Today, we review the Crowned Heads Broadway in the Toro size. Over the years, Crowned Heads has delivered several Connecticut Broadleaf releases out of the various factories it has worked with. The Broadway is the latest Connecticut Broadleaf to come out of Nicaragua American Cigars S.A. (NACSA). Broadway plays on the use of Broadleaf tobacco as well as Crowned Heads’ hometown of Nashville, Tennessee, which has a popular street called Broadway. It was also the first Crowned Heads release that showcased the company’s refreshed packaging and 21-count boxes.
Below are some of the more popular Crowned Heads Connecticut Broadleaf releases from different factories.
Without further ado, let’s break down the Crowned Heads Broadway and see what this cigar brings to the table.
SPECIFICATIONS
Blend and Origin
In addition to the Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper, the remainder of the blend uses Nicaraguan tobaccos from the Estelí, Jalapa, and Ometepe regions.
- Wrapper: Grade A Connecticut Broadleaf
- Binder: Nicaraguan (Jalapa)
- Filler Nicaraguan (Estelí, Jalapa, Ometepe)
- Country of Origin: Nicaragua
- Factory: Nicaragua American Cigars S.A. (NACSA)
Vitolas Available
Broadway comes in three sizes. Each is packaged in 21-count boxes.
- Robusto Extra: 4 3/4 x 52
- Epicure: 5 1/2 x 56
- Toro: 6 1/2 x 54
Appearance (*)
The Broadway Toro didn’t have the darkest of Connecticut Broadleaf wrappers. It had more of a medium-roast coffee bean color. The surface of the wrapper had some oils and a slight amount of toothiness. Upon closer examination, a light amount of mottling could also be seen. The surface of the wrapper had a few visible veins. There were also a few thin visible veins present.
PERFORMANCE
Pre-Light Draw (*)
Before lighting up the Broadway Toro, a straight cut was used to remove the cap of the cigar. After the cap was removed, it was time to commence with the pre-light draw. The cold draw was simple, delivering a mix of earth notes. Overall, this was enough to satisfy me. At this point, it was time to remove the ribbon of the Broadway Toro, toast up the cigar, and move into the smoking phase
Tasting Notes
The Broadway Toro opened up with a combination of chocolate, cream, earth, and mixed fruit. Early on, the fruit notes moved into the forefront. The cream, earth, and chocolate notes settled in the background. Meanwhile, on the retrohale, there was a layer of white pepper. As the cigar progressed through the first third, the white pepper also emerged on the tongue, but in the background.
By the second third of the Broadway Toro, the earth notes were increasing in intensity. They soon joined the mixed fruit notes in the forefront. Before the midway point, the earth notes displaced the fruit as the primary note. At the same time, the cream notes pretty much dissipated. Meanwhile, the fruit, chocolate, and pepper notes rounded things out in the background.
The final third saw the earth notes remain primary. Meanwhile, the pepper notes slowly increased in intensity, but they remained a background note. Finally, the fruit and chocolate notes remained more distant secondary notes. This is the way the Broadway Toro came to a close. The resulting nub was soft and cool to the touch.
Burn
Overall, the burn of the Broadway Toro performed excellently. The cigar had no trouble maintaining a straight burn path and only had a slight wavy burn line. The touchups I applied during the smoking experience were minimal. The resulting ash was firm. This ash was also nearly white in color. When it came to the burn rate and burn temperature, both performed at ideal levels.
Draw
Meanwhile, the draw of the Broadway Toro also gets high scores. This is a cigar that had a touch of resistance. If you have read my assessments over the years, you know this is where I like my draw to land. At the same time, this was a low-maintenance cigar to derive flavor from.
Strength and Body
Overall, the Broadway Toro delivered a medium-to-full smoking experience for both strength and body. Both the strength and body had a slight increase in intensity along the way, but in the end both attributes remained in the medium-to-full range of their respective spectrums. When it came to strength versus body, both attributes balanced each other nicely with neither attribute overshadowing the other.
BANDING AND PACKAGING NOTES (*)
In 2025, Crowned Heads underwent a significant rebranding of several of its core lines, with Broadway being the first to showcase this new look. The branding strategy is straightforward: the primary band features the Crowned Heads logo, while the line name is displayed on a secondary band. I noticed that the red color on the primary band really stands out. Kudos to the Crowned Heads team for doing an outstanding job with this new packaging design.’
I also like the 21-count slide top. The use of the red on the box is really nice. Finally, I also like the shelf talker – it’s like icing on the cake for this packaging.
OVERALL ASSESSMENT
Final Thoughts
One thing I like about Crowned Heads is that they work with different factories, so it is fun to compare projects from them. NACSA is a factory that is known very well for its Connecticut Broadleaf blends – and they produced a very nice blend for Crowned Heads. It’s hard to put this blend in the same category as Le Carême, which was the belle of the ball among Crowned Heads Broadleaf releases. Coming in at just under $13.00, it’s still a good cigar. I would steer it toward a more experienced cigar enthusiast, but I wouldn’t discourage a novice from trying. In the end, this is a cigar I would buy and smoke again.
Summary
- Key Flavors: Earth, Fruit, Chocolate, Cream, Pepper
- Burn: Excellent
- Draw: Excellent
- Complexity: Medium
- Strength: Medium to Full
- Body: Medium to Full
- Finish: Very Good
Rating
Value: Buy One
Score: 89
REFERENCES
Photo Credits: Cigar Coop, except where noted.
(*) Indicates this is not factored into the score or value rating
