Crowned Heads Four Kicks Capa Especial

Crowned Heads Four Kicks Capa Especial

The Crowned Heads Four Kicks Capa Especial is a medium full bodied cigar wrapped in a rich, toothy Ecuadorian Sumatra leaf over a Nicaraguan binder and aged Dominican and Nicaraguan long fillers, handcrafted at Tabacalera La Alianza S.A. by Ernesto Perez-Carrillo Jr. in Santiago, Dominican Republic. The Capa Especial is the blend that Perez-Carrillo wanted to release as the original Four Kicks back in 2011. When Crowned Heads launched, three blends were created for their debut cigar. Jon Huber and Mike Conder selected one of the Ecuadorian Habano wrapped blends, while Perez-Carrillo preferred his Sumatra wrapped version. Nearly a decade later, Crowned Heads revisited that shelved blend and released it as the Four Kicks Capa Especial in 2020. The wait was worth it: Cigar Aficionado rated it 93 and named it #20 on their Top 25 Cigars of 2020, while Cigar Dojo ranked it #8 Cigar of the Year 2020. Baking spice, pepper, nuts (pecan, walnut, cashew, hazelnut), leather, dark chocolate, cream, earth, oak, cedar, and orange zest build a rich, medium full profile with layers that shift and evolve from first light to the nub. Available in three vitolas and packaged in 24 count boxes.

• Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper with a slightly darker than standard Sumatra color, visible tooth, and a rich texture that delivers spice, sweetness, and an earthy, musk forward character from the first draw.
• Nicaraguan binder provides depth, pepper, and structural integrity that supports the Sumatra wrapper’s bold flavor contribution.
• Aged Dominican and Nicaraguan long fillers create a balanced core of nuttiness, earth, cream, and spice that gives the Capa Especial its layered complexity and full flavor.
• Ernesto Perez-Carrillo Jr.’s preferred blend from the 2011 Four Kicks development sessions, shelved for nearly a decade before being released as the Capa Especial in 2020.
• Handcrafted at Tabacalera La Alianza S.A. in the Dominican Republic using the entubado bunching method for superior draw and consistent performance.
• Cigar Aficionado 93 rating and #20 on the Top 25 Cigars of 2020, with tasting notes of leather, hazelnut, earth, and orange zest.
• Cigar Dojo #8 Cigar of the Year 2020, praising “loads of semi-sweet, easily approachable flavors.”
• Medium full body with medium plus strength, bold and engaging but balanced enough for a wide range of experienced smokers.

The decade old blend

When Crowned Heads was founded in 2011, Jon Huber and Mike Conder partnered with Ernesto Perez-Carrillo Jr. to develop their debut cigar. Three final blends emerged from the blending sessions. Two used an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper. The third, Perez-Carrillo’s personal favorite, used an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper with a slightly tweaked filler. Huber and Conder chose one of the Habano blends, and that cigar became the original Four Kicks. The Sumatra blend went back on the shelf.

Nine years later, Crowned Heads decided to revisit Perez-Carrillo’s preferred blend. The result was the Four Kicks Capa Especial, released in 2020 to immediate critical acclaim. “Capa Especial” translates to “special wrapper,” a fitting name for a cigar whose entire identity traces back to a wrapper choice that split two blending legends nearly a decade earlier. The Capa Especial proved that Perez-Carrillo’s instinct was right all along: the Sumatra wrapper brings a musk forward richness, nutty complexity, and spicy depth that the original Habano version does not deliver.

Crowned Heads and the Four Kicks line

Crowned Heads was co founded by Jon Huber and Mike Conder in Nashville, Tennessee, in 2011. The brand takes its name from the expression “crowned heads of Europe,” and Nashville’s music culture permeates the company’s identity. “Four Kicks” is named after the Kings of Leon song of the same name, and the lyrics “You with your switchblade posse, I’ll get my guns from the south” capture the rebellious spirit that Huber and Conder wanted for their debut brand.

The Four Kicks line now includes the original Four Kicks (Ecuadorian Habano wrapper), Four Kicks Maduro, the annual limited edition Mule Kick, and the Capa Especial. All are produced at Tabacalera La Alianza by Perez-Carrillo, and all share the Dominican Republic as their country of origin. The Capa Especial stands as the boldest, most full flavored regular production offering in the Four Kicks family, while the original remains the more approachable, accessible option.

Ernesto Perez-Carrillo Jr. and Tabacalera La Alianza

Ernesto Perez-Carrillo Jr. is one of the most decorated cigar makers in the world. He earned Cigar Aficionado’s Cigar of the Year in 2018 with his Encore Majestic, and his factory, Tabacalera La Alianza S.A. in Santiago, Dominican Republic, produces some of the most consistently well constructed cigars in the industry. The entubado bunching method used at the factory involves individually rolling each filler leaf into a tube before assembling them, creating optimal airflow and an exceptionally smooth, even draw. Crowned Heads’ decision to partner with Perez-Carrillo from day one has been one of the brand’s defining strategic choices, and the Capa Especial represents the pinnacle of that collaboration.

Smoking experience

The Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper is a slightly darker shade of brown than standard Sumatra, with visible tooth, modest oil, and a toothy, rustic texture. The pre light aroma presents cedar, earth, leather, and a faint sweetness. The cold draw brings mineral, baking spice, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

The Capa Especial opens with a blast of pepper that lights up the tongue and lips. Red and black pepper on the retrohale are intense from the first puff, demanding immediate attention. Baking spice rolls in quickly behind the pepper, and toasted cedar establishes itself as the core wood note. Within the first inch, the pepper subsides to reveal an awesome musk forward flavor profile containing pecan, raisin, dark chocolate, oak, and black pepper. Cherry stone fruit adds sweetness, and white pepper appears on the finish alongside solid tobacco notes. The smoke is thick, white, and billowing. Strength reads medium to medium plus, and body sits at medium full.

The second third is where the nut flavors take command. Pecan leads the charge, backed by bold musk and oak over softer chocolate and raisin notes. Cashew and walnut join the profile, creating a rich, varied nuttiness that is the Capa Especial’s signature. Leather and cream weave through the nuts, and sweet spice notes pair beautifully with the oak and leather. The retrohale brings out the pepper that has pulled back from the palate, and the chocolate darkens from milk to bittersweet. Dry wood and creamy leather carry the cigar’s structure, while mild chocolate comes through on the retrohale. The overall character in the middle section is warm, savory, and deeply satisfying.

The final third continues the cashew, walnut, and cream qualities from the second third, with sweet spice and leather adding warmth. Oak deepens, and white pepper returns on a lovely, clean finish. Dark fruit, baking spices, and a mineral quality define the closing puffs. The cigar finishes medium full in both strength and body, and the long, lingering aftertaste carries leather, hazelnut, earth, and the orange zest that Cigar Aficionado specifically cited in their 93 point review. Construction is flawless throughout, with an effortless draw, straight burn, and thick smoke production that never falters.

Vitola options

The Corona Gorda (5 5/8 x 46) is the thinnest ring gauge, producing the most wrapper forward, spiciest expression. The Robusto (5 x 50) is the classic middle ground format, delivering a balanced and concentrated smoke. The Sublime (6 x 54) is the largest, providing the coolest smoke and the most gradual transitions. Crowned Heads also releases annual limited edition vitolas including the Aguilas LE and Lancero LE in the Capa Especial line.

Capa Especial versus original Four Kicks

The original Four Kicks uses an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper. The Capa Especial uses an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper. That single change transforms the cigar. The original Four Kicks is lighter, creamier, and more approachable, with a medium body and a profile built on cedar, cream, and mild spice. The Capa Especial is bolder, more musk forward, and nuttier, with a medium full body and a profile that centers on pecan, walnut, cashew, leather, dark chocolate, and a persistent peppery spice. Both are made at the same factory with the same binder and filler, but the wrapper change creates two very different cigars.

Pairings

The Capa Especial’s nut forward, leathery, spicy profile pairs naturally with a medium roast coffee, where the nutty and caramel qualities in the coffee complement the cigar’s pecan and walnut notes. A nut brown ale or English bitter matches the earthy, malty character of the middle third. For spirits, bourbon with vanilla and toffee notes draws out the cigar’s cream and baking spice, while an aged rum with dried fruit and caramel mirrors the raisin and dark chocolate elements.

Summary

• Box Count: 24
• Region: Dominican Republic
• Strength: Medium full
• Binder: Nicaraguan
• Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra
• Filler: Dominican and Nicaraguan

What is the Crowned Heads Four Kicks Capa Especial?

It is a medium full bodied cigar with an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper, Nicaraguan binder, and Dominican and Nicaraguan fillers, handcrafted at Tabacalera La Alianza by Ernesto Perez-Carrillo Jr. in the Dominican Republic. It is Perez-Carrillo’s preferred blend from the original 2011 Four Kicks development sessions, released nearly a decade later.

What does the Capa Especial taste like?

Baking spice and pepper open the cigar with intense red and black pepper on the retrohale. The profile broadens into pecan, walnut, cashew, dark chocolate, leather, musk, raisin, oak, and cream through the middle, finishing with hazelnut, earth, orange zest, and a lingering white pepper. Cigar Aficionado rated it 93.

What is the origin story of the Capa Especial?

When Crowned Heads launched in 2011, three blends were created. Jon Huber and Mike Conder chose an Ecuadorian Habano blend for the original Four Kicks. Ernesto Perez-Carrillo Jr. preferred his Ecuadorian Sumatra blend. Nine years later, that shelved Sumatra blend was released as the Four Kicks Capa Especial.

What does “Capa Especial” mean?

“Capa Especial” translates to “special wrapper” in Spanish, a reference to the Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper that distinguishes this cigar from the original Four Kicks’ Ecuadorian Habano wrapper.

What awards has the Capa Especial received?

Cigar Aficionado rated it 93 and named it #20 on their Top 25 Cigars of 2020. Cigar Dojo ranked it #8 Cigar of the Year 2020. Multiple other publications have scored it in the 90s.

What sizes are available?

Three core vitolas: Corona Gorda (5 5/8 x 46), Robusto (5 x 50), and Sublime (6 x 54). All come in 24 count boxes. Crowned Heads also releases annual limited edition vitolas in the Capa Especial line.

How does the Capa Especial compare to the original Four Kicks?

The original Four Kicks uses an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper and is lighter, creamier, and more approachable at medium body. The Capa Especial uses an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper and is bolder, nuttier, more musk forward, and medium full. Both are made at the same factory with the same binder and filler.

What is the entubado method?

Entubado is a bunching technique where each filler leaf is individually rolled into a tube before being assembled in the binder. This creates optimal airflow and produces an exceptionally smooth, even draw. Tabacalera La Alianza uses this method for the Four Kicks Capa Especial.