Crowned Heads La Imperiosa Magicos (Single Loose Cigar)
- Length: 114mm
- Gauge: 52
- Flavour: Medium to Full
- Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano Oscuro
- Binder: Nicaraguan
- Filler: Nicaraguan
- Hand Rolled Cigars
- Humidor Required
Crowned Heads La Imperiosa Magicos Some cigars have a rather interesting history behind them, and Crowned Heads La Imperiosa is a fine example. It began life under another name entirely, and only became a permanent part of the Crowned Heads collection after cigar enthusiasts made it abundantly clear that they wanted more.
Back in 2014, the Nashville-based company released a limited-edition cigar called Las Calaveras, produced in collaboration with the García family at My Father Cigars in Nicaragua. The blend attracted considerable attention, and when the limited production run came to an end, there were plenty of disappointed customers.
Crowned Heads listened. In 2015, the company brought the original blend back under the name La Imperiosa, making it available as a regular production cigar. A sensible decision, I reckon. When you've found something people genuinely appreciate, there's little wisdom in consigning it to the history books.
The La Imperiosa Magicos is a compact, generously proportioned cigar measuring 4½ inches with a 52 ring gauge. It's a substantial little fellow, dressed in a dark, earthy-brown wrapper with the natural texture and fine veins of the tobacco leaf clearly visible.
That wrapper is Ecuadorian Habano Oscuro, surrounding a Nicaraguan binder and a carefully selected blend of Nicaraguan long-filler tobaccos. The result is a cigar with plenty of depth and a distinctly rich character.
The flavour profile leans towards the fuller side of medium, bringing together dark chocolate, espresso and earthy tobacco notes. Black pepper provides a lively edge, while cedar and a little underlying sweetness help round out the blend.
It's a combination that makes good use of the Oscuro wrapper's darker character. There's richness here, certainly, but also enough variety in the tobacco to keep things interesting as the cigar develops.
Manufacture takes place at the My Father Cigars factory in Estelí, Nicaragua, an establishment closely associated with the García family and their considerable experience in growing, blending and rolling Nicaraguan tobacco.
And I must say, the presentation is particularly attractive. Crowned Heads has chosen a handsome turquoise and gold colour scheme, with an elaborate main band carrying the crowned emblem against a dark background. A second band bears the La Imperiosa name, while a bright turquoise ribbon protects the foot.
For anyone familiar with the original Las Calaveras 2014 blend, La Imperiosa offers an opportunity to revisit a cigar that proved too popular to disappear. For newcomers, the Magicos is an excellent introduction to the collection's darker, richer tobacco character.
