AshMap
Crowned Heads — Heritage & History
Crowned Heads was founded in 2011 by Jon Huber and Mike Conder, two industry veterans who left CAO after its acquisition by General Cigar. Rather than build a factory, they built a brand — commissioning production from a rotating roster of Nicaragua's most respected factories, beginning with Ernesto Perez-Carrillo's Tabacalera La Alianza (then in Santiago, Dominican Republic) for the debut Four Kicks. The name comes from a phrase in a song by their friend, Nashville musician J.T. Eller. Early blends like Four Kicks and Headley Grange — the latter named for the English manor where Led Zeppelin recorded 'When the Levee Breaks' — established the brand's music-inflected identity. Later releases such as Jericho Hill (named for a Johnny Cash song) and Tennessee Waltz deepened that theme. By sourcing across multiple factories rather than tying themselves to one, Crowned Heads built a portfolio that spans Ecuadorian Habano, Mexican San Andrés, and Connecticut Broadleaf wrappers without being confined to a single house style.
Blending Philosophy
Crowned Heads does not own a factory, and that is the point. Each blend is matched to a specific factory and a specific blender — Four Kicks to Ernesto Perez-Carrillo, later Headley Grange and Jericho Hill to the same house, Mil Días to E.P. Carrillo's Tabacalera La Alianza, Le Carême to Crowned Heads' own operation. The approach is collaborative rather than proprietary: Huber and Conder develop a flavor target, then work with the factory's team to hit it. Wrapper selection drives the blend — Ecuadorian Habano for Four Kicks, a Mexican San Andrés Maduro for the Madu'ro variant, Connecticut Broadleaf for Le Carême and Jericho Hill. Strength is calibrated to the wrapper's character rather than pushed for its own sake. The result is a portfolio where a Four Kicks Robusto and a Le Carême Belicoso share a house sensibility — clean construction, deliberate transitions — without tasting like the same cigar in different clothes.
Flavor Profile
Across the range, Crowned Heads cigars tend to open with cedar and a dry, slightly sweet tobacco note, then build through white pepper and leather into a finish that carries dark cocoa or espresso depending on the wrapper. The Ecuadorian Habano lines — Four Kicks Robusto, Headley Grange Lonsdale — lean toward cedar, white pepper, and a faint citrus tang on the retrohale. The San Andrés and Broadleaf lines — Four Kicks Madu'ro, Le Carême Belicoso, Jericho Hill Willy Lee — push darker: dark cocoa, dried fruit, a molasses sweetness, and in Jericho Hill's case a full-bodied, peppery finish that lingers. Mil Días sits between, with a Nicaraguan Habano wrapper delivering cedar, leather, and a rounded nutty mid-palate. Strength ranges from medium-full in the core lines to full in Jericho Hill, but the through-line is balance — the pepper is present without being abrasive, and the sweetness never turns cloying.
Best for Beginners
Four Kicks Robusto. At $10–$13, it is the most accessible entry in the portfolio, and its medium-full body is forgiving without being bland. Expect cedar, white pepper, and a light leather note, with a clean tobacco finish. The 5 x 50 format smokes in roughly 45–60 minutes — long enough to learn the brand's character, short enough to revisit if the first third surprises you.
Crowned Heads Cigar Lineup
Explore 14 Crowned Heads cigars in the AshMap encyclopedia:
- Crowned Heads Headley Grange Habano No. 7 Torpedo — Torpedo, Medium-Full · $14–$18 per cigar
- Crowned Heads Mil DíAs Toro — Toro, Medium-Full · $14–$18 per cigar
- Four Kicks Madu'ro — Multiple vitolas available; core line includes Robusto, Toro, Corona Gorda, and Lonsdale, Medium-Full · $11–$16 per cigar
- Four Kicks Robusto — Robusto, Medium-Full · $10–$13 per cigar
- Four Kicks Toro — Toro, Medium-Full · $12–$16 per cigar
- Headley Grange Lonsdale — Lonsdale, Medium-Full · $12–$16 per cigar
- Jericho Hill NPeters — NPeters (Perfecto), Full · $18–$22 per cigar
- Jericho Hill Willy Lee — Lancero, Full · $18–$22 per cigar
- Le Careme Belicoso — Belicoso, Medium-Full · $18–$24 per cigar
- Le Careme Robusto — Robusto, Medium-Full · $18–$22 per cigar
- Mil Dias Robusto — Robusto, Medium-Full · $18–$22 per cigar
- Mil Dias Toro — Toro, Medium-Full · $18–$22 per cigar
- Tennessee Waltz Churchill — Churchill, Medium-Full · $14–$18 per cigar
- The Angel's Anvil Torpedo — Torpedo, Medium-Full · $14–$18 per cigar
Frequently Asked Questions
Where are Crowned Heads cigars made?
Crowned Heads does not own a factory. Production is commissioned from multiple facilities, primarily in Estelí, Nicaragua — including Tabacalera La Alianza (E.P. Carrillo), Tabacalera AJ Fernandez, Tabacalera William Ventura, TABSA, and others — with additional production in Danlí, Honduras, Santiago, Dominican Republic, and Miami, Florida. The specific factory depends on the blend.
What is Crowned Heads known for?
The brand is known for its music-referencing blend names — Four Kicks, Headley Grange, Jericho Hill, Tennessee Waltz — and for sourcing production across multiple factories rather than committing to one house style. Four Kicks and Headley Grange are its signature early blends; Le Carême and Mil Días are among its later, higher-priced releases.
Are Crowned Heads cigars strong?
Most of the portfolio sits at medium-full, including Four Kicks, Headley Grange, Mil Días, Le Carême, Tennessee Waltz, and The Angel's Anvil. Jericho Hill is the outlier at full strength. If you want the mildest entry point, Four Kicks Robusto is the most approachable.
What is the best Crowned Heads cigar for beginners?
Four Kicks Robusto. It is medium-full rather than full, priced at $10–$13, and delivers cedar, white pepper, and leather without the heavier dark cocoa and dried fruit notes that dominate the San Andrés and Broadleaf lines. It smokes in about 45–60 minutes.
How much do Crowned Heads cigars cost?
Prices range from about $10–$13 for a Four Kicks Robusto to $18–$24 for a Le Carême Belicoso. Most core-line cigars — Four Kicks Toro, Headley Grange Lonsdale, Tennessee Waltz Churchill — fall in the $12–$18 range. Jericho Hill and Le Carême sit at the top of the portfolio at $18–$24.
What wrapper does Crowned Heads use?
The portfolio uses Ecuadorian Habano (Four Kicks, Headley Grange), Mexican San Andrés Maduro (Four Kicks Madu'ro), Nicaraguan Habano (Mil Días), Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro (Le Carême, Jericho Hill), and USA Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro. Wrapper choice varies by blend rather than being fixed to a single house wrapper.
Are Crowned Heads cigars Cuban?
No. Crowned Heads cigars are produced in Nicaragua — primarily Estelí — as well as Honduras, the Dominican Republic, and Miami, Florida. The brand is American-owned and sources tobacco and production from non-Cuban origins. None of the cigars are made in Cuba.
Where can I buy Crowned Heads cigars?
Crowned Heads is sold through independent brick-and-mortar tobacconists and online cigar retailers that carry premium boutique brands. Because production is limited and allocated, not every shop stocks every line — Le Carême and Jericho Hill in particular can be harder to find. Check with a retailer that specializes in boutique Nicaraguan cigars.