Black Crown - CoronaI wasn't gonna write a review, and then because of King of the Cove's insistence...I caved in.
I read the ad on the Mothership and I was intrigued.
"Black Crown, where complexity meets balance.
This brand may come to you from parts unknown, but rest assured, Black Crown cigars hail from one of the industry’s premier boutique factories. Raices Cubanas is based in Danli, Honduras, and has been responsible for some of the industry’s hottest, highest-rated handmades over the past few years. And while you’ll be hard-pressed to find a rating for Black Crown - due to a near-zero marketing budget - you will no doubt fall in love with this enchanting medium to full-bodied blend. Enter Black Crown, a cigar primed for the exploratory enthusiast and ready to please the eager palates of any and all willing.
To craft Black Crown, an absolutely gorgeous Honduran Habano wrapper was carefully fermented to achieve a dark, leathery leaf that’s both toothy and oily. Despite this leaf’s natural full-flavored charisma, it’s the blend beneath that earns the limelight. Seven different long-fillers, all vintage, from Cuban-seed, and grown throughout Central America, are expertly blended inside two feisty binders - an earthy Honduran Habano and rich Nicaraguan ligero. After extensive aging, this supremely complex recipe serves up an eventful, medium to full array of bold yet balanced flavors. An experienced palate may note earth, toasted peanut, cocoa, and cedar, with a dash of black pepper on the finish complementing a unique sweetness perfectly. A lesser experienced palate will note an extremely flavorful cigar that’s unique and satisfying. One that burns incredibly slow and introduces your taste buds to a level of flavor unrivaled by most handmades in this price arena. Black Crown cigars....an impressive feat in handmade cigars that just might have you craving for more....daily."What's not to like about
THAT?
The first couple of time I saw them I was outbid. I'll be damned though and I WILL get the "White Whale" I'm looking for! Did I mention I'm a cheapskate? I LOVE bargains. I loathe shopping! So, I finally get 7 of these babies in today. I was kinda busy remodeling the house and had to take a run to the hardware store. On the way up there I was looking at one closely while waiting at stop lights. The feel was very solid. Hard packed. I was expecting it to be plugged almost. I decided I was gonna do the right thing by the cigar and smoke it on the way back home so I'd have time to really enjoy it. Oh, did I mention that I smoke cigars for pure pleasure and relaxation. I don't do it for a nicotine buzz or to look cool. It's how I unwind. That said, my palate is spun around for the FULL FLAVOR mode. Always has, prolly always will. I do enjoy mild, medium and about once a year I will look for my Lars Tetens Asadachi fix. I regard the Bucanero Full Sail, LFD Ligero Cabinet Oscuro, Joya de Nicaragua Antano 1970 and the Padron '64 Maddie to be the pinnacles of the FULL FLAVOR mode so you have some basis of where I'm coming from. With that, I'll share with you this review.
I inspected the wrapper and for a cigar as packed as this I would expect the wrapper to be perfect. There were veins and some rough spots. Mild discolorations. I thought this would've garned a much better wrapper and attention to detail. I used a V-cutter for this but for most coronas I use my Xikar or Palio. I went with the V-cutter to open this baby up full throttle. It did too. I used my lighter and toasted the foot, rolling the cigar in my fingers and watching it lightly singe the end of the cigar. The smoke just from that was intriguing. I took a few puffs and got this baby going into 1st gear very easy and very quickly.
This is a magnificent cigar. To a well seasoned cigar fan you will notice cedar...I didn't notice peanuts...it was more like a roasted walnut or chestnut...a very earthy flavor and then at the half way point it hit me what I was tasting all along....waay in the background and pokes it's head up and declares "Her I AM!...over here!"...a very dull and muted Port heavy wine flavor. It's not overpowering to the point it masks anything nor does it come to the front of the line and appear flavored. I'd swear that this was aged in an old wine cask. There was one point where I was smoking this waaay too fast and slowed down. The ash was perfect and solid. It was almost 2 inches long before I dropped the first one. A perfect orange and yellow cone awaited me underneath the even hard packed ash!
Is this a FULL FLAVOR cigar? No. It's a very strong Medium. The nuances were there and I'm a fan of this after just one. I'd really like to get ahold of some of the larger vitolas to see if the same construction and flavor is there. When I first started this hobby I smoked Churchill...exclusively. Now, I favor the Robusto and Corona. It's been my experience that THIS is what the roller was targeting with the creation of the blend. That said, this is a cigar that demands your attention. This isn't some yard gar or dog rocket to be cast aside and relit when you git 'round to it. This one warrants your senses.
All in all I'd give this a 4.3 out of 5 stars. The only reason I would've rated this higher is if she looked better than the advertisement claimed. The smoking pleasure though was really a great experience and I look forward to investigating this brand more in the future. Don't let the veiny spots scare ya off!
Don't overbid or over spend to git them, but if you must know that they're using the profits to go towards the electric bill.
That's my take on the Black Crown Corona...you other 4 people that won the auctions...how'd I do?
