The fourth line from Crowned Heads Cigars, Jericho Hill is also the first non-Dominican Republic made release by the brand — its previous productions were all limited edition. It’s a mostly Nicaraguan blend with a Mexican San Andrés wrapper and comes in a squarish box-pressed format. This means it’s perfect for your humidor as you can squeeze more of them in – whether or not you believe that boxing something changes its draw.
In one minute, the following review will provide an overview of what to expect from this Crowned Heads cigar or full details can be found below in my Jericho Hill cigar review.
HOW DID JERICHO HILL COME ABOUT?
“Jericho Hill” pays homage to Johnny Cash’s “Cocaine Blues,” which tells the story of a man who kills his girlfriend on a drug-fueled rampage through Jericho Hill.
“In walked the sheriff from Jericho Hill, he said ‘Willy Lee, your name ain’t Jack Brown / You’re that dirty hack that shot your woman down,’” Cash sings during “Cocaine Blues.” That and other lines give their names to the five Vitolas of The Jericho Hill: “Jack Brown,” “Willy Lee,” among others.
CIGAR SPECS
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Factory: My Father S.A. (Estelí, Nicaragua)
Wrapper: Mexican San Andrés
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Sizes Available:
Jericho Hill OBS (4 3/4 x 52)
Jericho Hill Jack Brown (5 x 56)
Jericho Hill .44S (5 1/8 x 44)
Jericho Hill Willy Lee (6 x 54)
Jericho Hill LBV (6 1/2 x 46)
Smoke Time: Jerico Hill – 45 minutes
A LOOK AT HOW THE THE JERICO HILL IS CONSTRUCTED
It is Nicaraguan on the inside, with fillers and binder from Nicaragua surrounded by a Mexican San Andrés wrapper. The box-pressed cigar has a squared-circle shape with rounded corners, allowing more to fit into a smaller space.
Dark brown Maduro tobacco leaves give the wrapper an even richer look; this is enhanced further still by its sleek square shape and blocky gold embossed crest band that reads “Jericho Hill.” It’s made at My Father factory in Estelí where they know how to roll them tight and press them right – so it looks as good as it smokes.
A FEW WORDS ON THE COLD DRAW
The cold draw is earthy, leathery, molasses-like. Overall: indulgent; feels like high-end premium cigar should – even aroma with just a hint of sweet.
FLAVORS I ENJOYED
Leather, earth, pepper and sweet spices make up this complex profile. The medium-bodied smoke is very satisfying but use retrohales if you want to adjust spices for your palate.
Jericho Hill has a rich and rounded taste which pairs extremely well syrupy spirits such as dark rum over ice.
FIRST THIRD
Mexican taste of earthiness from its San Andrés Maduro wrapper is present throughout Jericho Hill along with woody flavors that come through strong early on accompanied by plenty of spice. Retrohales are peppery but there’s also something lighter about them – almost sparkling white pepper – which brings some lightness into play when they hit your nose.
SECOND THIRD
As it burns, the flavors blend into a strong mix of wood, earth, and pepper with even more pepper on the retrohale. It’s not bad – if you just want to kick back and enjoy some smoke without trying to figure out which subtle taste comes from where in a complex profile then Jericho Hill is for you.
That being said there are highlights to watch out for with this stick: butterscotch, honeysuckle, sweet rum candy… YMMV depending on what your palate is sensitive too.
FINAL THIRD
Still through the final third that earthy Maduro wrapper is evident among all these blended flavors. There’s candied citrus – lemon or orange? You decide – and those retrohales have turned into a wallop of peppercorn from that early white pepper spark.
HOW STRONG IS THE JERICHO HILL?
Medium body medium/full strength smoke; however it’s that weird-ass blend of flavor thing that really sets Jericho Hill apart. You can really choose your own adventure here by leaning back and letting the smoke take you or picking out some of those sweet top notes among the satisfying stew of wood/earth either way my overall experience with this one has been richly satisfying.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Crowned Heads Cigars are always winners for me which means Jericho Hill Cigars were sure to please as well. The space-saving box-pressed shape alone would be enough reason for me to keep a few in my humidor but when you factor in how delicious they look… let’s just say singles/bundles (24) might not be such a bad idea after all! This boutique brand consistently produces top quality sticks so don’t sleep on them!