Today, we review the Crowned Heads Mil Días Maduro in the Edmundo size. In the 12+ years Crowned Heads has been in business, one can make the case the Mil Días brand has been one of the company’s most successful brands in the portfolio. The name Mil Diás translates to “1,000 days.” It’s a reference to the near-three-year journey that was taken to develop this blend. The first Mil Días line made its debut in 2020. Since then, there have been several limited edition releases, but in early 2024 came a new full-time addition to the Mil Días brand, the Mil Días Maduro.
Mil Días Maduro uses a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper. This is a favorite wrapper of Crowned Heads. Crowned Heads has partnered with many factories, and this wrapper has been used in each of them. The Mil Días Maduro comes from Eradio Pichardo’s TacaNicsa factory in Estelí, Nicaragua. Below are some of the more popular Crowned Heads Connecticut Broadleaf releases from Crowned Heads at the different factories:
Casa Carrillo (Le Carême)
My Father Cigars SA (Yellow Rose)
La Gran Fabrica Drew Estate (La Coalición)
NACSA (Le Pâtissier)
TacaNicsa (Mil Días Maduro)
For now, let’s turn our attention back to the Mil Dias Maduro in the Edmundo format and see what this cigar offers.
Crowned Heads Mil Días Maduro Edmundo | Cigar Review
SPECIFICATIONS
Blend and Profile
In addition to the Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper, the Mil Días Maduro uses a Habano binder and fillers from three Nicaragua regions (Jalapa, Condega, and Ometepe). Mil Días Maduro is a completely different blend than the original Mil Dias Habano release.
Wrapper: Grade A Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder: Habano
Filler: Nicaraguan (Viso Jalapa, Ligero Condega, and Seco Ometepe)
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Factory: TacaNicsa
Vitolas Offered
Mil Días Maduro was launched in three regular production sizes. Each comes in a 20-count box.
Edmundo: 5 3/8 x 52
Sublime: 6 x 54
Topes: 4 7/8 x 56
Appearance (*)
The Connecticut Broadleaf on the Mil Días Maduro Edmundo had a medium to dark roasted coffee bean color to it. This was a wrapper that had some toothiness to it. There was also a very slight amount of mottling. The surface of the wrapper did not have much oil on it. Some seams and veins were also visible on the surface of the wrapper.
PERFORMANCE
Pre-Light Draw (*)
A straight cut was used to remove the cap off the Mil Días Maduro Edmundo. Once the cap was removed it was on to the pre-light draw tasting ritual. The pre-light delivered an interesting combination of cocoa and a light amount of blueberry. This was a natural-styled flavor profile, as you could taste the tobacco foundation. Overall, this cigar delivered an excellent pre-light draw experience. At this point, it was time to remove the Mil Días Maduro Edmundo’s footer band, toast the cigar, and head into the smoking phase.
Tasting Notes
The Mil Días Maduro Edmundo opened up with more notes of cocoa and blueberry. Like the pre-light draw, this was a very natural-styled flavor. Both notes came out of the gate as the primary note. Meanwhile, notes of earth, mineral, and black pepper surfaced on the tongue. On the retro-hale was an additional layer of blueberry as well as cedar notes.
As the cigar progressed through the first third of the Mil Días Maduro Edmundo, the earth, mineral, and pepper notes increased—the latter two notes at a more gradual rate. This continued into the second third, and before the midway point, the earth notes moved into the forefront and took over as the primary note. This sent the cocoa and blueberry notes into the background with the mineral and pepper notes.
The final third saw the earth notes remain the primary note. The pepper was now slightly more prominent than the other secondary notes but remained a secondary note itself. Meanwhile, the cocoa, blueberry, and mineral notes rounded out the flavor profile. This is how the Mil Días Maduro Edmundo closed out. The cigar finished with a slightly soft but cool nub.
Burn
While there was a slight amount of waviness from time to time, the Mil Días Maduro Edmundo had no problems maintaining a straight burn path and straight burn line. Most of the touch-ups I made were aesthetic more than corrections. The resulting ash wasn’t overly firm. There was a tiny bit of flaking, but again, nothing major. The resulting ash was mostly a charcoal gray. As for the burn rate and burn temperature, both were ideal.
Draw
One of the three Mil Días Maduro Edmundo used for this review had a tighter draw than I preferred. The other two samples had a more open draw. Neither draw was a problem, but I have a preference for the middle—one with just a slight amount of resistance to it.
Strength and Body
The Mil Días Maduro Edmundo started out with medium strength and medium body. There was a slight increase in the intensity of both attributes as the cigar experience progressed. In the end, the Mil Días Maduro Edmundo had a bit more intensity at the end, but both attributes remained in the medium range.
In terms of strength versus body, I gave the strength a slight edge, but it didn’t throw the cigar off balance.
BANDING AND PACKAGING NOTES (*)
On the positive side, I always liked Mil Días’s packaging. The white band with the “M” stands out. I also like the black box for the Maduro. The only thing I would have liked to have seen is a secondary band indicating Maduro. In particular, it makes it easier to pick out the Maduro when it is next to some of the other Mil Días brands.
OVERALL ASSESSMENT
Final Thoughts
The best way to sum up my thoughts on the Mil Días Maduro Edmundo is that it has some really unique flavors. That isn’t an automatic ticket to earning a standard of excellence designation. I’ve had a distinctive flavor profile for a cigar that simply doesn’t deliver good flavors. The great news is the Mil Días Maduro Edmundo does deliver excellent flavor. The best part is that this cigar falls just under the $11.00 price point. In the end, this is a cigar I would recommend to any cigar enthusiast. As for myself it is one I would buy multiples of for my humidor. Coming in at 90 points, the Mil Días Maduro Edmundo earns a Cigar Coop Standard of Excellence designation.
Summary
Key Flavors: Cocoa, Blueberry, Earth, Mineral, Cedar, Pepper
Burn: Excellent
Draw: Very Good
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Medium
Body: Medium
Finish: Very Good
Rating
Value: Buy Multiples
Score: 90
Cigar Coop Standard of Excellence
REFERENCES
News: Crowned Heads Mil Días Maduro to Debut at TPE 2024
Price: $10.90
Source: Purchased
Brand Reference: Crowned Heads
Photo Credits: Cigar Coop, except where noted
(*) Indicates this is not factored into the score or value rating
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