Vitola: Toro- 6.125” x 50 ring gauge (or 6″ x 48?)
- $13.49
- Purchased at Burns Tobacconist
Background
Since 2014, Crowned Heads has been a manufacturer member of the Tobacconist Association of America (TAA) and each year they have produced a TAA-exclusive cigar for retailer members. Like the Las Calaveras annual release, which debuted around the same time, flavor profiles have varied from year-to-year with no blend having been repeated, as far as I know.
This year The Angel’s Anvil (also abbreviated TAA…coincidence? I think not!) uses Nicaraguan fillers, an Ecuadorian Sumatra binder, and a Brazilian Arapiraca wrapper leaf. As always, it was blended by EP Carrillo and produced at his factory in the Dominican Republic. Angel’s Anvil 2019 comes in a single size and they produced 1000 boxes of 20 sticks, available only at TAA member stores.
I have had a couple of these before this review sample. I bought them all at Burns Tobacconist, where I also work.
Prelight
The box and banding for The Angel’s Anvil hasn’t really changed since the beginning…same design with different color schemes each year. This year features a black background with silver/gray art and type on both box and main band. The secondary band, on the foot, is the same gold and black Crowned Heads identifier that we’ve been seeing a lot of lately.
Now seems to be as good a time as any to address what may be a mistake in pre-release reporting. I looked at no fewer than 4 sites talking about this release and they all state the size to be 6.125” x 50 ring gauge. The ring gauge in particular didn’t seem right the several times I smoked it, so I measured this review sample myself and found it to be closer to 6” x 48. Not so much as Toro as a Corona Gorda…which is fine for my palate, but it isn’t what some people are going to be expecting. (I should note that after writing this I did some further research with a friend and we found the foot to be closer to 50, while the cigar seems to taper to a 48 or so at the head…so it’s almost a pyramid of sorts?)
The wrapper leaf was a dark roast coffee bean brown, slightly rough and slightly oily under my fingertips and an aroma of leather and earth. The foot had a riper earthiness, a hint of anise, and a touch of cocoa powder.
After clipping, the cold draw was very good and featured flavors of dark chocolate, earth, and smooth, rich coffee.
Flavor
The first few puffs of the Angels Anvil 2019 really show off the complexity and richness of the different tobaccos in the blend. There was earth and pepper spice, espresso bean and copper, dark chocolate and cedar…all showing up in varying amounts on the palate. The retrohale had more wood and sharp pepper notes. The smoke was thick, oily and full-bodied right from the outset. The first third continued on with espresso and cocoa powder notes up front, while earth and pepper spice and anise came in behind.
The second third had an increase in earthiness while the sweeter notes backed off a bit. Espresso bean continued to come through strongly, while pepper spice diminished as the third went along.
The final third had the pepper increase again with a red pepper flake note, while earth held steady and the sweeter notes faded into the background.
Construction
I had a great draw, very even burn line and solid ash for the entire cigar.
Value
I have to note that pre-release reports for this cigar pegged the price at $11.75 apiece. Actual shipping cigars carried a wholesale price indicative of either a higher retail price (around $12.75) or lower profit margin for shops that carry it (like Padron and Fuente do with their suggested retail prices). Bottom line, the price went up to the shop where I work, so the price went up on the retail end…this release is worth the price, but I can rattle off a lot of previous years’ releases that I wouldn’t have felt that way about. Take it however you want…I’m just reporting what I’m seeing.
Conclusions
The Angel’s Anvil 2019 is a very good, rich cigar experience with plenty of complexity. Every country’s tobacco came through at different times to reveal a hint here a punch to the nose there. In the end it was my second favorite in the Angel’s Anvil line, just after the 2016 when Crowned Heads went Broadleaf-crazy, much to my delight. This is a very good cigar and well worth seeking out. There are only about 70-80 TAA shops nationwide, so if it sounds like this is in your wheelhouse, track them down now before they disappear.
By-The-Numbers
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4.5/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9.5 /10
