16. Le Carême Robusto
Crowned Heads
- Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
- Factory: Tabacalera La Alianza S.A.
- Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
- Binder: Ecuadorian Sumatra
- Filler: Nicaragua
- Size: 5 x 50
- MSRP: $8.25 (Boxes of 24, $198)
- Release Date: July 24, 2016
- Number of Cigars Released: Regular Production
- Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3
While there has already been one food-related cigar on this list, the Le Carême from Crowned Heads makes it two as the Nashville, Tenn. company pays homage to Marie Antoine Carême, the French chef who is credited with popularizing the soufflé.
Crowned Heads partnered with Ernesto Perez-Carrillo’s Tabacalera La Alianza S.A. to produce this box-pressed cigar that was released in four sizes at the 2016 IPCPR Convention & Trade Show, using a blend of Connecticut broadleaf wrapper, Ecuadorian Sumatra binder and Nicaraguan filler. The result was a cigar that had our staff thinking about dessert thanks to prominent notes of chocolate in the second third that get bookended by spice, cedar, cream, dried fruits and pepper.
Having come out at the trade show among the onslaught of cigars trying to beat FDA’s Aug. 8 dealdine, Le Carême feels like one of the more overlooked releases of 2016, but its flavor, balance and construction should help this relatively recent but fortunately regular production cigar stand out amongst its competition. — Patrick Lagreid.
