Las Calaveras 2024 Prelight
Crowned Heads was formed in 2011 by cigar industry legends, and former CAO executives John Huber and Mike Conder. While relatively new in the tobacco industry Crowned Heads is a “10 year overnight success” – at least according to John Huber himself, they have an impressive portfolio of brands with some notable ones being the Mil Dias, Las Calaveras, and La Careme lines.
The Las Calaveras Line debuted in 2014 as a Crowned Heads blend rolled at the My Father factory in Esteli, Nicaragua. It has since become an annual but limited release with different blends and a unique color scheme on the band. The 2024 blend is an Ecuadorian Habano Oscuro wrapper over Nicaraguan binder and filler leaves sourced from the Garcia Family farm. The vitola is the LC48 a 6″ by 48 ring-gauge Corona Gorda.
The wrapper is smooth and a deep chocolate brown. There is a very well applied triple cap. I’m picking up on aromas of black pepper, pastry dough, and chocolate. The cold draw is perfectly snug with more chocolate and pastry dough notes.
Las Calaveras 2024 First Third
The first puff is full of bready chocolate notes and a touch of bright red peppers. I’m getting almond butter, lightly toasted brioche, and milk chocolate on the palate. The retrohale shows yeasty doughnut dough, milk chocolate, a touch of orange sweetness, and some mild red hot peppers. The overall flavor profile here reminds me of Mexican hot chocolate, which goes well with the orange and doughnut flavors. The smoke output is at medium plus. The finish is also medium plus, with cocoa and toasted brioche notes. Ash, burn, and construction have been excellent so far.
Las Calaveras 2024 Second Third
Some espresso notes are peaking into the mix: espresso, dark chocolate, and toasted brioche on the palate. Yeast doughnuts, milk chocolate, some soft orange sweetness, and a mix of red and black pepper on the retrohale. The profile is still sweet and pastry-forward, but the espresso tones round out the flavors. Smoke output has ramped up to strong. The finish is also strong with espresso and dark chocolate notes. Ash, burn, and construction remain excellent.
Las Calaveras 2024 Final Third
The coffee tones are picking up: fresh ground coffee, dark chocolate syrup, a hint of raw almond, and some toasted brioche on the palate. I’m getting espresso, dark chocolate, and a mild mix of black and red peppers on the retrohale. The profile here is more robust but still very well-balanced. I wish that orange note was still around. Smoke output and finish are strong with notes of fresh ground coffee, and cocoa powder. The burn line became a bit uneven, but the ash and construction are perfect. Past the band, the flavors held up very well, and I smoked this one down to the nub.
Las Calaveras 2024 Conclusions
The Las Calaveras collection stands out in a cigar market saturated with obligatory annual releases. This year’s blend had all the flavors I’ve come to associate with Jon Huber’s work: Pastry dough, citrus, and chocolate. This year’s Las Calaveras takes that formula and adds some red chilis and coffee to the flavor profile. Construction was near perfect with only a slightly crooked burn line in the final third. This year’s release is a strong addition to the collection. It starts sweet and dessert-like but gets more robust as it goes. The LC48 vitola can be had online for ~$14 which is exactly where I’d price it. The annual Las Calaveras releases are great to revisit each year, so grab one if you can!
