Pre-release Review: La Imperiosa by Crowned Heads

• Vitola: Dukes
• 5.5” x 54 ring gauge
• MSRP $9.75
• Purchased at Burns Tobacconist

Background

Word came down last week about the next regular production release from Crowned Heads. First off, it would again be made by My Father Cigars in Nicaragua (the second regular release to be made there, the first being Jericho Hill). Second, it would be available just after the IPCPR show (scheduled for July 17-21 in New Orleans)…late July to early August. Third, it would be the same blend as the 2014 Las Calaveras Limited Edition release, but in 4 sizes that do not repeat any of the 3 original Las Calaveras sizes.

Then we got another piece of information at Burns…a box of each size was being released to 5 shops in the state of Tennessee…a sneak preview, if you will. That way the Volunteer State patrons would be the first in the country to get to try the new blend. The cigars all became available on Friday, June 19, at shops across the state. I secured a couple sticks when I got to work that day and lit one up on Saturday while I was working. I was impressed enough by this early sample that I decided I wanted to get a review of some sort into rotation as soon as possible. The problem is this…I never like to give scored reviews to “prerelease” cigars as they sometimes are vastly different from the cigars that ship a month or two (or six) later after having some extra time to rest. But this is supposed to be a real-world release of the cigar…just 5 or 6 weeks early for a small number. Bottom line…I decided to do the full review format, but leaving off the “By The Numbers” section. At the end, I’ll tell you what I would have given it if it were scored, but I won’t given an official score until later this year when I can smoke it as a regular release…or maybe I’ll just let one of the other writers review it at that time…we’ll see.

Here’s what Crowned Heads has to say about this new stick on their website:

Originally a Cuban brand from the early 1900’s, La Imperiosa translates to ‘the imperative,’ or, “..that which is absolutely necessary or required.” The La Imperiosa artwork and band were inspired by the original Cuban vista and band of years gone by.

The blend of 100% Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos, finished with a dark and imposing Ecuador Habano Oscuro wrapper, is identical to the Las Calaveras EL 2014 blend. Released in May 2014, the Las Calaveras EL 2014 brand went on to become one of the year’s most sought-after new releases, and was praised by cigar enthusiasts around the world. Despite selling-out in a matter of weeks, the demand for Las Calaveras EL 2014 remained high and constant. As a result, it became ‘imperative‘ and ‘absolutely necessary‘ to respond to that demand.

I bought two sticks (what we limited all the regular customers to, as well) and this is my second one.

Box and 4 Vitolas, from Crowned Heads website

Prelight

As with pretty much everything else Crowned Heads has done, much attention has been paid to the box and band, appearance and marketing. The box has a classic look with dark wood, accented by a rich label and paper edging. The band is simple light blue ink with plenty of gold foil and embossing. The name “Imperiosa” makes an English speaker think “Imperial” which has the connotation of “authority” or “ruler” which in turn makes the crown in the center of the band make sense…and it ties back in to the name of the company that sells the cigar. The 3 stars at the bottom of the band front and embossed in gold at the back of the band are yet another homage to Tennessee by Crowned Heads (the 3 stars in that configuration being taken from the state flag). Overall, I really like this kind of band art, because it uses simple elements to convey a lot of information if you care to think about it.

The Oscuro wrapper leaf is darker than I remember seeing on the 2014 Las Calaveras, but since I don’t have any around to compare it to, I don’t know for sure. It is a dark chocolate brown with an oily appearance and feel. The aroma from it was rich and woody with a good cedar note, as well. The foot had ripe earth and a bit of coffee aroma.

The prelight draw was very good and I got a notes of earth, cedar and fruit on the cold draw.

Flavor

I lit up La Imperiosa and got a strong cedar flavor on my tongue right up front, along with notes of earth and a dark fruit sweetness. There was a touch of pepper on the palate, but it was a roaring fire on the nose. As I lit up the wind started blowing a bit, giving some relief to what had so far been a hot, humid and still day here in East Tennessee. At least with the air moving it wouldn’t be quite unbearable out on the porch. I also took this cigar with some freshly-brewed unsweetened iced tea, which I find is one of the best things to keep me cool on a day like this one.

The pepper did settle down a little as I puffed through the cigar and in the second third, I got more earth and cedar than anything else. There was still a nice sweet note to balance thing out. The cigar was definitely in the full-bodied range right from the start, though not overwhelmingly so.

The last third had an increase in the sweetness, which took on a bit of a raisin quality.

Construction

I had a great draw, almost perfect burn line and solid ash…great construction!

Value

The price on this line of cigar tops out right at $10, which is right at the level I’ve found most people to be comfortable with for a regular smoke. Since it provides a very good smoking experience, I’d call it very good value.

Conclusions

La Imperiosa is a very good addition to the Crowned Heads catalog. I’ve stated in the past that the 2014 Las Calaveras didn’t hit my palate “just right” until it had rested for a couple months, but these pre-release samples seem to be there already and I’m very interested to see what a couple months of resting might do for them. I’d call this a solid 9 out of 10 and I look forward to seeing what the other vitolas smoke like.