Las Calaveras Edicion Limitada 2024 LC48

The Las Calaveras Edicion Limitada 2024 is the annual limited release from Crowned Heads, a Nashville based company founded by Jon Huber and Mike Conder. First introduced in 2014, the series honors those who have passed and draws inspiration from the iconic La Calavera Catrina artwork. Produced at My Father Cigars in Esteli Nicaragua, the 2024 edition is a Nicaraguan puro featuring a Habano wrapper over Nicaraguan binder and fillers grown by the Garcia family. It arrives in three core sizes LC48, LC52, and LC54 with a limited production of 1500 boxes of 24 per vitola plus exclusive sampler formats.

Stogie at a Glance

Review

First Third

On the light, earthy and nutty notes immediately came forward, accompanied by a slight sweetness in the aroma. The draw was clean and the finish quick. Salted peanuts and cedar formed the core, with a touch of pepper on both the finish and retrohale. A distinct salty-savory character defined the early experience, making it very enjoyable right from the start.

As the first third progressed, the cedar grew more prominent and took on a subtle sweetness, while pepper remained present on the retrohale and finish, which lengthened nicely. Faint chocolate notes began to emerge on the finish. Leather joined the cedar, still paired with pepper and a whisper of chocolate. The salted-peanut note returned on the palate and finish as the pepper moderated. Near the end of the third, a small floral note appeared alongside the cedar, pepper, and lingering nuttiness, closing with a pleasant salty-sweet finish.

Second Third

The second third opened with continued nutty notes and a more noticeable chocolate presence, still framed by cedar and pepper on the retrohale and finish. The floral character strengthened as the third advanced, blending smoothly with cedar and a light pepper on the finish. Approaching the midpoint, the floral notes opened up fully. Sweetness returned a bit stronger than at the beginning, while cedar, nuttiness, and mild pepper held steady. On the retrohale the floral became especially pronounced, while cedar, salted peanuts, and a touch of spice stayed on the palate. The main themes of this section were floral, cedar, chocolate, and light spice, with occasional flashes of nutty sweetness. Near the end of the second third, chocolate grew more pronounced and brought additional sweetness to the finish, still supported by nutty and pepper notes.

Final Third

Entering the final third, floral notes, chocolate, and a sweet-and-salty peanut character dominated the finish. Pepper had remained mild since the initial light. Floral notes intensified alongside residual nuttiness and just a hint of pepper. The chocolate continued to build, while the nuttiness softened compared with the previous third. Sweetness also increased from the second third, creating a very enjoyable and well-balanced arrangement of flavors. An earthiness emerged and paired nicely with the floral notes. The pepper shifted slightly in character (though the exact change was hard to pin down). Earthiness grew more prominent, still accompanied by floral notes and a gentle sweetness on the finish. A mineral quality joined the finish, with additional floral on the palate and a light white-pepper close. Near the very end, a brief return of chocolate appeared, followed by pepper and a touch of black coffee on the finish.

Score

91/100