Vitola: Robusto- 5” x 50 ring gauge
- MSRP $14.75
- Purchased at Burns Tobacconist
Background
Is it a coincidence that Ciudad de Música made its debut shortly after the opening of Casa de Montecristo’s Nashville location? Probably not. Let’s step back and look at the big picture.
Casa de Montecristo is a chain of cigar shops, mostly owned by the parent company of Altadis, which owns the American-market blends for Montecristo, Romeo y Julieta, H. Upmann, and several other brands most people think of as “Cuban.” (Notably, they also have controlling interest in the Cuban tobacco industry…guess where I think Cuban cigars will exclusively be available once they are allowed to be sold in the U.S.?) Last year, the chain added a Nashville location.
Very early this year a collaborative cigar was announced that would combine the blending and marketing talents behind the “Nashville Original” brand, Crowned Heads, with the sales muscle of Altadis: Ciudad de Música (translating to “Music City,” the most well-known nickname for Nashville).
Production of the cigar is handled by Crowned Heads first blending partner, E.P. Carrillo, in the Dominican Republic. The cigar uses Nicaraguan and Dominican fillers, a Nicaraguan binder, and an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper. Some sources seem to say that distribution is limited, but we had no trouble getting them from our regular Altadis rep at Burns. There is a Pyramide size that is exclusive to Casa de Montecristo.
I smoked one of these shortly after they arrived at Burns and was really not impressed. I decided to take a few weeks before smoking another one to see if it just needed to settle after traveling. It seemed to do the trick…the second one I enjoyed so much, I bought a third and fourth so I could do this review.
Prelight
I really don’t like the band on this cigar…plainly put, it’s a train wreck. In an attempt to give some kind of equal billing to both companies involved, they placed large circular logos for Montecristo and Crowned Heads atop a third circle that is a logo of sorts for the blend. Color it red, yellow and green and you have a huge traffic signal. The band is almost 3 inches tall on a cigar that’s only 5 inches. You pretty much have to remove it before lighting up. Not to offer criticism without a solution…I would have tried the Ciudad de Música logo in the center with Monte and CH logos flanking it. Maybe a secondary band or foot band with “Cuidad de Música” printed on it. In my mind, it is 100% better than what we got.
Once you get past the mega-band, the wrapper underneath is a nice milk chocolate brown color with a very earthy aroma…and by earthy, I really do mean “manure,” which was very pungent. The foot of the cigar had a lesser earth note, with more cedar, grassiness and natural tobacco aromas.
The prelight draw was good and had flavors of sweet citrus, cedar and grass.
Flavor
Ciudad de Música starts out medium-bodied with pronounced citrus notes, followed by earthy and grassy notes on the palate. The citrus provided plenty of sweetness but definitely a high degree of “twang” to the early flavor profile. There was a spicy pepper note on the nose, but practically none on the palate. A review that I glanced at before smoking this final review sample complained that the cigar was sour above all else. I definitely get the “sourness” aspect of it, and it could have been what turned me off to the blend when I first smoked it, but after a few weeks of resting in the store’s (and my personal) humidor, it’s much better balanced.
The first third burned quickly, no doubt partly because it was a windy day when I reviewed the Ciudad de Música. As I got deep into the second third, the citrusy blend of sweet and sour continued to be dominant, but I started to get some red pepper flake and cedar notes on the palate.
During the last third, Ciudad de Música had an increase in cedar and grassy flavors with the citrus notes taking on a more supporting role. Pepper still maintained a steady burn on the palate and nose.
Construction
Build quality on these was excellent, featuring a great draw, even enough burn line and solid ash.
Value
This is a good smoke, but I don’t feel like it rose above other Crowned Heads cigars—and it was priced above even their limited editions. I find full price hard to justify.
Conclusions
I wish I felt like Ciudad de Música really embodied the spirit of Nashville, but I feel like it missed the mark. It was a good cigar, but like I mentioned, I’ve enjoyed other Crowned Heads releases—Four Kicks, Four Kicks Maduro, Tennessee Waltz, Jericho Hill, Le Careme, Mule Kick, Las Calaveras, The Angel’s Anvil—more…and they all cost less. As for the other side of the equation, I enjoy the Monte by AJ Fernandez, Montecristo Espada, and even White Series releases more than this…and they all (well, mostly) cost less, too! If the price was closer to the $10-12 mark, it would be easier to justify this release, but $15 is too much to pay for a “good” cigar, in my opinion.
By-The-Numbers
Prelight: 1.5/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4/5
Value: .5/1
Total: 8/10
