The Good Stuff:

The Allegiance is one of the newest offerings from the famed cigar producer/blender E.P. Carrillo. For this blend, Carrillo paired up with Oliva Cigars in Nicaraguan to created the Allegiance. The blend features an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper over Nicaraguan binder and fillers. The E.P. Carrillo Allegiance comes in four sizes: Sidekick (5 x 50), Confidant (6 x 52), Wingman Corona (6 7/8 x 54) and the Chaperone ( 6 1/4 x 58). The cigar comes package in boxes of 20 ranging between $12 and $14 per stick. I picked mine up from our good friends at Cuenca Cigars who still have quite a few options in stock in both singles and boxes.

• Size: 5 x 50
• Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatran
• Binder: Nicaraguan
• Filler: Nicaraguan
• Body: Medium
• Strength: Medium
• Price: $12
• Pairing: Firestone Walker Parabolita (Imperial Stout 9.2% ABV)

Prelight:

The E.P. Carrillo Allegiance starts out with a a deep, dark, milk chocolate brown wrapper that is extremely consistent in color. The wrapper’s texture is toothy and gritty with only a light amount of oils coating it. The wrapper feels very thick and dense while the cigar as a whole it pretty well-packed and heavy. There are some slight veins running their course through the cigar’s soft-box pressed body leading up to the cigar’s round, double wrapped cap. The cigar is polished off with an extravagant green, black and gold E.P. Carrillo crest, a secondary green and gold band with the “Allegiance” logo across the front and a nice, dark green ribbon around the foot.

The wrapper on the E.P. Carrillo Allegiance gives off mostly sweet, and spicy aromas while the foot of the cigar carries more musk and earthiness. The cap cut clean and easily using my Xikar XO double bladed cutter. The cold draw produces heavy milk chocolate and grain flavors.

First Third:

The E.P. Carrillo Allegiance starts out with a heft, unexpected hit of bold pepper which left my lips screaming through the first few puffs. After the pepper faded loads of milk chocolate and caramel over light spice, musk, and pecan came out of the profile. There is a little bit of leather under there as well. The draw on this cigar is so perfect. Every little puff kicks out a huge cloud of white smoke while the cigar releases only a slight amount of stationary smoke while it rests in my ashtray. I really love how comfortable the soft-box press is in both my hand and mouth. The burn line is razor thin and dead even leaving behind a trail of tightly compacted white and dark gray ash which held on for about an inch before giving way, seconds before taking this first pic. Ugh.

Second Third:

Into the second third of The E.P. Carrillo Allegiance and the chocolate is dominating the experience. Under the chocolate are notes of caramel, pecan, spice and sweet brown sugar. This is a great tasting cigar. The retrohale brings out more of the chocolate and spice and I actually find myself doing it often as I really like the way the spice pairs with the chocolate. It almost reminds me of a nice cup of Abuela Mexico hot cocoa. I close out the second third with no signs of any nicotine.

Finish:

Into the final third of the E.P. Carrillo Allegiance and the chocolate is still rocking away. Backed by caramel, pecan, spice, and brown sugar with just a touch of creamed coffee. It took me a little over an hour to smoke this down to the nub and I loved it. Such a solid experience. I experienced no harshness nor extended heat. I closed out with zilch in the nicotine department as well.

Overview:

E.P. Carrillo’s Allegiance is a chocolate bomb in the best possible way. I really liked the flavor profile and feel that it its something I could find myself coming back to time and time again. This would be perfect for a novice smoker looking to try a premium cigar, but also for a seasoned smoker that is looking for a cigar that will always deliver. I will be keeping quite a few of these on hand and in my regular rotation.

Pairing:

Firestone Walker’s Parabolita is a 9.2% Imperial stout brewed out of California. The beer is a result of blending two of Firestone Walker’s famous beers together; Parabola and Velvet Merlin before adding Madagascar vanilla beans, cocoa nibs, and sea salt. The beer leads with a nice creamy milk chocolate over a potent raw vanilla, caramel and malt with a light mouthfeel (for a stout) before finishing with more vanilla and just a pinch of salt on the aftertaste. It’s not a complex beer, but the straight-forward flavor profile is very enjoyable. I paired this with the E.P. Carrillo Allegiance as the sweetness, chocolate, and caramel paired wonderfully with the flavors in the cigar.

The post E.P. Carrillo Allegiance appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff:

Le Patissier is the newest full-production line coming from The Crowned Heads. Originally showcased in 2021 to PCA attendees the Patissier is a bit of a sister brand to the much acclaimed “Le Careme”. Meaning “Pastry Chef” in French, the La Patissier starts out with a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper over a Jalapan Nicaraguan binder and filler tobacco from Costa Rica and the Pueblo Nuevo and Ometepe regions of Nicaragua. Produced at the Tabacalera Pichardo factory in Nicaragua the cigar was originally showcased in a single 6 1/2 x 44 Lonsdale format to 2021 PCA attendees, the full production version comes in four sizes: Senadores (6 1/8 x 48), No. 50 (4 3/8 x 50), Canonazo (5 7/8 x 52), and the No. 54 (5 3/8 x 54). Each come packaged in boxes of 20 running between $10.50 and $12 a stick. Note that the original 6 1/2 x 44 is still available for purchase at many online retailers at the time of writing this article. I purchased mine over from our friends at Cuenca Cigars who now offer online ordering of cigar singles. This particular cigar is one of those offerings currently.

• Size: 4 3/8 x 50
• Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
• Binder: Nicaraguan
• Filler: Costa Rican and Nicaraguan
• Body: Medium/Full
• Strength: Medium/Full
• Price: $10.50
• Pairing: Firestone Walker Brandy Barrel Barley Wine (Barleywine 13.8% ABV)

Prelight:

The Crowned Heads Le Patissier starts out with a deep, dark brown wrapper with lots of darker areas as well as reddish brown areas scattered throughout. The wrapper’s texture is very gritter and toothy with a good amount of oils coating it. The wrapper itself feels very rich and hard while the cigar as a whole is extremely hard and tightly packed. There are a few smaller veins and one larger one running the length of the cigar’s short body leading up to it’s round, double-wrapped cap. The cigar is polished off with a beautiful manilla, gold, black and pastel green band which features a beautiful French-inspired design carrying the Le Patissier crest embossed on the front, and a secondary gold foot band with the Crowned Heads logo.

The wrapper on the Le Patissier gives off a light tobacco aroma while the foot of the cigar carries musk, tobacco, and earthiness. The cap cut with a bit of extra effort using my Xikar XO double bladed cutter. The cold draw produces mostly earth and deep tobacco with a few lighter berry notes.

First Half:

Due to the small size of this cigar I’ll be reviewing it in halves instead of the traditional thirds. the Le Patissier starts out with a very minor bit of black pepper and spice over bold musk, oak, light black cherry and dirt over natural tobacco flavors. The draw is slightly tight on the few that I smoked, but nothing unmanageable so no points taken there. the cigar releases very little stationary smoke as it rests in my ashtray. The burn line is dead event and very thin leaving behind a trail of tightly compacted white ash which held on for about 3/4 of an inch before falling in my ashtray.

Second Half:

Into the second half of the Le Patisseir and the body has started to ramp up now as I find it right in the mid-range of medium/full. The flavor profile is still mostly musk and oak with some light spice and lots of underlying earthiness. The retrohale helps brings out the spice as well as a little cinnamon. It took me a little over and hour to take this cigar down to the nub. I am actually pretty impressed with how slow this burned. I experienced No harness, no extended heat and the cigar burned absolutely perfectly from start to finish.

Overview:

The Crowned Head Patissier is a solid offering. The cigar performed beautifully and offered some good, straightforward flavors. My only complaint lies a bit more on the subjective side of things as I wished the cigar just had a bit more dimension and flavors that matched my personal palate a bit more. I think some subtle sweetness could really push this cigar to the next level. Overall I enjoyed it, will smoke it again, but won’t likely keep this one in my regular rotation. However if you are a smoker who really enjoys musk and oak forward cigars this one is right up your alley. Not to mention it’s regular production and quite affordable.

Pairing:

Firestone Walker’s Brandy Barrel Barley Wine is a Brewmaster’s Collective exclusive beer which features a special barleywine co-fermented with Paso Robles grown white wine grapes which is then barrel aged in brandy barrels. Coming in at 13.8% ABV the beautiful orange beer leads with loads of brandy and wine flavors. I’m actually impressed with how potent the grapes are. Underneath there are nice notes of berry, honey, and really light hoppiness. The beer finishes with even more wine and brandy over mixed fruits. This beer doesn’t carry many characteristics you usually find in a barleywine, predominantly the absence of bitterness. Instead this beer is sweet, crisp, and incredibly smooth with a hell of a brandy bite to it. The fruit really paired well with the flavors in the Crowned Heads Le Patissier while the sweetness really helped bring the cigar out of it’s shell.

The post The Crowned Heads Le Patissier appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff:

Villa Casdagli is the newest release from Casdagli cigar company. Released midway through last year the blend was created to celebrate the home of Emmanuel Casdagli who was a great businessman who started the family’s cotton business in the late 19th century in Cairo. the blend is based on the Daughters of the Wind blend by the company. (info courtesy of Halfwheel.com) The blend features an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper over an Ecuadorian Habano binder and fillers from Ecuador, Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, and Peru. Rolled at the Tabacos de Costa Rica S.A. factory the Villa Casdagli comes in four sizes: Robusto (5 x 52), Pigasus (5 x 54/58), Corona Gorda (5 1/2 x 46), Toro (6 x 54). Each comes packaged in boxes of 12 running between $12.50 to $16 per cigar.

• Size: 5 1/2 x 46
• Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
• Binder: Ecuadorian Habano
• Filler: Ecuadorian, Dominican, Nicaraguan and Peruvian
• Body: Medium
• Strength: Medium
• Price: $13.50
• Pairing: Firestone Walker Cherry Parabola (Imperial Stout 12.5% ABV)

Prelight:

The Villa Casdagli starts out with a consistent, milk chocolate brown wrapper. The wrapper’s texture is slightly toothy with a whole mess of oils coating it. The wrapper is an average density and hardness while the cigar feels a bit lightly packed throughout. There are a few larger veins running their course through the cigar’s body up to the cigar’s double wrapped cap. The cigar carries  a green and orange band with the Villa Estate embossed on the front along with the words “Villa Casdagli” and the Casdagli crest embossed in gold on the side.

The wrapper on the Villa Casdagli gives off a whole mess of honey aroma over some light earthiness while the foot of the cigar gives off really earthy/barnyard aromas. The cap cut clean and easily using my Xikar XO double bladed cutter. The cold draw produces a ton of honey, cashew and natural tobacco flavors.

First Third:

The Villa Casdagli starts out with a very slight black pepper kick which only lasted through the first puff or two before fading away allowing the cigar to release bold notes of cedar, honey, cashew, brown sugar, and vanilla. After a little white a really bold black cherry starts to poke through. The draw is very lightly loose but after a short period of time it began to tighten up. At this point each puff is kicking out huge clouds of thick, white smoke. The burnlife is razor thin and dead even leaving behind a trail of rightly compacted white ash which held for about an inch before giving way.

Second Third:

Into the second third of the Villa Casdagli and the flavors are pretty similar to the first. Cedar and honey leads the charge backed by brown sugar and cashew with notes of vanilla and earthiness. The retrohale brings out a little bit of spice that I fail to pickup during the normal smoking experience. The burn is still burning like a champ and I close out the second third with nothing in the nicotine department.

Final Third:

In the final third of the Villa Casdagli the honey and vanilla have now taken over the profile. Backed by cedar and cashew as well as a light earthiness. The brown sugar has dropped out. The cigar took about an hour and a half to smoke down to the nub. I experienced no harshness nor any extended heat. In fact, the cigar finished extremely mild and clean with a decent amount of body.

Overview:

This is my first cigar from the Casdagli portfolio and I must say, it makes me want to try out more of their releases. The Villa Casdagli is a solid cigar which offers a complex profile in a medium bodied experience. The flavors are fantastic. Outside of the draw being a bit wide open at the start the cigar burned great and I never once had to reach for my lighter to touchup or relight the cigar. This is something that I can easily see slotting into my daily rotation. It’s one of those cigars you can smoke in the morning and not get your ass kicked, but also have after a large meal and have enough flavor to not get muddied by whatever you just ate.

Pairing:

Brewed at the Firestone Walker Brewery in California, Cherry Parabola is a member only release of their famous Parabola imperial stout which is aged in brandy barrels and cherry bitters barrels with cherries. Coming in at 12.5% This beer leads with a bold natural cherry flavor along with dark chocolate, roasted malt, almond and light coconut with a very thick mouthfeel before finishing with more cherry and dark chocolate with just a light tartness on the finish. This version of Parabola is much more tame in terms of sweetness and stickiness but much more complex. I was really impressed with how much the cherry came through. This beer paired wonderfully with the dark cherry and nuttiness from the Villa Casdagli.

The post Villa Casdagli appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff:

By now, you should all be acquainted with RoMa Craft’s Baka series. The blend was released at last year’s IPCPR Show. At the time only two vitolas were released, the Pygmy and the Bantu. The plan is to release a new format every year, all in limited quantities. This year the Baka features the Jengi, a 5 3/4 x 46 corona. The blend is quite secretive with the only detail released being that it features a Cameroon wrapper. As of now, the following formats have been released: The Pygmy (4 x 46), The Bantu (4 x 52) and the Jengi (5 3/4 x 46). The Pygmy comes packaged in boxes of 30 while the Bantu and Jengi come packaged in boxes of 24 ranging between $9.25 and $11.40 a stick. I got mine over from our good friends at Cigars International who still have some in stock while I am writing this, but I would imagine will sell out any day now.

• Size: 5 3/4 x 46
• Wrapper: Cameroon
• Binder: Undisclosed
• Filler: Undisclosed
• Body: Full
• Strength: Medium
• Price: $11.40
• Pairing: Firestone Walker Imperial Walker Reserver (Imperial Porter 12.5% ABV)

Prelight:

The RoMa Craft Baka Jengi starts out with a very dark brown wrapper with scattered spots of lighter brown throughout and a nice orange sheen. The wrapper’s texture is very firm and dense with a ton of gritty tooth and natural oils. The wrapper is laid seamlessly over itself showcasing some smaller veins and lots of natural tobacco leaf webbing. The slender body of the cigar leads up to a round, double-wrapped cap before being polished off by the standard maroon and white band which features the “BAKA” crest embossed across the front.

The wrapper on the Baka Jengi gives off a very nice cocoa aroma while the foot of the cigar is much more natural with earthy and spice notes. The cap cut clean and easily using my Xikar XO double bladed cutter. The cold draw produces notes of almond, cocoa and natural tobacco flavors.

First Third:

The RoMa Craft Baka Jengi starts out running with a light blast of black pepper which fades almost immediately after the first draw allowing the cigar to showcase bold notes of oak, almond, and musk over dark chocolate and honey. There is a nice little floral touch that peeks it’s head in every now and again. The draw is absolutely perfect as each puff kicks out a thick cloud of white smoke which hangs around for quite some time before dissipating while the cigar itself releases a standard amount of stationary smoke as it rests in my ashtray. The burnline is razor sharp and dead even leaving behind a trail of tightly compacted light gray ash which held on for an inch before falling into my ashtray.

Second Third:

Into the second third of the RoMa Craft Baka Jengi and the dark chocolate flavor has began to lead the charge backed by almond, oak and musk with light floral and honey. There is also a nice herb flavor in there, almost tea-ish. The retrohale is really nice and clean while it brings out a nice spice thats not really present in the standard experience. The burn line is still dead even and I close out the second third with a nothing in terms of a nicotine kick.

Finish:

Into the final third of the RoMa Craft Baka Jengi and man, the oak and dark chocolate have really taken over the flavor profile. Underneath it are soft mixtures of musk, almond, and honey at this point. The cigar started in the medium/full bodied arena and finished full bodied. It took me an hour and a half to smoke this cigar down to the nub and I loved every second of it. I experienced no harshness, nor extended heat and close out with only a very minor nicotine kick.

Overview:

I am a big fan of RoMa Craft’s cigars and there is no hiding that. While I smoked quite a few Baka last year, I never got around to reviewing them. I just kept smoking them thinking “It’s ok, you can just grab more when you’re ready to review them”, and then suddenly they were gone. Not making the same mistake with the Jengi I am glad to finally give my thoughts on this cigar. Plain and simple, I absolutely loved it. The whole Full-Body, Medium-Strength combination is my preference and this flavor profile is incredible. Its complex, yet easy to pick apart. The chocolate and oak flavors really appease my personal profile. All while delivering a flawless smoking experience. The only gripe I have is the availability, but that just means I need to buy more up front and make them last right? Box-worthy for sure.

Pairing:

This week I decided to pair this cigar with a special beer, Firestone Walker’s Imperial Walker Reserve. Brewed at the Firestone Walker brewery in California, this barrel aged porter comes in at a comfortable 12.5% ABV. This beer leads with tons of oak, caramel, coconut, and malt with a very heavy mouthfeel before finishing with more caramel, oak, vanilla, and a an interesting cola aftertaste. The oak, malt, and caramel really married up well with the existing flavors in the Baka while the sweetness from the beer added the cherry on top of the pairing.

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The Good Stuff:

Anyone who smokes Cuban cigars shouldn’t be a stranger to the Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure No. 2 as its one of Cuba’s most sold robusto format cigars. Running around $10 a stick depending where you purchase them this all Cuban leaf cigar has stood the test of time and still remains as popular as ever.

• Size: 5 x 50
• Wrapper: Cuban
• Binder: Cuban
• Filler: Cuban
• Body: Medium
• Strength: Medium
• Price: ~$10
• Pairing: Firestone Walker Sucaba (Barleywine 12.5% ABV)

Prelight:

The Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure No. 2 starts off with a milk chocolate brown wrapper which is a shade darker than most cuban cigars. While the color is consistent for the most part I found the leaf to be much darker around the foot than it is around the cap. The wrapper itself is very smooth with a good amount of oils coating it. There are only a few minor veins and slight lead webbing to be found. The wrapper feels very thin and fragile to the touch while the cigar as a whole is nicely compacted and has a good amount of weight to it. The short body is capped off with a snubby, round, double wrapped cap. The cigar is then polished off with the elegant white, red, and gold band with the Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure No. 2 crest in the front as well as a matching secondary band with the words “Epicure No. 2” printed across the front.

The wrapper on the Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure No. 2 gives off a nice cedar and earthy aroma while the foot of the cigar has a really nice spice and musk scent to it. The cap cut clean and easily using my Xikar XO double bladed cutter. The cold draw produces lots of deep cedar, musk and earthy flavors.

First Third:

The Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure No. 2 starts off with a ton of cedar and sweet musk with notes of sandlewood, honey, and a very soft black pepper. As I progress through the first third a nice floral flavor joins the mix but often rotates in and out of the experience. The draw is absolutely flawless. Each little puff kicks out a great big cloud of thick, gray smoke which hangs out for quite some time before dissipating while the cigar releases very little stationary smoke as it rests in my ashtray. The burn line is dead even and razor thin leaving behind a trail of tightly compacted medium gray ash which held on for an inch before falling into my ashtray.

Second Third:

Into the second third of the Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure No. 2 and the musk and cedar have really taken over the profile. The sandalwood and honey are still there bu the floral flavor has all but bowed out of the race. I am loving this flavor profile. The retrohale really pushing the limits of the cedar flavor and I find myself doing it quite often considering how rare it is to retrohale a cigar without getting overwhelmed by the spice/pepper. The cigar is still burning like a dream and I close out the second third with nothing in the nicotine department.

Finish:

I’m sad this cigar is already going to be over. The flavor profile in the last third was very similar to the second with cedar and musk leading the charge backed by honey, earthiness, and sandlewood and an awesome pecan flavor that started to appear. It took me a little over an hour to smoke this cigar down to the nub and I never wanted to put it down. I experienced no harshness nor extended heat while the cigar left me with only the mildest of nicotine kicks.

Overview:

Its been quite a while since I’ve had a Cuban Hoyo de Monterrey. I have no idea why, I just don’t really gravitate towards the brand but this Epicure No. 2 reminded me just how incredible they are. The flavor profile while mild, was extremely well balanced and had the perfect mash-up of flavors for my personal palate. I am glad I have a good stash of these as I know they will be flying out of my humidor anytime I am craving an awesome, flavorful, medium-bodied smoke.

Pairing:

For this week’s pairing I turned to Firestone Walker’s Sucaba. Sucaba is a 12.5% barrel aged Barleywine brewed at the Firestone Walker brewery in California. I often forget how much I enjoy barleywines, and for some reason especially in the spring and summer months. Sucaba leads with a ton of caramel and toffee over malt, honey, and light fruit with a good amount of happiness and a medium mouthfeel before finishing with more caramel, toffee and malt and just a light bourbon bite. At 12.5% the alcohol is hidden very well as this is going down so easily. The caramel, toffee, and honey paired incredibly with the Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure No. 2 while the extra sweetness really took this pairing to an extreme level.

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-Tony

Hey, here I am!  My apologies to Tony and Jeremy for my extended absence due to a number of reasons, not the least of which is the longest stretch of crappy outdoor smoking weather that I can remember in these parts.  There seems to be little let-up in the foreseeable future, too, so while we actually have a short sunny break, I’m going to get in a review that I have been meaning to do for about five months.

Last year Cigar Federation teamed up with Crowned Heads to produce a limited edition cigar to celebrate the birthday of the daughter of Cigar Federation’s owner Logan Lawler.  Production was carried out by Ernesto Perez-Carrillo’s Tabacalera La Alianza S.A. factory.  Only 200 boxes of 10 cigars were made in a single 6 x 52 size, and sold through the Cigar Federation store.  Predictably, they quickly sold out, but fortunately for me, my good friend Chris Tivnan, aka Louisville Chris, was one of the ones who got in on them and sent me a couple.  Big thanks to Chris for giving me the chance to try them out!

The Basics:

Wrapper:  Ecuadorian Habano
Binder:  Nicaraguan
Filler:  Nicaraguan
Size:  6 x 52
Price:  $8.00; $79.99 per box of 10 (sold out)
Smoking time:  One hour, thirty minutes
Pairing:  Firestone Walker Lil Opal Barrel-Aged Saison Farmhouse Ale (ABV 6.1%)

Pre-light:

The presentation of the 729 Calloway Ln. couldn’t be much simpler without being completely naked.  A single band of green ribbon on the foot is all there is, and that’s fine by me.  The cigar itself is wrapped in a medium brown leaf that shows a few small to medium veins, a bit of tooth, and a slightly lumpy roll.  The pack is very firm, with the exception of a soft spot near the cap.  Sniffing the wrapper brings forth not much more than a bit of earthy tobacco, while the foot shows more of the same with an added mustiness.  A slightly snug draw reveals cedar and sweet spices.

First third:

The first draws of the 729 Calloway Ln. show natural tobacco, sweet cedar, light spice, and pepper.  A nice medium pepper is prominent on the retrohale, but soon fades back.  The draw has opened up to a perfect level of resistance for me, as floral notes move in.  What started out as a rather thick burn line is thinning out as the Calloway burns mostly even, leaving behind a compact medium gray ash that hangs on for over an inch.  Near the close of the opening third, the pepper makes a strong return on the retrohale.

Second third:

The middle section of the Calloway brings in vague fruitiness as the wood has receded along with the pepper, leaving an oily mouthfeel.  Sweet, tart citrus joins in, nicely complementing the natural tobacco, floral and spice elements, and what’s left of the cedar.  The burn had wandered a bit, but has almost completely self-corrected.

Final third:

The sweetness level has dropped down and some earthiness has crept in.  While a certain amount of brightness remains in the flavors, they have definitely taken a turn toward the darker (though not evil) side.  The earthiness climbs in small increments while being balanced by the now semi-sweet spice notes.  The 729 Calloway Ln. smokes absolutely cool down to the nub, leaving just a slight nicotine hit, and that previously mentioned depression near the cap even made for a handy thumb-rest.

Final thoughts:

I really enjoyed the heck out of the two Calloway Ln. sticks that I smoked for this review, so if you’re one of the people who jumped on it when it was available, you are lucky (or smart).  The flavors of the cigar mixed very nicely with each other and showed a decent amount of complexity, while construction and burn were excellent, with nary a thought given to touch-ups or re-lights.  I wouldn’t hang on to them for too long, though, because I’m not certain that those sweet spice and fruit notes will last under extended aging.  I regret not getting on these, but truly am grateful that I did get a chance to try them out.  The 729 Calloway Ln. is indeed a very nice tribute from Mr. Lawler to his daughter.

Pairing:

Lil Opal by Firestone Walker is a blend of French and American barrel-aged saisons that have been put through a second barrel fermentation.  I would like to tell you more about it, but this is one of those beers that is normally out of my reach price-wise, and only came to me as part of a generous Christmas package from my brother.  Man, I feel like a real weasel having been gifted both the cigar and beer for this review!  Anyway, despite not knowing exactly how the beer tastes, after smoking the first Calloway Ln., I felt comfortable matching it up with the Lil Opal, and it turns out I was right.  This beer has a light, bright mouthfeel with a tart and sour hit.  Flavors of apple and lemon with just a bit of funk, lead to a long finish, making for a great match for the 729 Calloway Ln.  Those elements helped to bring out more of the sweetness, spice and fruit that the cigar carries, and balanced things out beautifully.  A Belgian pale ale or a fruity Weissbier would also be a great pairing.

-Jeff Oda-

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The Good Stuff:

2016 marks the 3rd release for the Crowned Head’s Las Calaveras. You can read my review of the 2014 here, and 2015 here. The blend was created to celebrate those who we have lost and each year I think back to those close to me, who are no longer with us. Each year the blend changes. This year the Las Calaveras features a Grade A Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper with a Nicaraguan binder and fillers. As with the last releases the Las Calaveras is being produced at the My Father Cigars S.A. factory in Esteli, Nicaragua. The cigar is released in four sizes: LC50 (5 x 50), LC46 (6 x 46), LC54 (5 1/2 x 54), as well as a sampler exclusive Piramides (6 1/8 x 52). With the exception of the Piramides all cigars comes packaged in boxes of 24 with a total of 4,500 boxes released. There are also 2,000 sampler packs which include the 3 standard release sizes, and the already mentioned Piramides. The Crowned Heads Las Calaveras run between $9.25 and $11.25 a stick. Since these are so limited, and successful in the past, expect them to sell out very quickly, if they haven’t already. I picked up a bunch from out good friends at Smoke Inn.

Size: 6 x 46
Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Body: Full
Strength: Medium/Full
Price: $9.25
Pairing: Firestone Walker Anniversary Ale XX (American Strong Ale 13% ABV)

Prelight:

The Crowned Heads 2016 Las Calaveras starts out with a gorgeous, incredibly consistent milky-brown wrapper. This is a much darker wrapper than we saw last year. The texture of the wrapper is very toothy and gritty while it sheens brightly due to the large amount of oil coating the leaf. The wrapper is laid over itself seamlessly while there are only a few smaller veins running through the cigar’s body. The wrapper feels very thick and very hard while the cigar itself is incredibly firm and tightly packed. The Crowned Heads Las Calaveras is polished off with a round, double cap and the same band we have seen on the Las Calaveras releases in the past, only with the 2016 changed.

The wrapper on the Las Calaveras gives off a good amount of sharp cedar, espresso, and spice while the foot of the cigar carries a good amount of pepper and natural tobacco aromas. The cap cut like butter using my Xikar double bladed cutter. The cold draw produces a really spicey, pepper-filled flavor profile with a decent amount of cocoa.

First Third:

Surprisingly the Crowned Heads Las Calaveras doesn’t start out with as much pepper as I was expecting. Instead I am greeted with some bold espresso and spice, vanilla, maple, cedar and musk. The Connecticut Broadleaf leaves behind a nice little tartness on the aftertaste as well. Despite being very tightly packed the draw is very fluid, and easy. Each little puff kicks out the perfect amount of very thick, white smoke while the cigar smokes like a chimney as it rests in my ashtray. The burnline is razor thin, and dead even leaving behind a perfectly compacted trail of light gray ash which held on for an inch before falling into my ashtray.

Second Third:

The flavors in the Crowned Heads Las Calaveras 2016 have really started to balance out and cream together into the second third. While the body remains in the upper medium/full area the leading flavor is now a bold spice and strong vanilla backed by musk, cedar, espresso, and cocoa. The retrohale brings forward a lot of the pepper that I didn’t get at the start of the experience along with a really deep cedar. The burnline is still absolutely perfect while I close out the second third with absolutely nothing in the nicotine department.

Finish:

The flavors have really started to ramp up in the final third of the Crowned Heads Las Calaveras 2016. The spice and vanilla are still leading the charge, with the cedar, musk, espresso, cocoa, and a bit of berry backing them up. The body is now dead center in what I would consider the full department. It took me 2 hours to smoke this cigar down to the nub and I thought every second was incredible. I experienced no harshness, no extended heat, and in fact this cigar finished off surprisingly smooth and creamy. I close out the cigar with almost no nicotine kick.

Overview:

Every year the Crowned Heads Las Calaveras is on my list of “must haves”, along with many other cigar smokers. Every year, it delivers. I especially enjoyed this years blend as I am a bit of Connecticut Broadleaf fan boy. The 2016 Las Calaveras is complex and bold without being overpowered by strength and hype. It also makes for a beautiful pairing cigar as it can easily keep up with even the more fullest of bodied beers. As we look down towards the end of the year I need to start making decisions on my favorite cigars of 2016, and the Las Calaveras is in the running for sure. While I picked up quite a few, I am on a hunt to find even more before they completely disappear from store shelves.

Pairing:

Brewed at the Firestone Walker brewery in California, the Anniversary Ale XX is a combination of 5 of Firestone Walker’s rarest, bourbon barrel releases. The blend includes the Parabola, Stickee Monkee, Velvet Merkin, Bravo, and Helldorado. The Anniversary Ale XX leads with a really bold sweetness, chocolate, vanilla, malt, espresso, apple and a good amount of bourbon booziness with a very light mouthfeel before finishing crips with more apple, espresso, bourbon, a good amount of spice, and honey. This is a crazy complex beer that’s much easier to drink than I was anticipating. I find it crazy how often mixing a bunch of different beers actually just works. This is a perfect example of that. It’s also a perfect example of a beer that you probably shouldn’t pair with most cigars as it could easily overpower almost any profile in a cigar. Luckily enough, the Las Calaveras easily holds it’s own and even adds a bunch of spice to the beer’s profile. This was an absolutely killer pairing and I’m glad I picked up quite a few of these beers.

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