If you haven’t become good friends yet, I wanted to introduce you to a cigar that I’ve really come to love over the last few months: the Crowned Heads Juarez OBS. It’s not often that I smoke the same cigar back to back, and it’s even more rare that it costs less than six bucks! So, without further ado, let’s light this baby up.
My first impressions of the Juarez are of earth and cocoa powder, followed by what I consider its signature sweetness. I’ll be honest, in smoking a box of these over the last couple months I still haven’t figured out how to classify that sweetness.
Most of the time, it manifests itself as palpable fruity sensations – probably the most intense fruit notes that I’ve ever tasted in a cigar. Until I became acquainted with the Juarez, that accomplishment was held by the Aganorsa Leaf Signature Selection Toro.
Sometimes this flavor is so potent that it almost tastes like Gushers candy, coating my palate with an intoxicating after taste as well in a long, satisfying finish. I find that this is enhanced when the Juarez is the third or fourth cigar in a rotation rather than being lit first in a smoking session. I’m not sure why that is exactly, but fruit plays an accompanying role when I fire this up first and a leading role if I smoke a couple cigars leading up to it.
As I’m smoking this cigar first today, I’m mostly experiencing dry earth, a semi-sweet chocolate note now, delightful hints of dried fruit, an underlying nuttiness, and a little bit of espresso on the finish. Through the nose, fruit, cocoa, and spice are readily apparent and the sweet, spicy, and slightly bitter notes contrast each other perfectly.
What I love most about this cigar is just how incredibly persistent it is. This cigar transcends flavor, cutting through whatever you might have put before it to stand tall and nourish the senses. This is the type of cigar that can stand up to a rich meal, heavy stouts, or even some bottles of peated scotch. (Taking a sip of Lagavulin 16 just now, I’ll stand by that statement.)
I often tell our crew in the Virtual Lounge on the weekend that it’s my favorite third or fourth cigar in existence, and I mean that as a compliment to the Crowned Heads team! This cigar is like an athlete that can play every position, determined to shine wherever they fall in the rotation.
If you’ve smoked the Juarez as well, what are your thoughts?
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