Las Calaveras Edicion Limitada 2022 LC52 by Crowned Heads

When you look at annual limited edition series releases, one that has to certainly be on the list of iconic collections is Crowned Heads Las Calaveras line. Las Calaveras was launched in 2014, and it is the first release that Crowned Heads would do with the My Father Cigars factory. 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 a 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 wanted to pay homage to. Today we take a look at the ninth installment of the Las Calaveras, the Las Calaveras Edición Limitada 2022– in the LC52 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. One fun thing about Las Calaveras is that each year the band is slightly different in terms of color scheme. Below is a list of each of the Las Calaveras releases, the wrapper varietal, and the band color (in parentheses)

Las Calaveras Edición Limitada 2014: Ecuadorian Habano Oscuro (White)
Las Calaveras Edición Limitada 2015: Ecuadorian Habano Rosado (White)
Las Calaveras Edición Limitada 2016: Connecticut Broadleaf (White)
Las Calaveras Edición Limitada 2017: Ecuadorian Maduro (Black)
Las Calaveras Edición Limitada 2018: San Andres Mexican (Green)
Las Calaveras Edición Limitada 2019: Ecuadorian Habano Oscuro (Red)
Las Calaveras Edición Limitada 2020: Ecuadorian Habano Oscuro (Purple)
Las Calaveras Edición Limitada 2021: Ecuadorian Sumatra (Yellow)
Las Calaveras Edición Limitada 2022: Nicaraguan Corojo (Blue)
Las Calaveras Edición Limitada 2023: Connecticut Broadleaf (Orange)

On a side note, this cigar has been the inspiration for Prime Time Jukebox’s annual Dedications Show. This is a concept that was started by Dave Burck on Cigar Jukebox where our audience selects dedication songs to honor loved ones that have passed. Each year, Dave and I smoke this cigar as we host this show.

Without further ado, let’s break down the Las Calaveras Edición Limitada 2022 LC52 and see what this cigar brings to the table.

SPECIFICATIONS

Blend and Origin

For the first time in the series, Crowned Heads released Las Calaveras as a 100% Nicaraguan puro. The wrapper of the Las Calaveras Edición Limitada 2022 is a Nicaraguan Corojo wrapper. It’s not the first time Crowned Heads has released a Nicaraguan puro from My Father Cigars. A few years ago, there was a regular production line known as Las Mareas that was a Crowned Heads Nicaraguan puro out of My Father Cigars. My Father Cigars has produced every release of Las Calaveras to date.

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

Vitolas Offered

Las Calaveras Edición Limitada 2022 was released in four sizes: LC46, LC52, LC54, and Petit Lancero. The Petit Lancero is exclusive to a four-count sampler featuring one of each of the Las Calaveras EL 2022 sizes. The LC46, LC52, and LC54 are available in 24-count boxes. Production has been allocated to 1,500 boxes per size and an additional 2,500 of the sampler boxes

LC46: 5 3/4 x 46
LC52: 5 x 52
LC54: 6 1/2 x 54
Petit Lancero: 6 1/2 x 40

Appearance

The Nicaraguan Corojo wrapper of the Las Calaveras Edición Limitada 2022 LC 52 had medium brown with a cinnamon-colored tint to it. There were some oils on the surface of this wrapper. In addition, there was a slight amount of toothiness on this wrapper. This wrapper itself had some visible veins near the surface. There were also some thin wrapper seams present.

PERFORMANCE

Pre-Light Draw

A straight cut was used to remove the cap of the Las Calaveras Edición Limitada 2022 LC52. Once the cap was detached, it was time to commence with the pre-light draw experience. The cold draw had a lot going on with it. There were notes of sweet natural tobacco with a cocoa component, wood, earth, and red pepper. Overall this was an excellent pre-light draw. At this point, it was time to remove the footer band of the Las Calaveras Edición Limitada 2022 LC52, toast up the cigar and move on to the smoking stage.

Tasting Notes

The Las Calaveras Edición Limitada 2022 LC52 opened up with a natural tobacco note that had a rich cocoa sweetness to it. This became the primary note right out of the gate. There also were notes of wood, earth, and red pepper. As the cigar progressed through the first third, the cocoa component of the natural tobacco diminished. Meanwhile, there was an additional layer of red pepper on the retro-hale.

By the second third of the Las Calaveras Edición Limitada 2022 LC 52, the natural tobacco was still grounded in the forefront but the cocoa component was essentially gone. It was during this phase that the red pepper became the most prominent of the secondary notes. At the same time, there was a gradual increase in the pepper notes. In the further distant background were notes of earth and classic wood.

The last third delivered a combination of the natural tobacco and pepper as the primary notes. The medium-bodied nature of this blend did not morph this cigar into a spice bomb. The earth and wood notes still did a nice job of complementing and rounding out the flavor profile. As the cigar came to a close, it finished with a soft and cool nub.

Burn

My Father Cigars factory selected as the 2022 Cigar Coop Large Factory of the Year. The Las Calaveras Edición Limitada 2022 LC 52 was an excellent example of why this factory won as it really was a well-constructed cigar. This was also a cigar that didn’t require much in the way of touch-ups to maintain a straight burn path and straight burn line. The resulting ash was firm and had mostly silver-gray color with some dark streaks mixed in. The burn rate and burn temperature both maintained ideal levels.

Las Calaveras Edicion Limitada 2022 LC52 – Burn

Draw

The excellent construction of the Las Calaveras Edición Limitada 2022 LC 52 reflected on the draw. This cigar had a touch of resistance on the draw – making it ideal in my book. At the same time, this was a low-maintenance cigar to derive flavor from.

Strength and Body

The Las Calaveras Edición Limitada 2022 LC 52 started out on the lower end of medium for strength and body. As the cigar progressed there was a slight increase in the intensity of both attributes, but in the end, the strength and body remained medium for the duration of the cigar experience. In terms of strength versus body, both attributes balanced each other nicely with neither attribute overshadowing the other.

BANDING AND PACKAGING NOTES

Guessing what wrapper Crowned Heads would use on the Las Calaveras Edición Limitada 2022 was fun. Guessing the band color was equally fun. For the first time in the series, Crowned Heads opted to use blue. Over the years, I have enjoyed the skull-design use combined with various colors on the box. Las Calaveras Edición Limitada 2022 is not exceptional as it keeps the continuity of this artwork.

Photo Credit: Crowned Heads

A few years ago, Crowned Heads introduced a gold and black footer band with the Crowned Heads name on it – I also like that.

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

There are two key observations on this cigar. First, there is a dominant natural tobacco flavor on this cigar and it works quite well. Second (as I noted above), as the pepper increased, the cigar never became a pepper bomb because of its medium-bodied nature. All in all, this is a nice addition to the Las Calaveras series. The excellent construction still is not as important as delivering flavor. In the end, this is a cigar I could recommend to any cigar enthusiast. As for myself, this is a cigar that I would buy and smoke again.

Summary

Key Flavors: Natural Tobacco, Cocoa, Earth, Wood, Pepper
Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium Minus
Strength: Medium
Body: Medium
Finish: Very Good