Crowned Heads has always maintained a strong connection to its Nashville roots, and with the Broadway, the company brings a little bit of Music City into its portfolio. The name is a nod to Nashville’s famous Broadway entertainment district while also playing nicely off the use of a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper.
Produced at NACSA (Nicaraguan American Cigars S.A.) in Nicaragua, the Crowned Heads Broadway features a Grade A USA Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper over a Nicaraguan Jalapa binder and fillers from Estelí, Jalapa, and Ometepe.
The Crowned Heads Broadway is offered in three regular-production vitolas, packaged in 21-count boxes:
- Robusto Extra – 4 3/4 x 52 – MSRP $11.95
- Epicure – 5 1/2 x 56 – MSRP $12.75
- Toro – 6 1/2 x 54 – MSRP $12.95
For this review, I sampled 3 Crowned Heads Broadway Toros which I purchased for this review after sampling a pre-release sample from the company.
Crowned Heads Broadway Toro Specifications
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Factory: NACSA – Nicaraguan American Cigars S.A.
Vitola: Toro
Size: 6 1/2 x 54
Wrapper: Grade A USA Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder: Nicaraguan – Jalapa
Filler: Nicaraguan – Estelí, Jalapa, Ometepe
Production: Regular Production
Box Count: 21
MSRP: $12.95/cigar
Pre-Light Examination
The Crowned Heads Broadway Toro is presented with a toothy, dark reddish-brown and marbled wrapper. There are minimal veins running along the barrel, though the seams are noticeable. The cigar is firmly packed and well rolled from head to foot and finished with a simple cap.
The Broadway also features an elaborate presentation that certainly catches the eye.
The primary band is ornate and regal, dominated by metallic gold, deep burgundy, white, and navy blue. At its center is the familiar Crowned Heads crowned CH monogram, embossed in gold against a burgundy field. Intricate gold ornamentation surrounds the central crest, while circular three-star emblems flank the design.
A large secondary band continues the gold, burgundy, and navy color scheme. CROWNED HEADS is embossed across the upper portion, with BROADWAY prominently displayed in white lettering against a burgundy panel. Completing the presentation is a deep navy-blue satin ribbon around the foot.
Running the Broadway along the nose, I picked up bright floral notes along the barrel, while the foot offered inviting aromas of rich nuts and chocolate.
I sliced the cap straight across the shoulder and gave it some cold-draw puffs. The draw was spot-on with just the right amount of restriction. The cold draw offered tobacco sweetness, floral fruit, and a hint of spicy nut, with that nutty character continuing to evolve the more I cold-drew the cigar.
With the pre-light examination complete, it was time to fire up the Broadway and see where the journey would take me.
Cigar Journey
The Crowned Heads Broadway Toro opened with just a slight bit of peppery spice. A light gray ash quickly began forming on top of a thin char line, while each puff delivered a full volume of smoke. The aroma coming off the foot was immediately inviting, carrying forward the floral fruit character detected during the pre-light examination. There was also an awesome natural sweetness working its way into the profile.
Overall, it was a fine introduction to the cigar. After about a half-inch of burn, an evolving cocoa powder note began to develop. A creamy essence soon joined the mix while the pepper continued to linger in the background.
Meanwhile, the ash was building with a distinct stacking-dimes appearance.
The natural sweetness continued to shine, and the aroma coming off the foot evolved toward a pleasant sweet nut character. Moving through the first third, the Broadway was proving to be a very inviting cigar. The retrohale was smooth, offering just a mild pepper note before allowing the nut and natural sweetness to come through.
By the end of the first third, the profile had developed into a sweet, creamy chocolate essence, while the nutty aroma continued to waft pleasantly off the foot. The ash eventually fell in a solid chunk, revealing a well-formed and centered burn cone.
Second Third
As the Broadway moved into the second third, a mild caramel note joined the mix. The chocolate character also began to deepen. What started earlier as cocoa powder was now evolving into a decidedly dark chocolate note accompanied by just a very mild dark chocolate bitterness.
Mild fruit and cream remained in the core, providing some contrast and keeping the darker chocolate from dominating the experience. The second ash fell in another solid chunk at approximately the midway point, further demonstrating the excellent combustion of the Broadway.
As the cigar progressed through the second third, spice notes began to develop, adding another layer to an already well-rounded profile.
Final Third
Moving into the final third, the profile began to shift once again. A growing earthy note entered the mix, accompanied by an evolving and more refined spice character. The sweeter chocolate, fruit, and creamy qualities that defined much of the earlier journey gradually settled farther into the background as earth and spice took a more prominent role.
The strength also increased as the cigar progressed, eventually finishing at medium-plus.
When all was said and done, the Crowned Heads Broadway Toro provided an impressive 1 hour and 40 minutes of smoking time.
Final Analysis
The Crowned Heads Broadway Toro delivered an engaging journey that started considerably sweeter and more delicate than its dark Broadleaf appearance might suggest. The opening combination of floral fruit, natural sweetness, cocoa, cream, and sweet nut was particularly enjoyable. The transition into caramel and increasingly dark chocolate provided additional depth through the middle of the cigar, while the final third shifted naturally toward earth and refined spice.
I also appreciated that the dark chocolate bitterness remained restrained. It provided contrast without overwhelming the underlying sweetness, fruit, and cream.
Construction was equally impressive. The spot-on draw, full smoke production, stacking-dimes ash, solid ash drops, centered burn cone, and lack of required touch-ups made the Broadway an effortless cigar to smoke.
At $12.95 for the Toro, the Broadway delivers a lengthy 1-hour-and-40-minute experience with excellent construction and enough flavor transitions to keep the palate engaged from beginning to end.
This one is box-worthy.
