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Crowned Heads "Broadway"

Espinosa "601 Blue Label Maduro"

Initial Smoke

Set that foot afire, and out comes a big-ass bag of roasted peanuts and a milk chocolate finish. This isn't as much of a peanut butter cup or Butterfinger taste as it is a chocolate-covered salted peanut profile, so imagine a gourmet Mr. Goodbar if you can. There's also some medium-depth topsoil and a sprinkling of cinnamon sugar toward the finish, which smells better than it tastes when retrohaled. Body is medium-minus, which mimics the flavors and strength of the tobacco used to build the blend, with a leaky draw thanks to the holes in the wrapper forcing me to puff heavily.

1st Half

Thankfully, the burn and draw remain tolerable up until the holes in the wrapper are reached, at which point the full force of the first third's flavor profiles pound out a procession of touch points. Oily, leather-like, funkier, and tasting a lot like traditional Connecticut Broadleaf, the smokes permanently shift into sun-grown territory around this time. Cedar and rosewood roll out a really nice secondary note that favors retrohales over normal oral exhales, and the lingering flavor of Brazilian medium-roast coffee keeps the finish feeling long and somewhat strong.

By the time the second third is reached, the draw is near-perfect, and while the burn line has wandered about a bit, there hasn't been the need for a torch. And while flavors from the first third spill over into the second somewhat, you can tell that a change is coming, and that any given puff could spell a transition to darker, more powerful Broadleaf flavors.

2nd Half

Instead of going dark and heavy, though, the blend leans back into that mixture of oiled leather, milk chocolate, topsoil, and roasted peanuts. These tastes and smells do eventually fall back to allow a mixture of mineral, mulch, root beer, and a hot latte the space required to rule, while still staying present post-exhale. Still medium on all sides, but obviously aiming for full further down, this combination of tastes keeps the cigar from feeling too intense and is arguably the best section of the stick.

By the time you reach the final third, the Brazilian binder within the blend, as well as its all-Nicaraguan guts have set the Broadleaf ball in motion. Funkier in a fermented sense, and darker in a distinctly Broadleaf fashion, the move toward full feels like it is finally underway. There's a good chance this blend would reach full too if it weren't for those milder, malted milk chocolate retrohales, which tone the whole experience down a click or two.

Parting Puffs

Within parting puffs, the whole full-flavored, full-bodied wheels finally get set in motion, and it all starts with a smack of peppercorn spiciness on retrohale. Coffee, which has been a Brazilian medium-roast blend until now, has now gone all-espresso, and the bitterness that it brings is well-balanced by those big, oil-soaked exhales. While it is definitely a full section within the cigar, the last 5–10 minutes of the stick seem right on, for this is what you were expecting to encounter far sooner. 

Ash / Burn / Smoke / Draw

Although the wrapper imperfections did influence the draw and burn to an extent, they did not impede progress nearly as much as I feared. And while the burn line did waver off and on down the barrel, there was never the need for a torch correction, and the draw only got better as the cigar burned. Smoke body build-up and the ability for the ash to hold on for respectable lengths of time were also admirable, and heat never seemed to be much of an issue at any point. 

Final Thoughts

What a pleasant surprise this skinnier smoke turned out to be. Not just from a flavor and aromatic angle, but from an evolutionary viewpoint as well. Smooth and satisfying, with near-perfect portions of old-school Broadleaf cigar flavor profiles pushing the palate forward, the momentum of this blend offers a near five-star experience.

Alright, so there were some point deductions for appearances and unlit aromatics. The droll-looking and smelling wrapper is leagues behind other Broadleaf blends on the market, and the banding is painfully plain and cheaply made. In fact, these same afflictions also prevented the Rocky Patel Meritage from scoring higher, even though it too tasted outstanding. So, thank heavens both blends brought the goods when it came to flavor.

Milky, chocolaty, and peanut-like earlier on, and then gradually growing darker, oilier, and more leather and espresso-inspired further down, the evolution that this blend creates is ideal for those wanting a Broadleaf build-up. Although I would have liked to have seen more of those berry notes and greater levels of sweetness at times, there wasn't much that felt like it was missing. 

How much of this has to do with the additional aging that has been placed on the cigar since its release? Likely a lot. With age comes smoothness, and the melding and mellowing of the stronger, sun-grown notes that were likely quite powerful a few years back have turned into something far more easygoing. Maybe it was a good thing that this blend didn't sell out right away when it was launched all those years ago. It only seems to have improved with age, and I, for one, am grateful that we can still stock this unassuming celebratory smoke from Rocky Patel's glory days.

Overall Balance & Repeatability