Las Calaveras Edición Limitada 2024 LC52

While it might be the 10th anniversary of the first shipment of Las Calaveras, this is the 11th different release of Crowned Heads’ annual limited edition, and the 12th should be in stores before the end of 2024.

You wouldn’t know it from the “Cigars” section on the Crowned Heads website, but the Nashville-based company has made a lot of different lines over the years. After all that, I’m not sure any has achieved the sustained popularity of Las Calaveras. Part of that popularity is that the first Las Calaveras blend was one of the best cigars of the modern era. Take our reviews for what they are worth—though, that is why you are here—but since I reviewed the Las Calaveras Edición Limitada 2014 LC550 in May 2014, the list of cigars that have scored higher on this site than its 94 rating is a very short one. There have been Redux and Holy Grail reviews that have gotten 95 and even higher, but those are because the review is based on one cigar, which makes it much easier to get an extra high or low score compared to the standard three cigars per review.

Las Calaveras is an annual limited edition that pays tribute to those close to the company’s personnel who have lost their lives. Each year, there is a different blend, offered in either three or four sizes. The name comes from La Calavera Catrina, a zinc etching by José Guadalupe Posada. There are basically two chapters of Las Calaveras releases: the first two blends were offered in three different vitolas, each sold in boxes of 24; since 2016, Crowned Heads has released three standard sizes in 24-count boxes as well as a fourth size that can only be purchased via a sampler.

Outside of the blend and color scheme, which change year to year, the rest of the cigar details are pretty similar. My Father Cigars S.A. has produced every Las Calaveras release. The four vitolas chosen each year are never exactly the same, though many of the vitolas have been used multiple times. The packaging is more or less the same as well, with only the color changing.

For 2024, the blend is a Nicaraguan puro that uses a habano-seed wrapper.

“When I smoked the final blend for this year’s Las Calaveras, it immediately took me back to the 2015 Las Calaveras profile, which happens to be one of my favorite blends in the series,” said Jon Huber, co-founder of Crowned Heads, in a press release.

The four sizes are:

• Las Calaveras Edición Limitada 2024 LC48 (6 x 48) — $13.95 (Box of 24, $334.80) — 1,500 Boxes of 24 Cigars + 3,000 Samplers of 1 Cigar (39,000 Total Cigars)
• Las Calaveras Edición Limitada 2024 LC52 (5 x 52) — $14.95 (Box of 24, $358.80) — 1,500 Boxes of 24 Cigars + 3,000 Samplers of 1 Cigar (39,000 Total Cigars)
• Las Calaveras Edición Limitada 2024 LC54 (6 x 54) — $15.95 (Box of 24, $382.80) — 1,500 Boxes of 24 Cigars + 3,000 Samplers of 1 Cigar (39,000 Total Cigars)
• Las Calaveras Edición Limitada 2024 Belicoso Fino (5 1/2 x 52) — 3,000 Samplers of 1 Cigar (3,000 Total Cigars)

The samplers are priced at $56.95.

With the release of the Edición Limitada 2024, the number of different Las Calaveras cigars stands at 42, all of which are photographed below. That said, the 43rd release has already been announced. In celebration of the 10th anniversary of the first Las Calaveras, the company has created the Las Calaveras Décimo Aniversario, a 6 x 52 toro that uses an Ecuadorian habano oscuro wrapper over a Nicaraguan binder and Nicaraguan fillers, grown by the García family of My Father Cigars fame. While it is a Las Calaveras release, the packaging and band art make it an obvious exception compared to the other 42 cigars.

Décimo Aniversario has an MSRP of $18.95 and is limited to 2,500 boxes of 10 cigars. It was scheduled to be released this summer but is now said to be a November 2024 release.

• Cigar Reviewed: Las Calaveras Edición Limitada 2024 LC52
• Country of Origin: Nicaragua
• Factory: My Father Cigars S.A.
• Wrapper: Nicaragua (Habano)
• Binder: Nicaragua
• Filler: Nicaragua
• Length: 5 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 52
• Shape: Round
• MSRP: $14.95 (Box of 24, $358.80)
• Release Date: July 11, 2024
• Number of Cigars Released: 1,500 Boxes of 24 Cigars + 3,000 Samplers of 1 Cigar (39,000 Total Cigars)
• Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3

The Las Calaveras Edición Limitada 2024’s wrapper color is great: a caramel-colored light brown that has plenty of sheen, though lots of veins to go along with it. None of the veins are all that thick, though they are easy to spot, especially on the third cigar, where one runs down the side of the front-facing part of the cigar. As with nearly every cigar I’ve smoked that was rolled at the My Father Cigars S.A. factory, the cigars appear to be well put together. Of note, the third cigar’s wrapper feels noticeably smoother than the other two, to the point that I wonder if it’s from a different priming than the other two. The aromas from the first two cigars’ wrappers are pretty similar: they remind me of some really bad mashed potatoes that were served at an elementary school that I think were made from a packet. Beyond the distinct starchy flavor, there’s some subtle sweetness, acidity and a faint hint of the smell of newspaper, around medium-full. The third cigar has a bright yellow mustard smell with lots of vinegar. The divergent paths continue with the foot. The first two cigars have lots of chocolate scents over earthiness, white pepper and cinnamon; around medium-full. The third cigar is very weird and smells like it might have been dropped in a bottle of vinegar. Cold draws are where the differences more or less end: cocoa lead coffee, tartness, leather, chili pepper and some sourness. The cigars range medium-full to full, though the more noticeable difference is that the second cigar has a somewhat open draw, whereas the other two are fine in that regard.

While I’ve long mused that the cold draw is not an accurate predictor of what’s to come, the first puff is oftentimes telling. The first puff of the first Las Calaveras Edición Limitada 2024 LC52 suggests that this will be an enjoyable cigar to review. It’s smooth with flavors that remind me of the inside of a fresh French loaf mixed with some earthiness and sweet cantaloupe flavors. The second cigar’s more open draw make it difficult to get enough smoke for a tray first puff assessment, but it’s got some sharp white pepper and sour earthiness. The third cigar has nuttiness, some bright wood flavors and accents of leather and vanilla, while the finish has oak and a sharp black pepper. That third cigar is a great preview of the first inch of each cigar. There’s a thick peanut flavor that has a syrupy texture. It sits over creaminess, campfire flavors, sawdust, grass and some sweetness. As it transitions to the finish, some popcorn and dry pasta emerge before a full-fledged saltiness adds itself to the profile. The third cigar has some sweetness and stale water flavors as well, seemingly able to deliver more flavors than the other two cigars. Retrohales have a drier nuttiness mixed with burnt milk creaminess, some sour cream potato chip flavors, black tea and a generic creaminess. As the finish develops, some metallic aspects hit the palate, joined by damp earth, muted cashews, dry pasta and some vegetal. Flavor and body are both full, strength is medium-full. Construction is good, albeit not perfect: the first cigar shows some signs of tunneling, but it’s not bad enough to necessitate assistance from the lighter, the second cigar is slightly more open than I’d like, while the third cigar is great.

The Las Calaveras Edición Limitada 2024 LC52 continues to be led by nuttiness, though it’s not as distinct of a flavor as before. It’s still more vibrant than most cigars and carries with it a list of complementary flavors that are to be expected: saltiness, espresso and some creaminess. The first cigar has some olive oil aspects in the background, the second cigar has some charcoal flavors, while the third cigar has some starchiness. Sweetness and earthiness nearly rival the nuttiness during the finish, though neither make it to the very top spot. Some puffs are more dry thanks to some barnyard and white pepper, other times it seems like I’ve just eaten a handful of cashews. Retrohales have the nuttiness and potato starchiness vying for the top spots, there’s also a return of the sour cream flavor and the ever-present white pepper. After just a couple of seconds, the finish takes over with the profile turning sharper and fuller profile thanks to the increased starchiness and black pepper. Flavor is full, body is medium-full and strength is medium-full. The first cigar—the one that showed signs of tunneling in the first third—needs a touch-up to fix the burn, but the other two cigars are doing just great construction-wise.

On one hand, the nuttiness gets chewier in the final third, which is a trait I really enjoy. That said, the rest of the profile seems thinner and, oftentimes, more muted. It’s still very good, but it’s not as electric as the cigar has been in earlier parts of the profile. While the nuttiness is still the star of the show—both in terms of intensity and frequency—there’s also some saltiness, caramel sweetness and a significant uptick in toastiness. That toastiness carries over to the finish, where its leads to a generally pretty smooth profile, though there’s some white pepper, creaminess and earthiness. More than any other part of the cigar, the final third’s finish is when the sharpness picks up. Retrohales have popcorn, nuttiness, minerals and some earthiness, but it’s just a bit more bitter than I’d like. Flavor is full, body is full and strength is medium-plus or medium-full. Each of the three Las Calaveras is incredibly easy to burn down to finger-burning levels, with no construction flaws in the final third.

Final Notes

• Assuming that Crowned Heads made exactly the number of cigars that it disclosed, there have been 1,233,000 Las Calaveras cigars made so far.
• Compared to the other two cigars, the first one struggled a bit. It had some minor construction issues in the first and the flavor wasn’t as excellent. That said, the first cigar was still a lot better than most cigars I’ll review this year.
• We’ve reached a point where a number of the early 2010s limited edition cigar series are celebrating their 10th anniversary. While there were limited edition cigars prior to 2010, things really took off around that time. What separates Las Calaveras from the others is the consistency that Crowned Heads has had with the series. Outside of adding the samplers—and now the Décimo—the series is more or less the same as it debuted.
• Crowned Heads took the Las Calaveras 2014 blend and made a regular production cigar out of it: La Imperiosa. While I’ve enjoyed it, I don’t think it’s really caught on as a brand. Those cigars have never had the magic like the Las Calaveras version did, which highlights one of the purest intentions behind the creation of a limited edition: at some point, you run out of the tobacco that makes it special. Even if you could go back to the same exact farms the next year, it won’t be the same.

• These cigars are listed at 5 x 52. These were amongst the most consistent cigars in terms of their measurements.
• Cigars for this review were purchased by halfwheel.
• The average smoking time was right around 90 minutes.
• Site sponsors Atlantic Cigar Co., Cigars Direct, Corona Cigar Co., Famous Smoke Shop, JR Cigar and Smokingpipes carry the Las Calaveras Edición Limitada 2024 LC52.