Four Kicks Lancero by Crowned Heads Review

Overview

The Four Kicks Lancero by Crowned Heads stands as a masterclass in restraint and precision—a cigar that proves complexity need not come at the expense of balance. Launched in 2012, the Four Kicks line was the debut project from Crowned Heads, a boutique brand founded by Jon Huber with a clear vision: deliver uncompromising quality at an accessible price point. For the blend, Huber enlisted Ernesto Pérez-Carrillo, then freshly independent after departing the family firm that bore his name. The collaboration resulted in a cigar that immediately earned its place among the modern Nicaraguan canon. The Lancero vitola, introduced as the line expanded, demanded a level of rolling discipline that many factories avoid. At 7.5 inches with a 40-ring gauge, the Lancero is a format that punishes loose construction and rewards exacting attention. El Titán de Bronze, the Estelí factory where the Four Kicks Lancero is hand-rolled, delivered precisely that—a dense, laser-straight burn that has made this vitola a benchmark for the format. The wrapper is an Ecuadorian Habano Sun Grown in the Colorado shade, a silky leaf with just enough tooth to signal complexity. Its medium-brown color is deceptive: beneath it lies a Nicaraguan soul. The binder hails from Jalapa, while the filler draws from Estelí, Jalapa, and Condega—a geographic composition that yields layered depth without the bludgeoning strength often associated with the region. Aging the tobaccos a minimum of three years before rolling allows the blend to settle, smoothing the edges and creating a harmony that emerges slowly over the cigar’s 90-minute burn. In the first third, roasted cedar and sweet cream lead, with toasted almond and white pepper lingering on the retrohale. The second third darkens into dried fig, leather, and mineral earth, while the Jalapa binder asserts itself with a creamier mouthfeel and hints of espresso. The final third brings integration: coffee, dark chocolate, aged cedar, and a whisper of dried fruit, never tipping into harshness. The Four Kicks Lancero is not a cigar that shouts. It is one that earns attention through nuance—a quiet testament to the skill of its blender and the discipline of its rollers. Crowned Heads, in partnership with Pérez-Carrillo, delivered a Lancero that converts skeptics and rewards the patient smoker. It belongs in any serious humidor, comfortably holding its own alongside offerings at twice the price.