The world would be a quiet place without music, and there’s no doubt the Crowned Heads Cigars portfolio would also be lacking in volume. Like many of its other releases, the idea for the Crowned Heads CHC Serie E emitted from a song, specifically a seismic electric guitar instrumental.
Performed by Eddie Van Halen (EVH), “Eruption” is renowned for its extensive use of the groundbreaking two-handed tapping technique that he popularized in the late 1970s.
The original CHC Reserve line was released in 2018, with the CHC Series E exploding onto the scene at the PCA (Premium Cigar Association) Trade Show three years later.
Described by Crowned Heads co-founder Jon Huber as a “dance on the edge between technical mastery and random entropy,” he compares all aspects of smoking the Serie E to the wildly innovative guitar solo.
Whether it’s the cutting and lighting as a metaphor for the powerful yet effective drum and bass intro, or the whammy bar bending dive bombs that relate to how the cigar lingers on your palate, it’s hard not to get amped up by the sonic inspiration behind this smoke.
Even the branding hits all the right notes, with its red, black, and white band (with gold accents) paying homage to EVH’s self-built and scarily nicknamed “Frankenstein” guitar.
The Serie E is available in four popular sizes, with the 5150 (5.50 x 50) vitola another subtle tribute to the late six-string icon. This magic number was a presence throughout the band’s (and Eddie’s) history, including the title of their first album with singer Sammy Hagar, and the name of their recording studio.
Val Halen got the idea of the studio’s name from a California law enforcement term for a mentally disturbed person, and even launched the 5150 Baretta guitar model after picking up an endorsement deal with Kramer guitars.
Cloaked in a dark caramel, well-marbled Ecuadorian Habano Oscuro wrapper, secured over a Nicaraguan Jalapa binder and all-Nicaraguan fillers, let’s see if this cigar gave me a flavor eruption in our Crowned Heads CHC Serie E review.
Brand overview
Crowned Heads is the undisputed king of music-inspired cigars, with other smokes raising the roof to the likes of Johnny Cash, Kings Of Leon, and Led Zeppelin. Founded in 2011, aside from the fact that co-founders Huber and Mike Condor are audiophiles, Crowned Heads is a brand with an artisanal approach to cigar-making.
Based in a sleepy warehouse district of Nashville, eerily next door to a pet crematorium, musical analogies are very much the backing behind the smokes. Crowned heads is the band, and the various cigar blends represent the albums — each with their own signature ‘sound’ or flavor journey, with Four Kicks being the debut ‘LP,’ while Headley Grange hoped to avoid the dreaded “difficult second album” syndrome.
Cigar specs
- Country of Origin: Nicaragua
- Strength: Medium - Full
- Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano Oscuro
- Binder: Nicaragua
- Filler: Nicaragua (Jalapa, Ometepe, and Pueblo Nuevo)
- Sizes Available:
Cold draw
I pluck my Serie E from the 20-count luxury box, with the inside of the lid rocking the same design depicted on EVH’s guitar. Musical royalty is apparent (albeit unintentionally) in the wrapper’s aroma with faint brown sugar (surely a coincidental nod to The Rolling Stones) and cedar. The foot smells of dark chocolate, sweet hay, and a heavenly waft of vanilla.
A straight cut reveals a tasty pre-light draw that sings of aged cedar, dried fruits, and raisins.
First third
It’s time to turn this smoke up to 11 as I spark up my Serie E. There’s a decent amount of strength from the opening riff, consisting of baking spices, leather, toasted cedar, and occasional vanilla.
The flavors come fast and furious, like the bursts of melody in the song, with a touch of citrus fretting in and out. However, I’m most intrigued by a strawberry preserve-type note that gives a gorgeously rich sweet berry flavor and delicate sweetness to the warm, buttery profile.
Second third
The second section sees the jammy sweetness linger on my palate, as the blend turns bolder with heavy doses of black pepper, espresso, spices, and oak. Baking spices rear their head again as the second third progresses, along with some earthiness dying to take a leap of faith.
There are woody notes on the nose, but the enduring sweetness keeps any bitterness at bay.
Final third
The CHC Serie E has really got me going in the final third, as I revel in a bountiful medley of chocolate, oak, caramel, and leather. The patient earthy note has come out to play and delivered a rich, earthy lava to my tastebuds, with a mushroom note that has a savory umami tang.
Conclusion
Like the song that inspired it, the Crowned Heads Serie E CHC is a master of complexity, with changes coming thick and fast. Its rockstar profile jumps with deep, rich flavors (both savory and sweet) that fret effortlessly with one another. It’s a cigar that would make the late, great EVH proud.
Don’t forget to add Eruption to your playlist to enjoy alongside a Serie E CHC — available in boxes of 20 at cigars.com now.