Crowned Heads has released their third state exclusive cigar with the Yellow Rose made for the state of Texas.  This follows the Tennessee Waltz (robusto grande) made for Tennessee and the Paniolo Especial for Hawaii (corona gorda).  I was given this cigar by our local shop’s Crowned Heads rep, Brian McGee, during his last visit to get my impressions of the cigar.

The Yellow Rose is a tip of the hat to one of Texas most beloved songs or a reference to Emily West/Morgan who was referred to the Yellow Rose of Texas.  I won’t go into the history here, but you can check it out for yourself here.  Given the strong connection to music that Crowned Heads has, I believe it’s the song.  It’s the same blend as the other releases, just a different vitola.

• Wrapper:  Connecticut Broadleaf
• Binder:  Nicaraguan
• Filler:  Nicaraguan
• MSRP:  $10.00

The boxed pressed torpedo looks stunning with the typical rustic looking broadleaf wrapper.  The draw was spot on after clipping the tip with that “milkshake draw”.  The prelight flavors were woody and spicy, a foreshadowing of what was to come.  The cigar opened up with a strong woody note which reminded me a mesquite wood, kinda of ironic considering that’s the wood used in Texas for smoking meats, black pepper, black cherry note and some sweetness.  As the cigar burned to the midway point, the cigar developed a caramel sweetness with a cinnamon note that complemented the sharp mesquite woody note, black coffee and black pepper.  Near the end, the cigar was mostly flavors of mesquite, black pepper and faint sweetness.

Overall, it was a good cigar.  I still prefer the Tennessee Waltz as its flavor profile was more my style as it had more flavors of cocoa and coffee than the Yellow Rose.  The Yellow Rose was more spicy, which isn’t my style.  Still, its a good cigar and worth the $10.00 price tag.  If you like spicier cigars, definitely check this one out.