Cigar Review: The Angel’s Anvil (2014) by Crowned Heads

• Vitola: Churchill
• 7.25” x 49 ring gauge
• Price $10.99
• Purchased from Burns Tobacconist

Background

The Angel’s Anvil was produced for the 2014 TAA (Tobacconist Association of America) gathering by Crowned Heads, along with their production partner, EP Carrilllo Cigars. It features Nicaraguan fillers and binder, along with an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper. The name of the cigar is based on a story that Jon Huber wrote…roughly a metaphor for his experiences in the cigar industry…and the first letters of the name also spell out TAA…coincidence? Actually…absolutely not…it was all carefully planned.

I have to admit, though, that when this cigar hit the store shelves last year I was more than a little disappointed. While it wasn’t “bad,” it really just didn’t hit my palate in a memorable way. I decided not to review it and ended up ignoring it for most of a year. Then we got word that the 2015 Angel’s Anvil was going to be slightly different and perhaps much better…and I started hearing from a couple sources that the 2014 sticks were maybe better than I had remembered.

It wouldn’t be the first time I smoked a cigar when it first showed up, dismissed the blend, then smoked it months later only to find it was much improved. In the spirit of “all cigars deserve a chance to impress me” I picked up another 2014 Angel’s Anvil and lit it up…what a revelation! This wasn’t at all the cigar I remembered from a year ago! I decided it was time to do that review after all.

Prelight

The Angel’s Anvil band, for whatever reason, looks like the Masonic Lodge paid for the design work. There is a T-square and two drafting compasses on the front, along with hammers, stars and an all-seeing eye on the sides. The t-square and compasses are arranged in such a way to spell out TAA, too, with one of the As upside down. Overall, it’s a clean and attractive design that is memorable and unique enough to stand out from other Crowned Heads banding.

The wrapper leaf was bumpy from the tobaccos underneath and was a dark tan or peanut butter hue with a slightly oily touch. Sniffing the leaf, I picked up sweet hay and molasses notes, while the foot of the cigar was earthy with a little pepper and cedar aroma.

Once clipped the Angel’s Anvil had a very good draw with clean hay and earth notes, along with just a touch of pepper.

Flavor

When I first smoked the Angel’s Anvil, I came away with the impression that it was a mild-to-medium-bodied smoke with some decent, but forgettable, flavors. After some age, the TAA was medium-bodied right from the start. It had a solid Nicaraguan earthiness at the heart of the flavors, along with slight cedar notes, a touch of sweet grassiness, and a hearty pepper spice on the back of the tongue and through the nose.

The second third was characterized by a roasted nuttiness and an increase in the body of The Angel’s Anvil to the bottom of the full range. There was still a lot of pepper, earth and cedar in the mix as well.

The last third was spicy, earthy and full-bodied, with continued touches of roasted nuts and cedar.

Construction

I had to touch up the burn line a couple of times and I did get a little tarry build-up during the second third that necessitated me re-cutting the end. The draw was excellent and the ash was solid.

Value

This limited edition smoke was another hit in a long line of great Crowned Heads LEs. Well worth the price of admission.

Conclusions

It’s hard to put into word how surprising The Angel’s Anvil was after a year of resting and age. A cigar that once merited a mere nod as a “decent blend” became an excellent full-bodied smoke with enough complexity to keep my interest the entire way. It had loads of earth, cedar and nuts with enough sweetness to balance it nicely and more strength than I would have expected. If, like me, you dismissed this blend early on, it’s time to revisit it; it makes a wonderful addition to the Crowned Heads lineup.

By-The-Numbers

Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4.5/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9.5/10