La Vereda
W: Nicaraguan (Jalapa), shade-grown and aged a minimum of four years
B: Nicaraguan (Jalapa)
F: Nicaraguan (Esteli Ligero/corojo 99), Dominican Republic (Piloto Cubano Ligero), Nicaraguan (Esteli seco), Nicaraguan (Jalapa Viso/criollo 98). All aged a minimum of three years.
From Jon Huber/Crowned Heads co-founder:
In the summer of 2011, Ernesto Perez-Carrillo arrived early one morning outside the Gran Almirante Hotel in Santiago, Dominican Republic, to take me to the factory to begin a day filled with tobacco selections, validations, and blend trials.
The windows on his SUV were rolled all the way down, and you could hear the music from his speakers ten feet away. I will never forget the song that was playing that morning: “De Camino a La Vereda," by Buena Vista Social Club. To this day, whenever I hear that song I'm taken back to that sunny morning. Over a decade later, that song still rings in my ears and in my heart, which inspired me to take the trip down the proverbial rabbit hole' to uncover the true meaning of that particular song.
In short, the song is steeped in moral advice about staying on one's path, and not getting led astray. Further, the song also includes an old Cuban expression that roughly means one's appearance is sometimes all a facade; that is to say, someone may look the part, but underneath they may lack character. That cautionary tale would eventually impact me on a personal level many years later, but more than anything, examining that song further reinforced a core value of staying on one's path and not being led astray.
In the Spring of 2022, armed with this inspiration, we set out to create a cigar with Ernesto that could arguably become Crowned Head's "crown jewel." Over the following year, the blend would undergo more changes and adjustments than almost any previous collaborations with Ernesto and Tabacalera La Alianza. As this would be our first regular production brand release with Tabacalera La Alianza in over 3 years, it was critically important to all involved that this cigar would be exceptional.
The end result is a four-vitola premium brand we named, “La Vereda." The blend is comprised of a Nicaraguan (Jalapa) binder, filler tobaccos from Nicaragua (Esteli/Jalapa) and the Dominican Republic (Piloto Cubano), and is finished with a unique Nicaraguan (Jalapa) wrapper leaf. The flavor profile is almost as though the blend was mixed in stereo; the left speaker playing notes of sweet and cream, while the right speaker yields notes of spice and earth, with a savory melody being played underneath it all. The La Vereda blend is truly exceptional, displaying complexity, balance, and flavor—all of the hallmark attributes one would expect from an icon such as Ernesto Perez-Carrillo, who is recognized as one of the true Master Blenders in the premium cigar world.
It is truly an honor to have the Crowned Heads name attached to this amazing cigar, and we hope you will enjoy it as much as we enjoyed working on this brand with Ernesto and Tabacalera La Alianza.
- Jon Huber / Crowned Heads co-founder.