This 6×50 parejo from Crowned Heads comes in boxes of 12 priced at $143.40. Born from a whisky-fueled brainstorming session between Crowned Heads founders and NACSA's Gustavo Cura, the Azul y Oro Toro marks their first limited-edition collab with the Nicaraguan factory. The Ecuadorian Habano wrapper shows faint toothiness with oily sheen - typical of well-aged specimens. Let's burn this blue-and-gold banded stick to see if it lives up to its collaborative hype.
First Third: Cold draw serves barnyard through the triple cap. Initial puffs deliver cedar plank sharpness mellowed by salted cashews. Smoke output leans modest - no thick clouds here. Ash holds firm in 1" segments, burning slightly faster on the windward side.
Mid-Section: At the 30-minute mark, transitions to roasted coffee grounds dominant. Subnotes of burnt caramel emerge, though the sweetness stays restrained. Draw tightens slightly requiring deeper pulls. Retrohale spikes white pepper behind the sinuses without harshness.
Final Third: Last two inches amp up intensity - dark cocoa powder and cured leather take over. Pepper resurface through nose exhales. Body creeps into medium-full territory. Stopped at nub due to accumulated tar bitterness typical of Nicaraguan puros.
