Factory: Tabacalera Pichardo Esteli, Nicaragua
Size: (5¾” x 52) Robusto Extra
Strength: Full
Wrapper: Ecuador Sumatra Maduro
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Peru
Presented in boxes of 12
A continuing limited-edition release, Crowned Heads Mil Dias is one of the more eagerly anticipated cigars each year they’re offered. The origins of Mil Dias—meaning 1000 days in Spanish—trace back to 2017 when Luciano Meirelles and Eradio Pichardo (co-owners of Tabacalera Pichardo) approached Crowned Heads co-founder Jon Huber with some test blends. From that point took about 3 years—or a thousand days—to develop and refine those blends into the Crowned Heads Mil Dias.
This latest edition, however, changes things up from previous incarnations a little by replacing the Ecuador Habano wrapper with an Ecuador Sumatra maduro. The rest of the Mil Dias blend—a Nicaraguan binder and long fillers from Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Peru—remains unchanged. By swapping wrappers, Huber said, ‘…the flavor profile took on a whole other dimension.’
It’s time to put the Mil Dias Marranitos EL 2022 to the test and find out.
Construction: Wrapper was chocolate brown, no visible oils, firmly packed.
Cold Draw: Black pepper, earth, and oak.
Base flavors: Black pepper, earth, leather, nuts.
Aroma: Tobacco and wood.
Burn & Ash: No issues.
Once fired-up, the Mil Dias Marranitos begins with a volley of oak and black pepper. It’s not too long before I detect flavors of strong black coffee, licorice, earth, and leather. There’s a pinch of cinnamon and an almost caramel/nougat sweetness as the first third draws to a close. So far, this edition of Mil Dias strikes me as medium-bodied, with all flavors balanced and in harmony.
Let’s see if this continues into the second third.
Near the halfway point of the Mil Dias Marranitos, the base flavors remain intact—for the most part. The body kicks up slightly to the medium-plus region while a pleasant creaminess tacks on to the profile. And what I mean by that is that the creaminess doesn’t come to dominate but rather enhances and ‘rounds out’ some of the more aggressive flavors. At this juncture, this blend is really humming along and approaching complexity at full throttle.
Let’s see how it wraps up in the finale.
In the final third, the Mil Dias Marranitos’s flavor profile and strength remains largely unchanged. What takes this blend above and beyond is the complexity—the interplay of the base flavors and the ways that each note thoughtfully complements the next. The creaminess is a little more prevalent as the cigar winds down and it picks up a little pep and intensity as well, placing it in the medium-plus/approaching full-bodied range.
As usual, most cigars—and the Mil Dias Marranitos is among them—pair wonderfully with a generous pour of brown liquor like whisky, bourbon, or rum. A straightforward, non-fussy, American-style lager is the choice if you’re looking to enjoy a beer and I’ve found that Dr. Pepper—as a non-alcoholic choice—pairs well with pretty much any cigar.
For additional pairing combinations, check out our Cigar & Spirit pairing guide.
This was one of those rare cigars that I’d recommend to most enthusiasts. Beyond regular Crowned Heads smokers, limited edition/rare cigar searchers, and boutique guys—for which Mil Dias Marranitos is a no-brainer buy—this blend is approachable for the novice and experienced alike. While newbies may not quite appreciate the full scope—it’s an excellent window into more of a ‘gourmet’ blending style. And for the rest of the pack, Mil Dias Marranitos offers a glimpse into the character of harder to source tobaccos from Costa Rica and Peru.
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Paul first fell in love with the leaf back in college, where he majored in Philosophy (yes, seriously). Upon graduating, Paul stared into the abyss and unemployment stared back. He responded by founding the ‘Pounding Fathers,’ a traveling Beer Pong team with the other Philosophy grad at UMass. Aspiring to subsist on more than Ramen Noodles and Natural Ice, Paul put down his ping pong balls and picked up a pen - and a cigar - and began working in the premium cigar industry in 2013.
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