Crowned Heads Four Kicks Robusto

Crowed Heads is a brand that doesn’t do it like everyone else, nor do they plan to. They believe in continuous improvement and in a marriage of tradition with innovation. According to them:“Crowned Heads is influenced by a time when quality, pride, and integrity mattered. We strive to bring our vision to reality and invite you to live in our world. We are not here to do it like everyone else. When the rules don’t make sense to us, we carve our own path.” With their strict attention to detail, the path they carved is a path you will want to follow. Their first cigar, Four Kicks, was inspired by the song Four Kicks by the rock band Kings of Leon. The smoke itself hails from the Dominican Republic where it’s crafted under the watchful eye of E.P. Carrillo, who makes sure that quality is of the highest standard. This stogie starts with a smooth and stunning reddish-brown Ecuadorian wrapper which secures a Nicaraguan binder and a bold mix of Nicaraguan long-fillers. Light ‘er up and you’ll find that this smoke is bursting with chewy, spicy-sweet flavors of leather, nuts, and pepper. Incredibly complex, this smoke will have you interested down to the nub, with Cigar Aficionado agreeing by giving it a 91-point rating. Enjoy this medium bodied smoke with a small batch bourbon, such as Rabbit Hole Cavehill Four Grain Bourbon.

Though tobacco is indigenous to Hispaniola, the tobacco industry in the Dominican Republic existed in the shadow of Cuba’s dominance through the 1960s. When the exodus of Cuban cigar makers began in the wake of the revolution, many decided the Dominican Republic would be ideal for the resumption of their livelihoods. Unrest in Nicaragua in the 1980s fueled the Dominican cigar industry further. The country now makes more than half of the premium cigars imported into the U.S.

The Cibao Valley and the nearby city of Santiago are the center of cigar production in the Dominican Republic. Three main varieties are grown here: the mild and native Olor Dominicano; the intense Piloto Cubano, brought from the Vuelta Abajo of Cuba; and San Vicente, a milder and more acidic Piloto hybrid. Dominican puros were once unheard of as it was widely thought impossible to grow quality wrapper leaf on the island, but new growing techniques are now allowing some exceptional puros to be produced.