Crowned Heads Announces The Lost Angel as TAA 2020 Release

Every single TAA exclusive release from Crowned Heads has been called The Angel’s Anvil, until now.

This year, the company will release The Lost Angel 2020, which the company is describing as a prequel to the The Angel’s Anvil, which has been released annually since 2014.

The Angel’s Anvil story is about a wingless angel who finds a blacksmith to provide him (the angel) with a hammer and anvil in order to create new wings. That was meant to serve as a parallel to Jon Huber’s story, Crowned Heads co-founder, who worked at CAO until it formally merged into General Cigar Co. and then co-founded Crowned Heads and began working with Ernesto Perez-Carrillo Jr.

Huber says this release “explores the darker side of the story’s protagonist.” Specifically, before the angel meets the blacksmith and regains his wings, the angel needed to fall from heaven.

Unlike the heavens above, the earth can be a dark space, and the spirit of The Lost Angel brand is born from darkness Lest we never forget though, the tiniest of seeds needs to be submerged in dirt, covered in darkness and it is only then that the seed will struggle to reach the light.

As for the details about the cigar, it’s a 6 x 52 toro that uses an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper over a Nicaraguan binder and Nicaraguan fillers.

Pricing is set at $11.75 per cigar and it is limited to 1,000 boxes of 20 cigars.

Like The Angel’s Anvil releases, it is being made at Perez-Carrillo Jr.’s Tabacalera La Alianza S.A. factory in the Dominican Republic.

It is scheduled to begin shipping in April, though given the Dominican Republic’s cigar factories are shut down to coronavirus COVID-19, it remains unclear how realistic that date is.

The TAA is a fairly small group of some of the country’s top tobacconists, about 80 retailers as well as 40 or so manufacturers. The association gathers annually to discuss issues facing the industry and retailers, as well as to have its annual trade show, a unique event that works on a group buying format in order to secure exclusive deals for these generally high-volume merchants.

During the convention, the organization hosts two distinct selling events. One is known as the Dream Machine, an optional event where manufacturers offer the entire group of retailers tiered specials and discounts. The more the group collectively agrees to buy, the better the discounts and deals are for every retailer involved. In addition, the week includes a more traditional trade show which oftentimes sees some of the most aggressive discounts of the year.

This year’s meeting was supposed to take place this week but was postponed due to coronavirus and then canceled. Instead, the group met virtually on Wednesday where retailers had the opportunity to place orders.

Some of that buying included at least 14 new exclusives for TAA members from the following manufacturers:

• A.J. Fernandez
• CLE
• Crowned Heads
• Drew Estate
• E.P. Carrillo
• Kristoff
• La Aurora
• La Flor Dominicana
• La Palina
• My Father
• Nat Sherman International
• Rocky Patel
• Tatuaje
• Villiger