Smoked: Crowned Heads Jericho Hill

Smoked at: Wetherington, Ohio

Crowned Heads Jericho Hill is another in a series inspired by the story and lyrics of Johnny Cash’s version of Cocaine Blues from his Folsom Prison Live album. The sheriff of Jericho Hill tracks down a degenerate named Willy Lee, a drunk and cocaine addict, and arrests him in Juarez, Mexico. Juarez and Willy Lee are the names of two other cigars in the series.

Jericho Hill is box-pressed and includes Nicaraguan filler and binder and a toothy smooth oily dark brown Mexican San Andres wrapper with a few veins and tight barely visible seams

The first draw is a blast of pepper like something from a peppermill you get twisted on your salad at a restaurant. Kitchen cabinet spices abound along with dark wood, earth, leather and hints of dark coffee and licorice. There’s an earthy, floral, slightly mossy taste with the aroma of newly plowed soil. Landscapers should enjoy this cigar. Midway through the first third you get background notes of citrus and an unidentifiable creaminess. That balances the wood, leather and pepper dominant flavors. Very mild coffee and cocoa notes occur puff to puff during the second third before the coffee kicks into a higher gear by the final third. The flavors are ping ponging and transitioning. Nice complexity!

Thick white smoke pours from this stick, near perfect draw, light grey ash holds alright but a little flaky, and the burn line is fairly even.

The Jericho Hill reminds me of the Norteno I smoked recently – similar flavor profile. Man, the retrohale on this thing will knock you on your butt. Be prepared for pepper Armageddon on the retro. Medium-full to full bodied and strength…and a very fine smoke. I have to give the Crowned Heads Jericho Hill 5s across the board – and find a copy of Johnny Cash’s Folsom Live album…and a turntable.