 |
| Crowned Heads Hecho Con Corazon LE 2014 |
Hecho Con Corazo LE 2014 is a limited edition cigar by Crowned Heads that has recently been introduced. The cigar was been made exclusively for Hickory Cigar Club in North Carolina. The cigar was unveiled at an October 1st event in Hickory with the remaining supply going to Tinder Box of the Carolinas in Charlotte, North Carolina Corazon Con Hecho is not a new blend, but a box-press toro size of the Las Calaveras Edicion Limitada 2014. Overall I found this to be a quality smoke, but it definitely lacked a “wow” factor.
While there have been a couple of limited editions in the past, for 2014 Crowned Heads has announced a significant number of limited editions – in fact for 2014 eight limiteds have been announced or released. This includes: The Angel’s Anvil (a release for the TAA), the Mason Dixon Project (two regional releases to the north and south respectively), Tennessee Waltz (a Tennessee State exclusive), Arrington Vineyard Double-W (an exclusive to Arrington Vineyards in Tennessee), Headley Grange Snaredrum (for Federal Cigar in New Hampshire), the planned TexiCali (for Cigar Federation) and of course the annual Las Calaveras Limited Edition – in which Hecho Con Corazon uses the same blend. The release of these limited editions marks a big change in Crowned Heads’ philosophy from three years ago. The company has been vocal against limited editions in the past. In fact the company has wrote on their website, “Don’t play the Limited Edition song over and over and over… and over again.” Now from resisting limited editions, they have released or announced eight in one calendar year, so I think its fair to say the company has done a complete 180 from their initial philosophy.
One thing Crowned Heads has done exceptionally well is to tie a story to their releases. The Hecho Con Corazon is no exception. The following is the text around the story that was made available in a pamphlet to those that attended the launch event in Hickory.
Some 40 years ago, there was a young cigar roller by the name of Juan Miguel who worked 13-hour days in one of the more ‘famous’ cigar factories in Havana, Cuba.
Day after day, Juan Miguel would craft some of the most exquisite cigars the world would ever see and smoke. One day, the factory foreman approached him and said, “Juan Miguel, we have a very special project that I want you to be a part of. All of our puros are labeled, “Hecho A Mano (Made by Hand),” but we have a very important political diplomat who is seeking something more. He wants only the finest 1% of our cigars to be made specially for him. I don’t want you to just make these cigars with your hands–I want you to make these particular cigars with your HEART. I want you to make these cigars, “Hecho Con Corazon (Made with Heart).”
From that day forward, there was a special ‘underground’ code created in this Havana factory that became secretly known as “HCC,” or “Hecho Con Corazon.” This code was used when only the best of the best cigars were to be selected for VIP clients and cherished limited releases. To this day, there remain rumors that such a code ever existed; however, if Juan Miguel were alive to tell the tale, he would likely confirm that there were specially selected cigars that were graded above “Hecho A Mano,” and that those cigars were made “Hecho Con Corazon,” or “Made With Heart.”
It is in this spirit of superior quality and passion for excellence that Crowned Heads presents “Hecho Con Corazon LE 2014” – crafted exclusively for the Hickory Cigar Club by Crowned Heads and My Father Cigars S.A.
 |
| Background by Hecho Con Corazon |
Without further ado, let’s break down the Hecho Con Corazon LE 2014 and see what this cigar brings to the table.
Blend Profile
Consistent with Las Calaveras, Hecho Con Corazon LE 2014 is made at the My Father Cigars factory.
Wrapper: Ecuador Habano (8th priming)
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Vitolas Available
The Hecho Con Corazon is available in one size – a 6 x 50 box-press toro. There have been 100 boxes of ten cigars produced for Hickory Cigar Club. As mentioned, the remainder of the boxes were shipped to the company’s supplier, Tinder Box of the Carolinas in Charlotte, North Carolina.
For completeness, we list all four sizes of the Las Calaveras blend:
Hecho Con Corazon: 6 x 50 boxpress (for Hickory Cigar Club)
LC550: 5 x 50
LC652: 6 x 52
LC754: 7 x 54
Appearance
The Ecuadorian Habano wrapper does have an aesthetically pleasing looking to it. The wrapper has a chocolate bar color with a smooth surface. There is a light amount of oil on the wrapper itself. There were a few visible veins and a few visible wrapper seams. The box-press is firm with no soft spots.
Hecho Con Corazon LE 2014 does not feature a band. There is a red ribbon on the footer.
Preparation for the Cigar Experience
The Hecho Con Corazon did have a very nice aroma to it. It was a combination of cocoa and barnyard notes. Prior to lighting up the Hecho Con Corazon, I went with my usual choice of a straight cut. Once the cap was removed, I moved on to the pre-light draw. The dry draw provided a mix of leather, spice, and an occasional mocha note. Overall I this pre-light draw did not have me doing handstands At this point I was ready to light up the Hecho Con Corazon and see what the smoking phase would have in store.
Flavor Profile
Out of the gate, the Hecho Con Corazon LE 2014 had a pepper blast that consisted of a cross of black and red pepper with a touch of cedar. Once the pepper settled down, some notes of leather and cocoa surface. The pepper moved to the background early on, but was still very prominent on the retro-hale.
The leather notes surfaced as the primary note. The cocoa notes occasionally also made their way to the forefront, but for the most part remained a background flavor. The pepper was present in the background and more prominent on the after-draw and retro-hale. There was a light citrus component that was present and it did have a slight acidic component to it. The combination of that citrus and spice was enough to create a Nicaraguan “twang”. At times this twang could prominently be detected and overshadow some of the other primary flavors.
During the second third, the leather notes were still prominent, but I now detected some cedar notes. The cedar notes moved toward the forefront by the mid-point of the cigar. The cocoa notes that were present now had more of a dark coffee taste to them. Meanwhile, the pepper notes increased slightly on the main draw, but were still more present on the after-draw and retro-hale. The citrus and “twang” notes diminished significantly as well.
The last third saw some of the cedar, coffee and pepper notes move to the forefront. The leather notes now had more of a nutty taste and were secondary. This is the way the Hecho Con Corazon came to a close. The resulting nub was firm to the touch and cool in temperature.
Burn and Draw
The Crowned Heads Hecho Con Corazon LE 2014 scored very nicely when it comes to burn and draw. I found this to be a low maintenance burn from start to finish requiring only some occasional touch-ups. The resulting ash was quite firm and had a nice silver / gray color. The ash was not prone to significant flaking and it came off the cigar in nice clean chunks. The burn rate and burn temperature were ideal.
 |
| Burn of the Crowned Heads Hecho Con Corazon LE 2014 |
The draw was outstanding. It had just the right amount of resistance to it. At the same time, the Hecho Con Corazon produced ample smoke. Considering this wasn’t a loose draw, I was surprised (and quite pleased) with the smoke production.
Strength and Body
Hecho Con Corazon is not going to be a cigar that is going to be a nicotine bomb. I assessed the strength level as medium and it remained in that area of the spectrum for the duration of the cigar experience. As for the body, it started out on the low end of medium. The depth of the flavors increased and by the second half, the body progressed to medium to full. Overall I found the strength and body balanced each other nicely in the first half, but in the second half the body had a slight edge.
Final Thoughts
I found the I found the Hecho Con Corazon LE 2014 to be a tale of two cigars. The first half was pretty flat. By the second half, the cigar exhibited some better flavors. While the flavors were improved, but they still lacked the “wow” factor. With limited editions, I think a “wow” factor is the differentiator and this works against the Hecho Con Corazon. In terms of complexity, I found Hecho Con Corazon to offer more than its Las Calaveras siblings. In particular, the flavor transitions did pick up in the second half. Overall, I would say if you are a Crowned Heads fan – and in particular a Las Calaveras fan, this would be a cigar you would want to check out while supplies are still out there.
Summary
Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: High
Strength: Medium
Body: Medium (1st Half), Medium to Full (2nd Half)
Finish: Good
Assessment: 2.5 – Try One
Score: 88
References
News: n/a
Price: $10.00
Source: Purchased
Stogie Geeks Podcast: n/a
Stogie Feed: n/a
