As featured on The Cigar Authority Radio Show….
Limited Edition cigars. Do you love them or hate them let us know in the comments. For me it is love/hate. If the cigar is something I am crazy about, then I hate the fact that I can’t get them any more.
Las Calaveras from Crowned Heads comes out of the My Father factory in Esteli, Nicaragua and is limited to 1,000 boxes per size of which there is 3 (LC550 – 5” x 50; LC652 – 6” x 52 and LC754 – 7” x 54. According to the Crowned Heads website, “Crowned Heads Las Calaveras was inspired by “La Calavera Catrina,” a zinc etching by Mexican printmaker and illustrator, Jose Guadalupe Posada.
The image depicts a female skeleton dressed only in a hat, and has become an icon of the Mexican Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead. The holiday focuses upon gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember those who have died.
Beginning with the Edicion Limitada 2014, Las Calaveras will be an annual release that is a respectful homage to those who have passed away in the year before, and is intended to be a celebration of their lives and remembrances, rather than a mourning or a symbol of sadness and death.”
Cigar: Las Calaveras EL 2014
Size: Robusto (5 x 50)
Wrapper: Ecuador Habano Oscuro
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Distributed By: Crowned Heads
Featuring a simple band of a white background with black lettering denoting Las Calaveras and EL (Edicion Limitade) 2014. The cigar which features a dark Oscuro wrapper from Ecuador has a look of a limited edition smoke. There is a fair amount of tooth present on this stick with a lot of oils. The foot looks a little under packed but the cigar is very firm to the touch.
The cold draw of the cigar reminds of my the syrup from Coca-Cola before any carbonation as been added to it much like the way it was done in the days of old soda fountains. The foot of the cigar reminds me of earth and cedar.
Once the cigar is lit there is a warm bread like aroma that quickly disappears as I get lost in the flavors of the cigar. There is some notes of meat like a choice cut steak and it is incredibly smooth.
The second third of the of the cigar is intriguing to me because of a well defined sunflower seed note which I have only experienced once before. It too was in a limited edition smoke, the La Aurora Puro Vintage 2003 which is one of my favorite cigar of all time. The steak notes continue and are even more defined in this part of the cigar.
As the cigar comes to a close, the last part is the most complex as the steak notes begin to fade and the coca cola like syrup sweetness returns and the short finish of the cigar is like velvet.
The burn of the Las Calavera EL 2014 is as good as they come with an incredible white ash, and a thin crisp carbon line. The draw is flawless on the Las Calaveras which I smoked until there was nothing left to hold.
This is one of those Limited Edition cigars I love so much that I actually hate that I can’t get them anymore when they disappear from the shelves. Thankfully I was able to pick up a box before they were completely gone. While made at the My Father factory, these smokes were Crowned Heads defined.
Score: 92
Price: $8.99
Las Calaveras EL 2014
Las Calaveras EL 2014
