In 2014, Crowned Heads announced a new limited edition line known as Las Calaveras. The name “Las Calaveras” translates to “The Skulls” and it’s a line that pays homage to those who have passed away over the past year. As opposed to being a mournful symbol, it is intended to be a celebration of those lives and remembrance of those who are no longer with us. In the past, the band of the Las Calaveras was transcribed with the initials of some people Crowned Heads will pay homage to. Since 2014, this has been an annual and anticipated release by many cigar enthusiasts. Today we take a look at the eighth installment of the Las Calaveras, the Las Calaveras Edición Limitada 2021 – in the LC50 vitola.

The following are the releases of Las Calaveras. One significant note is that each year has highlighted a different blend and a different wrapper.

Without further ado, let’s break down the Las Calaveras Edición Limitada 2021 LC50 and see what this cigar brings to the table.

SPECIFICATIONS

Blend and Origin

The 2021 installment of the Las Calaveras uses an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper. While this is not the first time Crowned Heads has released a Sumatra-wrapped cigar, it does mark the first time this has been done with the Las Calaveras series. As it has been since the first Las Calaveras release, production for the Edición Limitada 2021 is handled out of the My Father Cigars factory in Estelí, Nicaragua. When it was released back in 2014, Las Calaveras was Crowned Heads’ first cigar line to come out of the My Father Cigars factory.

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra Oscuro
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Factory: My Father Cigars S.A.

Vitolas Offered

The Crowned Heads Las Calaveras is offered in three regular production sizes each presented in 24-count boxes. In addition, there is a Petit Lancero size, included with a four-count sampler that also features one of each of the other three regular production sizes. Production has been allocated to 1,250 boxes per size and an additional 1,750 of the sampler boxes.

LC48: 6 x 48
LC50: 5 x 50
LC54: 5 3/4 x 54
Petit Lancero: 6 1/2 x 40

Appearance

The Crowned Heads Las Calaveras Edición Limitada 2021 LC50’s Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper had a  medium brown color with a cinnamon tint to it. There was a light coat of oil on the surface. The surface also had some subtle mottling and a slight amount of toothiness. There were some visible veins and some minimally visible wrapper seams.

As mentioned above, each year the packaging of the Las Calaveras changes. For the Las Calaveras Edición Limitada 2021, the band is primarily yellow in color. On the center of the band is the text “LAS CALAVERAS” in large red font. Above that text is the text “EL 2021” in black font arranged in a curved fashion. The lower part of the center of the band has the text “ESTELI NICARAGUA” in black font. A purple and red ring surrounds the center of the band with a gold crown at the top of the ring. The left and right side of the band has a red and white pinstriping pattern surrounded by a curved red border with two gold medallions on each side. The medallions contain the initials of people (not specified by Crowned Heads) who have passed away. The cigar is finished with gold trim.

Las Calaveras features a footer band. This is something that has been seen on several Crowned Heads releases as of late. The band is gold with black font. On the band is the “CROWNED HEADS” name featuring the company’s logo font. Black trim surrounds the text on the upper and lower portion.

PERFORMANCE

Pre-Light Draw

Prior to lighting up the Las Calaveras Edición Limitada 2021 LC50, a straight cut was used to remove the cap. Once the cap was clipped it was on to the pre-light draw. The cold draw delivered notes of cherry sweetness, wood, and chocolate. Overall this was a satisfactory pre-light draw. At this point, it was time to remove the footer band of the Las Calaveras Edición Limitada 2021 LC50, toast up the footer and move on to the smoking phase.

Tasting Notes

The Las Calaveras Edición Limitada 2021 LC50, started out with notes of natural tobacco, fruit, wood, and earth. These notes were soon joined by a mix of black and chili pepper. There was no dominant note early on, but eventually the natural tobacco and fruit notes took over as a primary note. On the retro-hale, there was an addition of black and chili pepper notes along with a slight fruit note.

During the second third of the Las Calaveras Edición Limitada 2021 LC50, some earth notes emerged and displaced the natural tobacco and fruit notes. As the LC50 moved through the second third, the fruit notes were displaced by notes of chocolate. The wood and pepper notes also remained in the background during this phase.

By the final third, there was a spike in the pepper notes and they closed in on the earth notes in the forefront. The natural tobacco, chocolate, and wood notes rounded out the flavor profile. This is the way the Las Calaveras Edición Limitada 2021 LC50 came to a close. The resulting nub was cool in temperature and slightly soft to the touch.

Burn

The Las Calaveras Edición Limitada 2021 LC50 delivered a very nice burn. This cigar maintained a straight burn line and straight burn path from start to finish, requiring minimal touch-ups. The resulting ash was firm with a near medium-gray color. The burn rate and burn temperature were both ideal.

Crowned Heads Las Calaveras Edicion Limitada 2021 LC50 - Burn

Draw

Normally I like a little resistance on the draw. The Las Calaveras Edición Limitada 2021 LC50 had a much tighter draw than I prefer. This resulted in having to work this draw a lot harder than on most cigars.

Strength and Body

The Las Calaveras Edición Limitada 2021 LC50 started out as a medium strength, medium-bodied cigar. For the most part, the strength and body stayed in the medium range for both attributes with little variance. In terms of strength versus body, the body maintained a slight edge.

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

One thing I liked about the Las Calaveras series is how the blends and specifically many of the wrappers change. I will admit, when I saw that a Sumatra wrapper was coming to the series, I wasn’t exactly doing handstands with excitement. However the Las Calaveras Edición Limitada 2021 LC50 proved me wrong. I found the flavors quite enjoyable. Add in a nice balanced profile, a low maintenance draw, and just the right amount of complexity and you have a winner. This is a cigar I would recommend to any cigar enthusiast. As for myself, this is a cigar I would buy and smoke again. At 90 points, this cigar reached the mark for Cigar Coop Standard of Excellence.

Summary

Key Flavors: Natural Tobacco, Fruit, Earth, Chocolate, Wood, Pepper
Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium Plus
Strength: Medium
Body: Medium
Finish: Very Good

Rating

Value: Buy One
Score: 90
Cigar Coop Standard of Excellence

References

News: Crowned Heads Announces Las Calaveras Edición Limitada 2021
Price: $10.95
Source: Purchased
Brand Reference: Crowned Heads

Photo Credits: Cigar Coop