The average cigar smoker knows of the TAA as Limited Edition cigars. However, the Tobacconist Association of America is more than that. The association was founded in 1968 as a way to provide its members with toors and relationship building opportunities to increase the success of the Brick and Mortar retailers.
The TAA Exclusive Series are a line of cigars made by the top cigar manufacturers that are exclusively sold at TAA retailers. You won’t find these cigars in the big mail order houses which helps the Brick & Mortar compete against deep discounting which hurts the retailers and in my opinion the industry while benefitting consumers.
Since 2014, Crowned Heads has made a cigar for the TAA. Originally it started as The Angel’s Anvil before being rebranded to The Lost Angel in 2020. That year however the company didn’t release a cigar despite announcing one would be made by Ernest Perez-Carrillo. In 2021 the cigar would return; made at Tabacalera Pichardo with whom Crowned Heads had a falling out with. This year the cigar returns to Tabacalera La Alianza S.A owned by Ernest Perez-Carrillo.
Cigar Review: The Lost Angel
Size: Toro (6 x 54)
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra Hybrid C9
Binder: Ecuador Sumatra
Filler: Dominican Republic, Mexico & Nicaragua
Debut: October 2023
Box Count: 20
Final Smoking Time: 1 hours 41 minutes
The Cigar: The Crowned Heads TAA Release, The Lost Angel features two bands. The primary is a black on black design with the words Lost Angel while a secondary band of silver and black denotes TAA 2023. The evenly colored hybrid wrapper has some subtle oils and minimal veins. The cigar is firm with a spongy foot with an average weight. While you can’t smoke the bands I miss the old Angel’s Anvil bands.
The Taste: The cold draw has elements of cedar and earth with a subtle graham cracker while the foot is earthy with an abundance of cedar. Once the cigar is lit spices begin to develop before pulling back while the cigar settles in to the light.
In the first third there are notes of sunflower seeds, earth and cedar with some graham cracker sweetness. The cigar starts off with an abundance flavor. The new Hybrid C9 wrapper offers up a different flavor profile than previous Crowned Heads TAA Releases. As the first third comes to a close there is a subtle sour component that is synonymous with Sumatra.
As the second third begins there is a flavor component that reminds of the bubble gum that was in Topps baseball cards. The taste brings me back to opening a wax pack and the hard gum that was inside. Outside of that sweetness the sourness of Sumatra remains the focal point with hints of cocoa and earth.
The final third sees notes of sawdust and earth become dominant. As we pass where the primary band was a lemon rind rubbed on the rim of an espresso cup with black coffee begin to develop with a subtle graham cracker. The retrohale was earthy throughout the cigar though in the final third is was a damp earth.
Conclusion: I had high hopes for this cigar when I first lit up. It tasted very different for a Sumatra, but, that didn’t last long as the cigar quickly became synonymous with the tobacco. For me Sumatra has a sour flavor profile which doesn’t sit right with me and is my least favorite tobacco. This might be my least favorite TAA Release from Crowned Heads, however if you like what Sumatra has to offer this might hit your palate differently and is probably worth a couple of extra points in the score.
Score: 87
Price: $13.50 (Before any local and/or state taxes)
