Headley Grange Eminent Review
Manufacturer: Crowned Heads
Brand: Headley Grange
Size: Eminent (5.25 x 44)
Price: $6-$8
Rest Time: 3 Months
Burn Time: 1.75 Hours (attributed to the tight pack)
Prelight:
The cigar has a beautiful fit and finish and with its dense pack its quite heavy for such a small cigar. The simple black & gold band against the milk chocolate wrapper gives the cigar a very elegant look. Prelight aroma of cedar, cocoa & coffee. I lop off the head with my Xikar xi cutter and off we go. Prelight draw is super tight, looking at the cut I see that the tobacco is really jammed in there with absolutely no room for air flow. Since my first cut is right at the shoulder line I'm going to have to make do.
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1st 3rd:
First lit draw is very snug with not a lot of smoke coming off the draw or off the foot. I work the band area with my fingers but it's still not opening up. The smoke that is coming off the draw is medium bodied with hints of cedar, leather and coffee, with a woody earth on the finish.
2nd 3rd:
Even with the draw problems the Eminant has a razor sharp burn, although it is smoking incredibly slow and required one relight. The little smoke that is coming off the foot has a wonderful woody aroma. My jaws are starting to hurt a little from the tough draw. The body is still a medium with coffee and nuts on the draw and wood, chocolate and leather on the finish.
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Final 3rd:
The stick is still super tight and requires another relight. Flavors remain the same with some predictable increase in the nutty flavors. The body remains a medium all the way to the nub with no strength.
Summary:
The draw never opened up on the Eminent which was like trying to suck a golf ball through a garden hose, leading to a slow burn and a sore jaw. I got 3 of these off CBID, so hopefully this was just a bad roll. However, even though the performance was not up to par from other Crowned Heads offerings I've tried I loved the flavors. Wood, chocolate, coffee and leather are my favorite flavors in a cigar and I prefer a medium bodied experience. If I were going to blend the perfect cigar for myself the Eminent, with a better draw of course, would be it.
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