Said to be a spur of the moment decision, the Four Kicks Mule Kick Limited Edition 2012 may be Crowned Heads most sought after cigar to-date. With only 500 10-count boxes produced, it was hard to get your paws on this stick when it was released in 2012. I can only imagine how many or should I say how few remain out there today. The Mule Kick features an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper that is darker than the wrapper on original Four Kicks line. The cigar carries the same Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos as the regular line, with some added ligero to add a bit more punch. Produced at E.P. Carrillo’s Tabacalera La Alianza S.A. factory in Santiago, Dominican Republic, the Mule Kick was rolled in a single vitola, a 5 7/8 by 52 Toro.

Tony reviewed the Four Kicks Mule Kick in a Quick Draw format back in 2013. You can find the review HERE.

THE FACTS

Price: $8.95
Vitola: Toro
Size: 5 ⅞ by 52
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Smoke Time: 1 Hour and 50 Minutes

PRE-LIGHT

The Four Kicks Mule Kick is dressed in a medium brown wrapper that has some thin, light, lifted veins webbing down the leaf and scattered bumps. For a cigar that has been resting for four years, there is still a fair amount of oils on the stick that glisten in the light and can easily be felt on my finger tips. Over the last several years of smoking E.P. Carrillo lines and other cigars manufactured by E.P.C, I have noticed that they are not rolled as firm as most cigars I come across. But that is not the case with this one. The Mule Kick is rock solid from head to foot with no soft spot to be found.

There is a faint pungency and wet earth aroma on the wrapper. Some soft, sweet woodsy notes are found on the foot of the cigar with just a hint of spice. A cut through the cap opens up a draw with a hair more resistance than preferred. The cold draw is rich with notes of cedar, a fruitiness, and chili powder.

FIRST THIRD

Once lit, there is absolutely no problem with the draw. Each small pull brings forth a mouthfull of smoke. The flavors are rather mild with flavors of campfire, earth, and a black pepper spice. A black coffee flavors shows up on the finish, but quickly dissipates. While the intensity of the flavors have clearly calmed, the flavors are balanced. The burn is nearly perfect as a light gray ash is formed holding to three fourths of an inch.

MIDDLE THIRD

Moving into the second third of the Four Kicks Mule Kick by Crowned Heads, the flavors have stepped up a notch. A sweet wood, brown cigar, and dark fruit hit the front of my palate, followed by the earlier flavors of campfire, earth, and spice. The coffee lingers on my palate now for some time as palate feels somewhat dry. The retro-hale is a must for this well aged stick. The main profile is rather tame, but as the smoke is moved through my sinuses, it brings out a great depth in the flavors.

FINAL THIRD

Once again, the flavors shift up bringing the Mule  Kick to a solid medium. The profile is now rich as a toasted bread arrives. The earth flavor has a leg up on the other flavors and is now more diesel-like. As I close out this hard to find stick, a cocoa is now on the finish and a new citrus quality is adding in a little edge to the cigar.

WRAP-UP

My good friend Anthony Cantelmo of FTB Cigars stumbled across a couple of boxes of the Mule Kick in May 2013 during his travels in Kansas. And man, am I glad he reached out to me to see if I would be interested. The Four Kicks Mule Kick Limited Edition 2012 has certainly evolved since I cracked open the box in the summer of 2013. Opening with a light first third, the cigar gradually progressed to a solid medium flavored cigar that was balanced and satisfying. The retro-hale is a must and, even with its age, the Nicaraguan internals shined as a pepper spice held through the entire cigar. The performance was perfect as the cigar produced a copious amount of smoke, burned evenly, and formed a pleasant looking ash. With five sticks left, I hope to stretch the last half of the box out for the next handful of years. Heck, if Casas Fumando is still around in five or so years maybe I will even do another review!

The post Crowned Heads – Four Kicks Mule Kick Limited Edition 2012 appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

Blood Medicine is produced at My Father S.A. in Esteli, Nicaragua, and, as stated earlier, is only available at Crowned Heads events. But don’t stay the word “event” around Jon Huber, co-founder of Crowned Heads, as they are officially termed “Road Show”. Crowned Heads’ website offers details on what to expect at one:

‘Road Show’ is not bells and whistles, it is substance with respect to the artistry of premium cigars. ‘Road Show’ is a look into the world of Crowned Heads, an extension of our philosophy, a soundtrack to our brand, and most importantly, an opportunity to experience the cigars that our existence revolves around. Simply put, ‘Road Show’ is about cigars and the way  we approach them. No two ‘Road Shows’ will be the same. ‘Road Show’ is not a “tour” based upon a single template, set to auto-repeat, done over and over again. Each ‘Road Show’ will be a unique mix of one-day only special deals featuring Four Kicks, Headley Grange, J.D. Howard Reserve, Jericho Hill, La Imperiosa and an ever-changing selection of Limited Edition Crowned Heads apparel and merchandise. The one constant, however, will be the cigars of Crowned Heads.

Blood Medicine is available in a single 5 1/2 by 48 Super Corona vitola featuring an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper over Nicaraguan internals. And one more thing, Blood Medicine is note for sale, but it is a bonus item for purchasing Crowned Heads products. I wonder if this will change with new FDA rules.

THE FACTS

Price: N/A
Vitola: Super Corona
Size: 5 ½ by 48
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Smoke Time: 1 hour and 25 Minutes

PRE-LIGHT

The Blood Medicine wears an oily, medium brown Ecuadorian Habano wrapper. Small and medium veins web down the glistening leaf that has a fine tooth and some scattered bumps. As I examine the cigar for soft spots, I am amazed at the crazy amount of oils on this leaf that are easily felt to the touch. I do find a small tobacco void about an inch down from the foot of the cigar, but other than that the cigar is firmly rolled.

An aroma of wet cedar, earth, barnyard, and red fruit comes across as I bring the wrapper to my nose. The foot of the cigar brings out a sweet raisin, rich cedar, and some potpourri spices.A quick, shallow cut through the triple cap opens up a beautiful draw that delivers rich flavors of cedar, cinnamon, and a natural tobacco sweetness on the cold draw.

FIRST THIRD

Underway, Crowned Heads’ Blood Medicine delivers some heavy flavors on the palate with a combination of charred wood and black pepper. After a couple of minutes, the charred wood is dialed back, while a natural sweetness, grass, and a toasted bread flavor move in. The earthy finish is long and a spice heat lingers in the mouth. At the one inch mark, the Blood Medicine is firing on all cylinders as the cigar is showing a great depth and balance in flavor and body. The flavors are in the medium/full range with the spice hanging right in line. The burn has only a minor wave and a brilliant white ash if forming.

MIDDLE THIRD

Burning down into the second third of the Blood Medicine by Crowned Heads, the profile is meaty with an added touch of saltiness, a sweetness is rounding out the profile, and the spice has settled, but still keeping my attention. I am also pulling a deep oak flavor that one may find on the nose of a whiskey and  the finish has developed from earth to a cocoa. A quick touch-up is required to get a section of the wrapper back in-line.

FINAL THIRD

For the most part, the flavors from the second third hold strong. The toasted and charred notes from earlier join back in, but are working much better with the profile. Just as I think the favors are done evolving, a dark fruit flavors sneaks in. The burn is still a little wacky and the ash is not nearly as pretty as earlier. 

WRAP-UP

At first light, I wasn’t sure if this was going to be a cigar for me, but sure enough I was wrong! The Blood Medicine found its rhythm about an inch in and built upon it all the way through to the final puff. The flavors were deep, complex, and balanced. Up to the second third, the performance was just about perfect. An easy draw delivered a satisfying amount of smoke as the cigar burned slowly and evenly with a pleasant looking ash being left behind. While most of those things held true in the final two thirds, the burn did struggle and, as a result, the ash became flaky. Overall, this is a amazing cigar that I can only hope to smoke again before the end of my days. I guess I should start hunting down a Road Show to attend if I am going to have any chance of doing so. 

Finally, a big thanks to Anthony Cantelmo of Fear The Beard Cigars for gifting me the Snake Oil. You can visit FTB Cigars HERE to see what they are all about.

The post Crowned Heads Blood Medicine, formerly Snake Oil appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.