Last month my Stogie Press associate and friend Alton Otto gifted me a new cigar, one I have not heard of yet. The Crook of the Crown by Stolen Throne Cigar Co. based out of Newport News , VA. The brand was launched in 2019 and the trademark was granted in June.
The Crook of the Crown is manufactured by Noel Rojas in Texas and I have to say, after smoking this cigar, I give great kudos to the team. In this FDA regulation era of cigars, it is not easy for any new cigar company to launch, let alone, produce a terrific introductory blend. In an interview with the company founders JR and Lee, they are quoted as saying:
“Noel has been great. I can’t say enough about him. He really let us loose and control the blending process which was really important to me. He has so much knowledge and lessons learned to share. We have just clicked and I can’t really envision Stolen Throne being produced with someone else.“
Lee from Stolen Thrones Cigar Co.
The team did not skimp on the leaf when they chose to blend the Crook of the Crown. They started with a 10-year aged San Andrés Maduro wrapper. The full blend is described as:
- Wrapper – 10-year San Andrés Maduro
- Binder – Indonesian
- Filler – Nicaraguan
The Crook of the Crown is expressed in 2 vitolas and come packaged in packs of 5 and 10 in addition to 20-count bundles:
- Robusto: (5 x 50) MSRP $10.50
- Toro: (6 x 52) MSRP $11.00
I know these can be purchased on the Cigar Federation Store.
For this review, Alton and I sampled the Crook of the Crown Robusto.
Pre-Light Examination
The Crook of the Crown is a dark brown and oily cigar that is finished with a semi closed foot and a double cap. There are a few veins that run along the barrel and the wrapper has a slight gritty tooth to it. The cigar is packed well and solid to the touch.
Stolen Throne Crook of the Crown 
Stolen Throne Crook of the Crown
The band on the cigar uses a red, black and white motif with a black crow standing on top of a crown. The band brought back memories of my day in Nagoya, Japan when I would venture out on a weekend night to the izakayas (Japanese Pubs). After a long night of socializing I would walk back to my apartment and would hear the loud caws of the morning crows. It is a sound that sticks in my head to this day. As I would walk the morning streets of Nagoya, with barely the Sun rising, I always recalled the words of Edgar Allan Poe, my favorite poet:
But the Raven, sitting lonely on the placid bust, spoke only
Edgar Allan Poe
That one word, as if his soul in that one word he did outpour.
Sorry for the digression. Running the cigar along the nose, there is a sweet musty aroma along the barrel and a touch of chocolate and pepper off the foot.
Alton and I both sliced the cap with with a straight cut and agreed there was a sweet chocolate and peppery cold draw.
With the preliminary exam out of the way, it as time to toast the foot, which took to the flame beautifully, and begin the journey of burning the Crook of the Crown to ash.
Cigar Review Notes
- Super thick smoke to start
- Pepper hits nasal front and center
- Light grey toothy ash evolves on a slightly wavy and medium char line
- Ritz cracker aroma wafts off the foot
- Salt and butter notes enter
- Alton noted there is a lot of pepper on the retro-hale
- Slight dryness after an inch
- Natural sweetness and chocolate notes enter – Alton described it as a sweet dark chocolate
- Alton also picked up an espresso note
- Pepper starts to tone down
- Burn is still a bit wavy
- Ash falls with flat burn cone
- Nuances of cedar rounds out the first third
- Cinnamon sugar toast appears moving into the second third
- Alton picked up a additional espresso, some leather, and grassy notes
- Burns a bit hot to the touch
- Strength moves up midway
- Still a bit dry on the finish
- We both agree there was dark chocolate moving in final third
- Alton also picked up a smokey oak
- Pepper re-emerges in the final
- Smoke gets a bit hot in the final
- Medium Strength
- Total Smoking Time was 1 hour and 30 minutes down to the nub
Overall, the Stolen Throne – Crook of the Crown was a delicious cigar with an palate pleasing array of notes wrapped around a core of sweet dark chocolate and pepper. The smoke was thick and creamy through the journey. From a construction perspective, there was a slight wave that continued through most of the burn and the barrel burned a tad hot in the second half. This is certainly one I would suggest buying a 5-pack off to add to your rotation. We rate this a 92.
Point Deductions: (-1) Wavy Burn; (-2) Burned Hot to the Touch; (-1) Flat Burn Cone
