is aged for an additional year; 5 as opposed to 4 years. To Padron, this is significant. The tobacco they use is aged extensively prior to rolling and not at all after. Many companies, most actually, will age cigars post roll. This is done because it helps to even out the moisture in the cigars that is picked up in the rolling process. When you add moisture to a cigar it begins a very mild fermentation. The aging room takes a cigar past this fermentation period and lets all the ammonia dissipate. Padron does not do this. The theory is that they age the tobacco enough before it is rolled that amonia is not a problem. Some will claim that scientifically this is an issue, especially since Padron applies their wrapper with significantly more moisture than many other factories. Clearly Padron does not think so. The 1926 is bunched, bound, banded, pressed, and shipped. No aging room. The Factory does not have an aging room in the same way that other factories do. Jorge Padron has noted in the past that they are always out of cigars because as soon as they are rolled they are packaged and exported. Looking back on my tour of the several factories in Nicaragua, the Padron Factory was the only one that we did not get to see an aging room. That explains why.
Apparently its worked for them. This is one of the most highly regarded cigars on the market. It has quite a reputation to live up to. As always I will do my best to keep the reputation from influencing my review.
The cigar is a rich deep brown with extensive veins. The seams are prominent and the cap looks thick and heavily applied. Its is box pressed and therefore wont roll off the table. It has an overall rustic look to the wrapper. The number on the second band reads No 571027, This number was put there to ensure quality and authenticity. The fine print in the band reads Authenticity guaranteed by Jose O Padron
The deep reddish-brown, gold and cream band has become an icon for the company and may as well be a status symbol.
The smell is fairly sweet unlit. Its sweeter than most cigars that I can remember. It is earthy in an autumn kind of way. The lick on the cap feels oily in the mouth but the flavor is light. I clip with my Xikar Xi2 and am greeted with a flavorful and smooth draw. The resistance is exactly where I want it to be and the flavor while cold mimics the bouquet stated above.
After a light with a soft flame I am greeted with a sweeter wood flavor and a very light spice. This reminds me of a sweeter more refined version of a classic Nicaraguan profile. Through the nose there is a hefty amount of spice and a toasty undertone. The finish has quite a bit of spice that lingers for almost an awkwardly long time.
As the cigar settles in there are other flavors that come into play. There is a very light anise note that comes and goes but it is very much in the background. Toasted bread comes to mind as well but I hesitate to actually pin that down. The initial flavors and through the nose are at worst quite good, however the spice on the finish continues to linger much longer and with more intensity than feels right for it. If this was right out of a box that was right from the factory I could understand the amount of spice on the finish. I would also expect a slight ammonia flavor. The cigar has been in my humidor for 9 months, who-knows-how-long in the previous humidor (being that this was a gift (thanks James!)) and maybe a bit in a shop. There is no ammonia, just a heavy spice; and that is only too much on the finish.
As the middle third begins the finish on the spice tones down quite a bit. This is a good thing. The burn is not perfect but it does keep itself from a corrective light. The sweeter wood flavor is what dominates the initial flavor. It almost has a sharp quality to it. This is a very unique tasting cigar. Just past the mid point is where I start to understand why people have so much love for this cigar. It has finally come into balance.
The final third actually brings on even more sweetness. Beyond that, the flavor is about the same. It seems to be burning faster than many cigars of similar sizes. For me I would expect to be at this point of the cigar at one hour and thirty minutes. I am at about one hour. Normally this would be a non-issue. However, the reason that this is an issue is that it took me half of that time to get to a point where it was enjoyable. Even now, it is enjoyable, but I do not think it has come anywhere near the hype that it gets. By the end of the cigar it has turned out to be a medium to full bodied cigar.
Burn to the nub
Burn time: 1 hour 45 minutes.
If it wasnt for that first 30 minutes or so the rating would be as follows:
if you like my reviews, or want to disagree with them, please see my blog and follow me on twitter (@KuzisCigar) or Facebook of course you can always post here for a longer discussion.
The attention to detail makes your reviews both interesting and informative. Keep up the good work and I will keep reading and learning in the process.
Comments
A) LFD Mysterio
C) Liga Privada no.9 Flying Pig
D) Tatuaje Black Label
I am still looking forward to your thoughts on it.
5-15-12 been in my humidor since 8-27-11
Room 101 Namakubi Tiburon: (6 x44)
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Honduran Generoso seed
Filler: Dominican and Honduran Vuelta Abajo"
Blender: Matt Booth, Christian Eiroa
I've seen a few reviews of this cigar. It seems like it is mandatory for the reviewer to give a long detailed history of the name of this cigar. I will not do that. If you want that info it is readily available HERE to anybody who wants to read it.
I would much rather talk about the tobacco itself. The binder on the Namakubi is the same leaf that is used on the Camacho Super Limitado as a wrapper leaf. This Leaf was developed by Christian Eiroa's father and named after his grandfather. It was an experimental leaf that had limitations. The flavor and color were good but the yield for wrapper leaf was not as high as hoped. As a wrapper leaf it was very limited and made for an expensive cigar with a short run. Fortunately for Matt Booth, this leaf still made good binder leaf. The inconsistencies in the overall look make less of a difference when there is a wrapper leaf to be placed over it.
The filler leaves contain a Honduran Vuelta Abajo leaf. Vuelta Abajo is a district of the Pinar del Rio Provence in Cuba. This region is considered one of the best regions to grow tobacco in the world and where much of the tobacco from the world class Cuban cigars is grown. The tobacco industry in this region can be traced back to the 1830's. The Honduran Vuelta Abajo is seed specifically from this region grown in Honduras.
The cigar has a great presentation. I wouldn't expect anything less than that from an artist. The red and black band is striking in and of itself and it is a perfect compliment to the cigar that has a reddish hue to it. The wrapper is far from flawless but the ruggedness of it is not distracting in any way. The only problem I see is self inflicted where at some point I chipped the wrapper right on the foot. I should smoke past that within the first 3 minutes.
the smell of the cigar is nothing remarkable, just light tobacco notes that are boarder-line hay. The lick on the cap is incredibly mild. There is not enough there to even make an assessment, but once I cut off the head I am presented with a gift of flavors including a spice and licorice note. I did win.
A soft flame lights the Namakubi gently. The first few draws are a bit lighter in flavor than I thought they would be. There is a musk note on this cigar that is actually a dominant flavor. It is in the initial flavor and through the nose. Most cigars that have a musk seem to only have it through the nose. As it gets going there is a leather note on the finish along with a soft spice. The flavor of each puff seems to fade in as to not overwhelm the palate. The spice comes on slowly and hangs on well through the finish. There is a strange sweetness that is very hit or miss in this first third. It is on the initial part of the draw and is very light. It almost catches you off guard.
The ash is a bit flaky and falls earlier than I am used to for a cigar this size at less than a half an inch.
The middle third seems to have a transition from musk over to a slightly more woody flavor. There are elements that are reminiscent of the 101 Connecticut. This is of course stronger and spicier. I do feel it is a very different cigar and the similar elements can be chalked up to blending style. The intermittent sweet note has developed into a sweeter nutty note that reminds me why I love Honduran tobacco so much. The burn is not even but it seems to always correct itself. By the end of the middle third the cigar has thinned out some with a cinnamon like spice being a dominant flavor and most everything else falling to the back. There are still some nutty notes and it is still quite enjoyable.
The final third brings on more toasty notes and a vanilla note. The cinnamon is still there and this makes a wonderful combo. The cigar ends on a more pepper note. I can now feel that this is a full bodied smoke.
Burn to the burn
time 1 hour 50 minutes
Burn: 9
Draw: 10
Taste: 8
Aftertaste: 8
Construction: 10
Balance: 9
Feel: 9
Overall: 9.0 of 10
even though this got the same rating as the 101 Connecticut I would choose the Connecticut over this one, mainly because I enjoy a milder cigar to a full bodied one.
if you like my reviews, please see my blog and follow me on twitter (@KuzisCigar) or Facebook
Have you had an OSOK yet? That's a freakin home run too.
do you have a blog that we can check out? id love to see that and follow you on twitter if you are there too. im on twitter @kuziscigar
A bit too musty on the front end. I really enjoyed the last third. I guess some sticks need to cook for a while.
5-21-12 been in humidor since: 8-22-09
Cigar.com 2009 Forum Blend Sumatra
Toro 6 x 50
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra
Binder: Habano Jamastran Honduras
Filler: Nicaraguan condega viso, Ometepe Nicaragua Ligero, San Andrew Mexico Seco
Blender: Cigar.com forum at large.
April third 2009 a thread was posted in the Fledgling cigar.com forum. At this time the forum was just over a year old (forum birthday is 1-15-08) and Vulchor had joined two days before. My most recent review at that point was on 3-31-09 where I reviewed the Camacho SLR Maduro (it got a 8.9). This thread would change the way the forum worked forever. It would solidify the relationship between the forum members and Cigar.com. It opened the eyes to many about the process that is cigar manufacturing. This thread is made of legend. What made the thread so special? Cigar.com was blending a forum blend. It seemed so innocent at the beginning. But it grew. People got involved. This is the thread that made this place a true community. There are forum members that showed up long after the cigars were gone that wish they could get some. A few of the lucky ones have a few left. I will do my best to be objective even though my hand was in this (though it was a very limited basis). It will be hard to be subjective. I have a lot of love for this cigar, mainly for what it represents for this community.
The cigar is fairly dark and it feels firm and heavy in the hand. There is no real band on this cigar just a plain white band with AAA printed on it. There is a small crack on the cigar about half way through that I hope will not influence the experience. Other than that the wrapper is smooth and silky in texture with a slightly oily feel as well.
The smell is a heavy barnyard. A lick on the cap is slightly sour and spicy. Once cut with my trusty Xi2 the draw has rich flavors to it. There is quite a bit of spice on the cold draw. There is also an underlying sweetness with an almost clove feel. The draw is firm but not bad.
Lit with my usual Xikar EX soft flame. The first few puffs have the classic woody spice and pulp texture that tells me that it has Nicaraguan tobacco. Through the nose there is a musty oak. As the cigar settles in the spice dies down but the texture stays pulpy. The oak becomes the dominant flavor. There is also a leathery note on the finish. The first ash holds on for well over an inch. Its about this point where I notice a vegetable-like sweetness.
The middle third is very much like the first third but the crack has made the burn fairly ugly. The flavor does not seem to have taken a turn for the worse. That is good because I here for the flavor. The crack seems to be acting like the cigar is slightly over stuffed. As the cigar gets to the end of the middle third a nutty undertone develops and the oak dissipates.
The final third is past all burn and wrapper issues. The cigar has seemed to settle down quite a bit and is now mostly cinnamon, pepper, and oak. i feel that this is how the cigar should have been but the other problems along the way hurt its performance.
Burn time: 2 hours
Burn: 7
Draw: 9
Taste: 8
Aftertaste: 8
Construction: 7
Balance: 9
Feel: 10
Overall: 8.3 of 10
There is a maduro version as well. I remember that I liked that one a little more.
review on that soon
if you like my reviews, please see my blog and follow me on twitter (@KuzisCigar) or Facebook
Crowned Heads Four Kicks Robusto (5 x 50)
Wrapper: Habano Ecuador
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Blender: Ernesto Perez-Carrillo
Thanks to Zack for getting this to my front door.
Crowned Heads, as a company, was born from the sale of CAO International inc. to Swedish Match Group (better known as General Cigar co.). Any time there is a corporate takeover/buyout, things change. Sometime for the better, sometimes lets just focus on the good to come out of this.
Jon Huber (one time CAO Director of Lifestyle Marketing ) saw the impact of the CAO sale first hand. He saw his [cigar] family breaking down. He saw his work from the last 15 years being sold. As the story goes, he was filled with a range of emotions and the anger, rebellion, confidence, and determination that Huber felt was mirrored in the song Four Kicks by Kings of Leon. He formed the Crowned Heads company and used the song to inspire their first release.
Ernesto Perez-Carrillo, a cigar veteran of E.P. Carrillo and La Gloria Cubana fame, is the blender for this inaugural cigar for Crowned Heads. This is a first for him as this is the first cigar that he has blended under contract for another company. After leaving General, Ernesto Perez-Carrillos goal was to only contract himself out to other companies to blend. That did not happen. His children joined him in his cigar venture and the E.P. Carrillo brand was born.
This cigar has a simple gold and red band with the words Four Kicks on it. There is no mention of Crowned Heads anywhere on the band. That name will probably never be on any cigar that the company puts out. Crowned Heads is the holding company. The cigar is a medium brown in color and has an oily feel to it. At first glance it looks seamless and it has minimal veins that stand out.
The smell on this cigar before the light is mild with a woody feel to it. The lick on the cap has a light flavor. It is so light that I have a difficult time pinning it down. There may be a slight sour on it but I hesitate to say that. After a cut with my double guillotine, the cigar finally begins to give up some of its flavor. There is a sweeter earth taste that has a cedar undertone.
The light is done with a soft flame.
The opening puffs are woody and have a bit of a sour/citrus note. There is a spice on the finish from the get go. As the cigar settles in, the sour note is gone and there is a subtle sweetness especially on the initial part of the draw. This sweetness is immediately followed by a cedar note. The middle flavor is difficult to name but it is somewhere between coffee and earth. Through he nose there is a spice and wood like many cigars with Nicaraguan tobacco. Late on the finish more spice comes out. It is nice and soft and ends at the exact moment I want it to.
The first ash falls early at about half an inch. However, only half of it fell. The cigar is left with a quarter inch of ash. This leads me to believe that there was some damage near the foot of this cigar at some point. The burn is not perfect but it seems to correct itself constantly.
The middle third of the cigar are much woodier and sweeter. The cedar notes have crept into the finish and the spice has fallen away for the most part; it only exists now through the nose. This is a very unique woody flavor. It is unique mostly because this is the most cedar cigar I have ever smoked. The flavor is intense and I notice that the power is already starting to be felt. The body, or mouth-feel, is rich and has a slightly pulpy texture, probably from the Nicaraguan tobacco. This texture is not something that I am usually a big fan of but because of the over the top cedar flavor, works very well.
The final third is an extension of the middle third with a slow build up of spice. The spice that shows up is never overpowering. Its just a complement to the rich woody notes. Other than that the flavor stays the same, and Im glad it does. Any change would be for the worse given what has come before. The burn has started to veer off course but still no actual touch ups are needed.
Burn to the burn
time: 1 hour 50 minutes
Burn: 9
Draw: 10
Taste: 9
Aftertaste: 9
Construction: 9
Balance: 9
Feel: 8
Overall: 9.0 of 10
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Great Review Kuzi, as always. Thanks for posting.
Btw pm your number stad. John and I are trying to atleast get a monthly herf goin
thats difficult.
Padron 1926 no.2 52 x 5.5
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Maduro
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Blender: Jorge Padron
The 1926 was a cigar released in 2002 in honor of Jose Padrons 75th anniversary. The cigar differs than the Anniversary line in a few ways, one of the more notable ways is that the tobacco is aged for an additional year; 5 as opposed to 4 years. To Padron, this is significant. The tobacco they use is aged extensively prior to rolling and not at all after. Many companies, most actually, will age cigars post roll. This is done because it helps to even out the moisture in the cigars that is picked up in the rolling process. When you add moisture to a cigar it begins a very mild fermentation. The aging room takes a cigar past this fermentation period and lets all the ammonia dissipate. Padron does not do this. The theory is that they age the tobacco enough before it is rolled that amonia is not a problem. Some will claim that scientifically this is an issue, especially since Padron applies their wrapper with significantly more moisture than many other factories. Clearly Padron does not think so. The 1926 is bunched, bound, banded, pressed, and shipped. No aging room. The Factory does not have an aging room in the same way that other factories do. Jorge Padron has noted in the past that they are always out of cigars because as soon as they are rolled they are packaged and exported. Looking back on my tour of the several factories in Nicaragua, the Padron Factory was the only one that we did not get to see an aging room. That explains why.
Apparently its worked for them. This is one of the most highly regarded cigars on the market. It has quite a reputation to live up to. As always I will do my best to keep the reputation from influencing my review.
The cigar is a rich deep brown with extensive veins. The seams are prominent and the cap looks thick and heavily applied. Its is box pressed and therefore wont roll off the table. It has an overall rustic look to the wrapper. The number on the second band reads No 571027, This number was put there to ensure quality and authenticity. The fine print in the band reads Authenticity guaranteed by Jose O Padron
The deep reddish-brown, gold and cream band has become an icon for the company and may as well be a status symbol.
The smell is fairly sweet unlit. Its sweeter than most cigars that I can remember. It is earthy in an autumn kind of way. The lick on the cap feels oily in the mouth but the flavor is light. I clip with my Xikar Xi2 and am greeted with a flavorful and smooth draw. The resistance is exactly where I want it to be and the flavor while cold mimics the bouquet stated above.
After a light with a soft flame I am greeted with a sweeter wood flavor and a very light spice. This reminds me of a sweeter more refined version of a classic Nicaraguan profile. Through the nose there is a hefty amount of spice and a toasty undertone. The finish has quite a bit of spice that lingers for almost an awkwardly long time.
As the cigar settles in there are other flavors that come into play. There is a very light anise note that comes and goes but it is very much in the background. Toasted bread comes to mind as well but I hesitate to actually pin that down. The initial flavors and through the nose are at worst quite good, however the spice on the finish continues to linger much longer and with more intensity than feels right for it. If this was right out of a box that was right from the factory I could understand the amount of spice on the finish. I would also expect a slight ammonia flavor. The cigar has been in my humidor for 9 months, who-knows-how-long in the previous humidor (being that this was a gift (thanks James!)) and maybe a bit in a shop. There is no ammonia, just a heavy spice; and that is only too much on the finish.
As the middle third begins the finish on the spice tones down quite a bit. This is a good thing. The burn is not perfect but it does keep itself from a corrective light. The sweeter wood flavor is what dominates the initial flavor. It almost has a sharp quality to it. This is a very unique tasting cigar. Just past the mid point is where I start to understand why people have so much love for this cigar. It has finally come into balance.
The final third actually brings on even more sweetness. Beyond that, the flavor is about the same. It seems to be burning faster than many cigars of similar sizes. For me I would expect to be at this point of the cigar at one hour and thirty minutes. I am at about one hour. Normally this would be a non-issue. However, the reason that this is an issue is that it took me half of that time to get to a point where it was enjoyable. Even now, it is enjoyable, but I do not think it has come anywhere near the hype that it gets. By the end of the cigar it has turned out to be a medium to full bodied cigar.
Burn to the nub
Burn time: 1 hour 45 minutes.
If it wasnt for that first 30 minutes or so the rating would be as follows:
Burn: 9
Draw: 10
Taste: 9
Aftertaste: 8
Construction: 9
Balance: 8
Feel: 9
Overall: 8.9 of 10
However, the first 30 minutes did exist.
Burn: 9
Draw: 10
Taste: 9
Aftertaste: 7
Construction: 9
Balance: 6
Feel: 8
Overall: 8.3 of 10
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