Punch and Draw made the opportunity to meet up at beautiful Fort Collins, Colorado, where the cooler temperatures provided a pleasant respite from the heat of their respective homes. Of course such an outing must include stogies, and they landed at Edward’s Pipe and Cigar Shop where the proprietor recommended these Crowned Heads Jericho Hill LBVs. 
Wrapper: Mexican San Andres
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
These are box pressed. The LBV is the company’s designation for this lonsdale-like 6.5‑x-46 vitola. The story of where the name for this Crowned Heads Jericho Hill came from is an interesting one and can be found on the Crowned Heads web site.
Draw: I get an aroma of manure, moist and sweet. This is a serious-appearing prensado with a very formal crest appearing in silver on black in the band, and a rich maduro wrapper. Dense filler at the foot appears just as dark. The wrapper is thick enough that the seams cast a shadow, and it has a triple cap. Wrapper is very smooth, or very fine tooth; it gives the impression of pasteboard.
Punch: After cutting I get a very tight, thick meat flavored draw.
D: My cut resulted in a slightly more open draw than what Punch found. Still, it’s tight. The cold draw suggests seafood and manure, plus salt. Another toke and it could be brown bread, or beer bread. ..time to light!
P: The start is smooth melon with citrus rind.
D: Smooth, dry initially. I can taste dry melon, citrus rind, but also rubber band – not burnt rubber – on the attack.
P: After warming up the attack has a citrus brightness and complexity becomes apparent. The overall profile is open and a medium-plus intensity. I get some hazelnut and mild benzene on the retrohale.
D: Yes the first third is starting with a very subtle and light complexity. The citrus-bright attack has a sawtooth edge that foils the smoothness. The rubber band has become a subtle underscore to a light leather chamois base. Hazelnut or cashew is a feature flavor that follows into the finish.
P: Starting the second third the profile has taken a fairly sudden shift and has simplified leaving the hazelnut-benzine behind.
D: Interesting. For me it’s more tannins than benzene; it’s a leather quality, and it’s not subtle. It does have an astringent quality however which I feel in my nose. The nut flavor persists in the finish and aftertaste, however the new flavor does dominate. If the cigar would have started with this flavor, I would not have enjoyed it. However having had such a nice start I don’t mind this transition now.
I retained the initial ash for more than an inch and a half before dumping it to avoid spoiling this pleasant lounge. The Edward’s lounge features comfortable leather seating for between 15 and 20 smokers. While there are only four of us here, the air handling seems more than adequate for a full capacity crowd.
P: Same tight ash here. And my burn has been very straight thus far, too. I agree with that; it has taken on a more leathery profile, but mine still has that slight benzene.
D: I experienced an unsolicited outage just as I left the second third. As a result, my opinion of the start of the last third is that it contains some cedar and tar tones; I’ll let it burn a little longer before giving my last comment.
I accidentally left my voice dictation mic open after making my last note. Here is what it heard of our intermediate conversation: “Or cigars well no I just don’t know many of them I’m sure a lot of people that smoke Bradley I mean really the pop a cigar to go out they fix the car they going to play tennis or whatever.”
P: I wonder if that doesn’t make more sense than some of your flavor observations.
Starting the last third the flavor intensity is down to mild-medium but still nicely balanced and smooth. I still have a touch of melon with citrus rind. That citrus is keeping it open.
D: The citrus is definitely extending throughout the smoke and has the astringent quality. In fact, my tongue is numb. Maybe it’s the benzene. There is also a slightly sour flavor; a slight purge remediated it. But, that flavor is all but an afterthought, with the dominant flavor now being the leather.
Burn it or Spurn it?
Draw: Burn it, but stop at the band. Not that there’s anything wrong with the last third of this Crowned Heads Jericho Hill, but the best experience of the cigar is in the first two thirds. Complexity: medium. Intensity: medium-full. Strength: middling, as I am feeling it during the smoking, but I can still walk a straight line. The citrus with cashew combo is a light flavor that might pair well with American beers, or other fine beverage.
Punch: This is definitely a burner. The sweet spot was in the first third with melon, citrus, hazelnut. Later some benzene and leather moved in as the complexity and intensity waned. It remained smooth and balanced throughout and was pleasant to the nub. Mine needed several minor touch-ups and we both were surprised by spontaneous outages requiring complete relights. I’m glad it was suggested that we give these a try.