It has been a decade since I last looked at a cigar from Crowned Heads called “Blood Medicine.” At that time, the pre-release “Snake Oil” banded stick was going to be an event only stick, made up of Nicaraguan filler and binder, along with an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper and made by the My Father factory. It has since morphed into a limited edition annual release featuring fillers from Nicaragua, an Ecuadorian Connecticut binder, and an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper…and made by TacaNicsa, the factory that also produces Mil Días and Juarez.
The wrapper leaf had a decently oily sheen and felt smooth and oily under my fingertips. It had an aroma that mixed fresh hay and Spanish cedar. The foot of the cigar had more hay, along with natural tobacco and an herbal note. It wasn’t a surprise when I got hay notes again on the prelight draw, but the delicate honey sweetness did give me pause.
The sweetness continued when I fired up the Blood Medicine LE 2025, combining with notes of earth, cedar, and a touch of leather. I hadn’t honestly expected much from this cigar, but it was surprising me in all the right ways. The only time I picked up on the Nicaraguan spiciness was when I retrohaled…and that was almost painful with the amount of white pepper. There was an occasional vegetal note on the palate that I didn’t particularly enjoy, but overall this was a very good blend…and it went very well with my Rebel 100 Bourbon on a hot summer evening.
