IPCPR 2013: Crowned Heads

After debuting last year in a two-space, side-by-side booth, Crowned Heads moved into E.P. Carrillo’s booth this year, though Jon Huber said that the move wasn’t indicative of anything besides a great working relationship between the companies. EPC has made all of Crowned Heads’ releases, but there didn’t appear to be any plans to merge sales staffs or announce a distribution agreement.

The cigar that was getting the most chatter was the J.D. Howard Reserve. Announced a while back, the cigar was on full display as the company’s latest showpiece. It will debut in five sizes, with one change made to the lineup since its announcement, as the 5 5/8 x 50 figurado has been replaced by a 5 1/2 x 50 Robusto. The complete line up is:

• HR46 – 6 x 46 – $8.50 (Boxes of 24, $204.00)
• HR48 – 5 x 48 – $9.00 (Boxes of 24, $216.00)
• HR50 – 5 1/2 x 50 – $9.30 (Boxes of 24, $223.20)
• HR52 – 6 x 52 – $9.70 (Boxes of 24, $232.80)
• HR54 – 5 x 54 – $9.50 (Boxes of 24, $228.00)

The J.D. Howard Reserve uses a Brazilian Arapiraca Wrapper over a Sumatran binder and Nicaragua filler. The cigars are made at E.P. Carrillo’s Tabacalaera La Alianza in the Dominican Republic.

Also new is the Crowned Heads 6 Shooter Sampler, which sells for $49.00 and comes with two Four Kicks Sublimes, two Headley Grange Estupendos and two J.D. Howard Reserve HR46.

Both the J.D. Howard and 6 Shooter Sampler will begin shipping at the end of July.

Looking down the road a bit, Huber was hesitant to give out too many details but did note that he is working on some projects that will be out before the end of the year, and has plans to do something special with the J.D. Howard line at some point in 2014.

While it was released earlier this year, the entire Headley Grange line was on display, the first time the full line has been shown at a trade show, as only the Estupendos was released at last year’s IPCPR.

Patrick Lagreid

I strive to capture the essence of a cigar and the people behind them in my work – every cigar you light up is the culmination of the work of countless people and often represents generations of struggle and stories. For me, it’s about so much more than the cigar – it’s about the story behind it, the experience of enjoying the work of artisans and the way that a good cigar can bring people together. In addition to my work with halfwheel, I’m the public address announcer for the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks during spring training, as well as for the Salt River Rafters of the Arizona Fall League, the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury, the G-League's Valley Suns, and previously the Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League. I also work in a number of roles for Major League Baseball, plus I'm a voice over artist. Prior to joining halfwheel, I covered the Phoenix and national cigar scene for Examiner.com, and was an editor for Cigar Snob magazine.