PCA 2021: Crowned Heads
I’m not exactly sure what it is, but there’s something about the Crowned Heads booth that just works. It’s a rectangular shape with built-out corners, meaning some wall panels that create places to hang art and a seating area with some more decorative chairs. From there it flows into a middle section with the typical chairs and tables for meetings, and the familiar black rolling cases that would be at home on a concert tour but here serve to hold product samples and other goodies. It might just be the colors of everything coming together, or the combination of the woods, metals and other designs in the booth, but whatever it is creates a pretty cool vibe once inside.
It’s also a booth shared with ACE Prime, which Crowned Heads distributes, while the two companies have worked together on cigars for the company’s portfolio by way of them being produced at Tabacalera Pichardo. It’s one thing to have a good vibe on paper; it’s another to have it in the real world, and it seems like these two companies—at least judging by the booth—have it.
Like every Crowned Heads cigar, this one starts with the meaning behind its name, which is short for Crowned Heads Court and Eruption.
Like many of the company’s releases, it’s inspired by music, specifically, Eddie Van Halen’s guitar solo from the song “Eruption.” “I listened to that solo and saw it as a sonic metaphor for smoking this cigar,” said Jon Huber, co-founder of Crowned Heads, when the cigar was announced. “From the drum and bass intro, which I saw as the cutting-lighting-prep of the cigar, to the mixing of triads and harmonics which I compared to the complexity of the flavor profile, to the bottoming-out dive bombs that was reminiscent of the finish of the cigar, it all paralleled seamlessly. The CHC Serie E smoking experience is a medium-plus-bodied dance on the edge between technical mastery and random entropy, resolving in a balanced, melodious harmony.”
- Wrapper: Ecuador (Habano Oscuro)
- Binder: Nicaragua (Jalapa)
- Filler: Nicaragua (Jalapa, Ometepe & Pueblo Nuevo)
- CHC Serie E Petite Edmundo (4 3/8 x 52) — $11 (Box of 20, $220)
- CHC Serie E 5150 (5 1/2 x 50) — $11.50 (Box of 20, $230)
- CHC Serie E Hermoso No. 2 (6 1/8 x 48) — $10.25 (Box of 20, $205)
- CHC Serie E Sublime (6 1/2 x 54) — $12.25 (Box of 20, $245)
Production: Regular Production
Release Date: August 2021
Las Calaveras Edición Limitada 2021
This wasn’t on display but is heading to stores this month.
The Las Calaveras limited edition enters its eighth release, and this one marks the first time the company has used an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper for it. It’s also the first time that Crowned Heads has used a Sumatra wrapper leaf in a project originating from My Father Cigars, with Jon Huber saying he thinks the resulting profile is “not only an obvious change of pace, but is also an amazing expression of Sumatra wrapper leaf.” The series pays tribute to those close to the company’s personnel who have lost their lives.
- Wrapper: Ecuador (Sumatra Oscuro)
- Binder: Nicaragua
- Filler: Nicaragua
- Las Calaveras Edición Limitada 2021 LC48 (6 x 48) — $10.95 (Box of 24, $262.80)
- Las Calaveras Edición Limitada 2021 LC50 (5 x 50) — $11.95 (Box of 24, $286.80)
- Las Calaveras Edición Limitada 2021 LC54 (5 3/4 x 54) — $12.95 (Box of 24, $310.80)
- Las Calaveras Edición Limitada 2021 Petit Lancero (6 1/2 x 40) — $14.10 (Sampler of 4, $49.95)
Production: 97,000 Total Cigars
Release Date: July 2021
While music has been a common theme of Crowned Heads’ releases, food has served as an inspiration as well. In this case, a new limited edition, PCA exclusive release called Le Pâtissier gets its name from the French term for pastry chef. It’s said to be inspired by Le Carême, which came out in July 2016. Since it’s a PCA exclusive, retailers can only get it if they attended the show and ordered it on the show floor.
- Wrapper: U.S.A. (Connecticut Broadleaf)
- Binder: Nicaragua (Jalapa)
- Filler: Costa Rica & Nicaragua (Ometepe & Pueblo Nuevo)
- Le Pâtissier (6 1/2 x 44) — $10.50 (Box of 20, $210)
Production: TBD
Release Date: Fall 2021
An earlier version of this article indicated the cigar was 6 1/4 inches long; it is actually 6 1/2 inches long. We regret the error.
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 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.
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