Set towards the front of the show, nearly in the middle, was the boldly styled Crown Heads booth. It was an enjoyable booth to visit, with each line clearly featured and easy to identify. The booth also featured Ozgener Family Cigars, which are distributed by Crowned Heads, and were displayed in the same manner. While we were not able to track down Jon Huber or Tim Ozgener for an interview, we did manage to get Miguel Schoedel to share a few minutes of his time to share what is new and exciting from Crowned Heads in 2023
Starting things off is the Le Pâtissier No 2. Produced in the classic torpedo size of 6 1/8 X 52, it is the same blend as the regular production Le Pâtissier with a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper, over a Nicaraguan binder and fillers from Nicaragua and Costa Rica. What makes this cigar unique is this size is only available on a limited basis to attendees of the 2023 PCA Trade Show. The cigars are produced at the NACSA factory in Nicaragua, have an MSRP of $13, and come in 20-count boxes. The cigars are planned to ship in August.
Next up and on display for the first time ever at the PCA Trade Show is the Limited-Edition Mule Kick. Packaged in a colorful box emblazoned with an Ecuadorian flag motif. This year’s version of the cigar features a change in the blend, adding a leaf of Dominican tobacco to it for the first time. Using an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper over a Dominican Binder and fillers from the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua. This differs from previous Mule Kick releases that contained Nicaraguan binder and fillers. The cigars have an MSRP of $12.95, are packaged in 10-count boxes, and are produced at Ernesto Perez-Carrillo Jr.’s Tabacalera La Alianza S.A. in the Dominican Republic. Like the Le Pâtissier, the cigars are planned to ship in August.
Miguel was very excited to introduce the next release. A line extension of the regular production Mil Días in a new size, the Topes. Influenced by a larger ring gauge Cuban cigar in the Topes vitola, which was given as a gift to Miguel while traveling abroad. As he normally does not smoke large ring gauge cigars, he was impressed with “how the flavor was translated in this particular size”. Jon Huber decided that the Mil Dias blend would be a good fit and the rest is history. The Mil Días Topes is a 4 7/8 X 56 Parejo with a pigtail cap. Rolled at Eradio Pichardo’s TacaNicsa factory in Nicaragua, the cigar features the same blend as the rest of the Mil Días line, an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper over a Nicaraguan binder with fillers from Nicaragua and Peru. MSRP of the cigar is $12.25, and it will come in 20 count boxes, with plans to ship in August.
Next, we find another first from Crowned Heads, this time in the Juárez line. A Fresh Pack containing 5 cigars named Bulls on Parade (yes, it is a reference to Rage Against the Machine) containing one cigar of each size in the Juárez line, plus a new size, the Ferdinand (which is a reference to the story of Ferdinand the Bull). The new cigar is a 4 X 58 and will only be available in the Fresh Packs. The Juárez line features a Mexican San Andres wrapper over an Ecuadorian Sumatra binder with fillers from Costa Rica and Nicaragua. The Bulls on Parade Fresh Pack will retail for $29.99 and will begin shipping in August.
Closing out the Crowned Heads releases for the 2023 trade show, brings us to the La Verada. According to Crowned Heads, this cigar has been in the works for well over a year and is positioned to be the company’s most expensive and most premium offering to date. The cigars are produced at Ernesto Perez-Carrillo Jr.’s Tabacalera La Alianza S.A. in the Dominican Republic and are available in 4 sizes, 5 3/8 X 50, 6 ½ X 52, 5 5/8 X 54 and 6 ¼ X 56. They feature a shade-grown wrapper from the Jalapa region of Nicaragua wrapper over a Nicaraguan binder, with fillers from the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua. One of the key features of this blend is the tobaccos it contains have been well aged, with the wrapper leaf being aged for 5 years prior to production. As with the balance of their releases, these cigars will begin shipping in August, though the number of retailers receiving them may be reduced due to the additional time it takes to produce such a special cigar.
Rounding out the booth, we come across the release of Ozgener Family Cigars Pi Synesthesia Red. Following up on last year’s Pi Synesthesia Yellow. Many ask, what inspired the name, and the answer is it is a tribute to Tim’s father Cano Ozgener’s art series. The latest release is a completely different blend than the original, and rolled at Tabacalera La Alianza S.A. in the Dominican Republic, while the original was produced in Nicaragua. The cigar is limited to 2,500 boxes, and available in one size, 6 X 52, with an MSRP of $15. It will come packaged in boxes of 12 cigars, with plans for shipping to begin in September.
I want to thank Miguel Schoedel for taking time out of his busy trade show day to show us everything that is going on at Crowned Heads and Ozgener Family Cigars. As you can see, there was quite a bit going on in this booth with several new releases all scheduled to land on retailer’s shelves about the same time. Make sure to add some if not all of these to your list to try in 2023! I know I will!
Kevin Acuff
Kevin Acuff was born and raised in Northeast Ohio. Growing up in a rural area, he was able to indulge in some very exciting life experiences at a young age. He acquired his private pilot license before he had a driver’s license, spent several years on the competitive bass fishing tournament trail, and even spent a couple of seasons racing motorcycles. In 2001, he relocated to Las Vegas, spending the better part of the past 20 years working in the sign industry.
