Crafted by JR: Crowned Heads

Today, we review the Crafted by JR: Crowned Heads project. Over the years, JR Cigars has had its share of exclusive cigars offered by them. One company that has its share of exclusive cigars offered up by JR Cigars has been Crowned Heads. Crowned Heads has also released a wide variety of brands under its company umbrella over the years. One difference in this shop exclusive is that it isn’t a new Crowned Heads brand, nor is it an extension of an existing Crowned Heads brand. Instead, it actually carries the company name – and I think that’s the first time Crowned Heads has done that on a shop exclusive.

In turn, Crafted by JR: Crowned Heads is part of a larger initiative by JR Cigar. With Crafted by JR, the plan is to do different releases in collaboration with different manufacturers. Instead of the manufacturer providing JR with a cigar, JR Cigar will be an integral part of the product development lifecycle with planning, development, and execution. This will include components from the name and logo design to packaging and the blend profile.

Let’s break down the Crafted by JR Crowned Heads without further ado and see what this cigar brings to the table.

Crafted by JR: Crowned Heads – Cigar Review

SPECIFICATIONS

Blend and Origin

The Crafted by JR Crowned Heads uses an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper. The remainder of the blend incorporates Connecticut Broadleaf for the binder and Nicaraguan tobacco for the filler. The origin and factory have not been disclosed.

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Connecticut Broadleaf
Filler: Nicaraguan
Country of Origin: Undisclosed
Factory: Undisclosed

Vitolas Offered

Crafted by JR: Crowned Heads is available in one size—a 5 1/2 x 52 Robusto. A total of 500 boxes have been produced.

Appearance

The Ecuadorian Habano wrapper of the Crafted by JR: Crowned Heads had a roasted coffee bean-colored wrapper. There was some oil on the surface of this wrapper. Upon closer examination, there was a slight amount of mottling on the surface of the wrapper. The cigar had some visible veins. Any visible wrapper seams were on the thin side. The cigar is finished with a thick pigtail affixed to the cap.

PERFORMANCE

Pre-Light Draw

Instead of pulling the pigtail off of the Crafted by JR: Crowned Heads, a straight cut was used to simultaneously remove the cap and the pigtail. Once the cap was removed, it was time to commence with the pre-light draw. The cold draw delivered a mix of cedar, coffee beans, and some classic wood. Overall, this wasn’t the most exciting pre-light draw, but since the pre-light draw was not scored, there was no loss of points here.

Tasting Notes

The Crafted by JR: Crowned Heads opened with coffee bean, cedar, fruit, and floral notes. As the cigar moved through the early stages, a vanilla note surfaced. The vanilla and fruit notes moved into the forefront. Both the vanilla and fruit notes alternated in intensity. The cedar, coffee bean, and floral notes settled into the background. The retro-hale produced a light layer of cedar notes.

During the second third of the cigar, the fruit notes remained grounded in the forefront. The vanilla receded into the background, and the coffee bean notes moved to the forefront. Toward the midway point, the coffee notes morphed into a wood note. Later, in the second third, the floral notes increased in intensity.

The final third saw the wood and floral notes at the forefront. There were still notes of cedar and fruit in the background, along with touches of vanilla. The flavors were somewhat muddled in the last third. As the Crafted by JR: Crowned Heads came to a close, the cigar finished with a soft, cool nub.

Burn

Overall, the Crafted by JR: Crowned Heads was a well-made cigar. This resulted in a low-maintenance burn that required minimal touch-ups to maintain a straight burn line and burn path. The resulting ash was firm and silver-gray in color. As for the burn rate and burn temperature, both maintained ideal levels.

Burn of the Crafted by JR: Crowned Heads

Draw

The draw of the Crafted by JR: Crowned Heads also performed well. This was a cigar with a touch of resistance, which I consider to be a positive attribute of the cigar experience. At the same time, this was a low-maintenance cigar from which to derive flavor.

Strength and Body

Regarding strength, the Crafted by JR: Crowned Heads started in the medium range of the spectrum. There was a slight increase in strength along the way, but in the end, the cigar remained in the medium range. The body also started out medium, but by the second half, it had progressed into medium to full territory.

In terms of strength versus body, the body had a slight edge – particularly in the second half.

BANDING AND PACKAGING NOTES

While we don’t score banding and packaging, it should be noted that JR Cigar did a great job with the packaging. I like the simple wooden boxes with the wax seal on them. As for the cigar, the Crowned Heads “CH” logo stands out. In addition, I also liked the fact that there was a secondary band on the cigar identifying it as part of the Crafted by JR series and a limited edition cigar.

Packaging of the Crafted by JR: Crowne Heads; Photo Credit: JR Cigar

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

The most essential component of a review is flavor. It is also a very subjective component of cigar reviews. Flavors hit different people’s palates in different ways. Regarding the Crafted by JR: Crowned Heads, this cigar was somewhat closer to the Four Kicks wheelhouse. Four Kicks is one of Crowned Heads’ most successful cigars. Just like Four Kicks didn’t suit my palate, the Crafted by JR: Crowned Heads didn’t suit my palate. However, given the success and following Four Kicks has gotten, I can see the Crafted by JR: Crowned Heads being an attractive offering to Crowned Heads fans. As for myself, given it’s not in my wheelhouse, I can’t see myself returning to this cigar. I would encourage you to try a sample if you can and see if it falls into your own wheelhouse.

Summary

Key Flavors: Coffee Bean, Cedar, Fruit, Vanilla, Classic Wood, Floral
Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Medium
Body: Medium (1st half), Medium to Full (2nd
Finish: Good