Episode 167 - Jon Huber of Crowned Heads Cigars

Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to this episode of Sogarz Encrypto. Let me tell you how excited I am to have the man himself, the creator of the Latin Periosa, the creator of one of my other favorite cigars, the Hentley Greens Black Lab, Mr. John Huber. Good afternoon, sir. Good afternoon, Dante. How are you? I am well, my friend. I have no complaints. I want to

take a moment to thank you for joining me. I tweeted at you one day because of a comment that you made on Twitter and you were like, yeah, man, let's talk. And I can't tell you my heart dropped when you said that. Oh, please. For sure. I have to thank you because you're willing to work with my goofy schedule. I get asked to do these things

And I would love to know about the motivation behind crowned heads. What made you start crowned heads? Well, gosh, how much time do we have? You know, we started crowned heads back in, gosh, the early workings of it were in late 2010. I used to work for a company called CAO back in the day. And I started with them in 1990. And I tell people I

got my undergrad degree there and completed that education in 2010 when CAO moved to rich member, Virginia to go under the umbrella of General Sagar company. I had no aspirations to be a corporate guy and no aspirations at all to work for General Sagar. So during the latter half of 2010, my boss at the time, Mike Condor, who was the head of marketing back in CAO,

said, hey, when this is over, do you want to do something? And it was as casual as that. And I just said, absolutely. And we didn't really have any, you know, plans other than we would talk. So my last day with CAO was December the 17th, 2010, and December 21st, Mike and I had our first meetings. And the rest is kind of history. I just, I

had one caveat for him. I just said, listen, I don't want to create CAO 2.0. I want to do this like my way. And here's a very. Give me carte blanche on that. So I have to. Give credit to him for letting me do that thing. But you know, the inspiration for Crown Edge was we always wanted to be more than just a cigar company. We

wanted to be an aspirational brand. What does that mean? That means like, even if people didn't smoke cigars on a regular basis, I still wanted them to vibe with our brand so that they could be inspired by an aspire to what we've created. Because, you know, you got two, two gringos over here in Nashville that have been able to have some sort of stability in the

premium cigar market from Nashville, Tennessee. Not an easy task. But I want people to look at us as an example to say, Hey, if those guys could, could make something happen, why can't I make something happen? And so my goal is, is if I can inspire others to aspire to their dreams, that's what Crown Edge is truly about. That's beautiful story, man. You know, I am

a firm believer in charting my own course and making my own way and doing things my way. And to hear that. You didn't have the desire to be a part of an entity, but you wanted to be an entity is a beautiful thing. And I think it's reflected in your cigars. I have a lot of friends that are big fans of your brand. And of course,

they've asked me to ask you specifically about some of the brands. But I am selfish and I want to start with what I want to hear first. So tell me. About the black lab that cigar is absolutely amazing to me. Thank you. Appreciate that black lab is just a riff off of Headley Grange and going back with a little bit of history, Headley Grange is our

sophomore release in 2012. And most people don't know the story behind it. But when we were developing the second cigar for Cixkin first and then what would become Headley was under the works of Ernesto Perez-Koreo. So we had worked on this idea and I didn't know any way to translate it other than I wanted a cigar that tasted the way that the drums sounded on this

track by Led Zeppelin called When the Levy breaks, which is actually a cover of an old blue song. And I was playing the six seconds of these drums from this cut like over and over in the office. I was driving my concert. I was like, what are you doing? You go, you got OCD. I said, yeah, man, there's something out these drums. I want to make

a cigar taste like this. And you say, what? So we got Ernie on a phone call one day. I don't want to speak. And I said, Padrino, I said, I got something for you. I said, I want to make a cigar taste the way these drums sound. And I played these drums for a couple of times and those silence. And then he was like, yeah, I

got you. And Mike just looking to me like incredulous. Like what just happened. And Ernie got it. Because what I was trying to say, my own dumb, I was like, what's the way was I wanted the cigar to have volume and be dense and thick and plotting and heavy like these drums sounded. So that was the inspiration for the blend. And we didn't know what we

were going to call it. And then I did a little research into the drums and where they were recorded. And they were recorded in an old house in, in the UK called Headley Grange. And apparently the acoustics of this room where the drums were recorded in the early 70s. John Bonham was the drummer. Had like this echo in this, this, you know, this is back. And

I was like, what's the thing in the day? This is what 50 years ago. So they didn't have auto tune and all these other things that you could do from the convenience of your hotel room. So these guys like literally mic the drums in this house. And that's what gave it that a big part of what gave it that sound. So I thought, well, what a

great name. Headley Grange. That's what the whole history of Headley Grange was in black lab was just a riff on that. We took the original blend and we put a different rapper on it and called the black lab. Now black lab is there's a song called Black Dog on the same album by Led Zeppelin. And the inspiration for that song was it was this black lab

or a retriever that would run around the house all day. I didn't know who it was. It was just like this stray dog. And that was the song Black Dog. And so we we ripped on that and just called a black lab. Oh, that's amazing. I mean, if you got time, we can go down the rabbit hole man because there's there's tales and stories for everything

that we do with apparently. So. Yes. It always kind of has to have a reason for existing. And I'm here for that, my friend. I definitely here for that. Now I have a lot of people who love this cigar. And I promised the members of my virtual herf that I would ask you about this cigar. The first chance I got to talk to you. Okay. Tell

me about the war is. Wow, war is man. That's that's a good one. So, let's see, what do I start with war is. So in 2017, I met some guys guy named Luciano Morales. And got him a radio pichardo. And they gave me some samples of the show. And which at a trade show, which that happens all the time. And you know, some of it you

kind of just put away and some of you smoke and get back to the office. What have you. And the next day at that show, I start smoking their samples like, wow, these guys, this is really good. And the question became can they make a cigar on a regular basis as good as these samples that they prepared for me at that show. So behind that, there

was a we have a distributor in Germany. And they kept asking us to do a German exclusive for them, like with Skip did with them for wanderlust. That's a German exclusive from Rome a craft. So I say, okay, you know, we'll take a swing. So I would send these guys blends and thinking, okay, this is exactly what they want. Two or three times they rejected each

of the things. And I'm like, all right, fine. What is it that you want? They go, well, we want something like Jericho Hill dark, little heavy, whatever. I'm like, okay. All right. So I went back to Luciano and Aradio. And I said, listen, can you do a riff on Jericho Hill? I'm not going to tell you what's in it. I just want you to give me

your version of that. And they sent me these samples. And I was blown away. And I thought, this is every bit as good as Jericho Hill, if not better. It's, it's, I say, wow, you guys, you nailed this thing. So I kind of kept that on the back plate, back burner with have you, whatever they call it. And I went back to Germany. And I said,

I think I got some for these guys. So I sent them these cigars. And then now it's no good. We don't like it. I was like, all right, that's it. You're, you're all of my radar for a minute. And I just, I, I shoved it. So a couple months later, my condo comes back to me. This is towards the end of like 18, I think. And

he says, Hey, I was hit with a potential project for Thompson cigar, comp, and more of the catalogs. And they wanted to know if we can do a house brand form as well. So I got this blend that I've been sitting on that the German, the German distributors just paned. But I think it's really good. And if you agree, we can, we can do this. And

he said, okay, cool. So that became war as an so initially that became a Thompson exclusive for better part of like eight months and they did nothing with it. It's just sat in the warehouse. And I started to go, man, this cigar is too good not to get out there. So like literally the 11th hour before the trade show in 2019. I go up to Mike

and I said, listen, let's just take some samples to the show. Let's just get people to try it. No sales collateral. No sales. She's nothing. And let's just, I think that's the first thing that I'm going to do. I'm going to see what happens. And we did. And the response immediately was amazing. So people started, okay, I want this one. How many boxes? So from the

summer of 2019 to now, it's been our number one number two best seller hands down. It's just been a monster for us. And I knew it was going to be great. I just wanted to get it out there. Now it's funny because you go back and you see a lot of the social media from Germany and everybody's going crazy over war as well. The guy actually

brought war as in as one of the lines they distributed in Germany. And I told him, so you do realize this is the same cigar that you said was no good that you didn't like. So it was a little bit. I got to thumb my nose at him a little. So that's the story behind war as it came pretty close just being a little secret and

aware of somewhere. If we didn't take that initiative to just say, let's just take it and put it out to the masses. Yeah. It's a fantastic cigar for for my listeners who have never tried it. It is a delicious, earthy Mexican. San Andreas rapper with an Ecuadorian, so much in binder and long filler from Dominican Republic and Nicaragua. Absolutely amazing. You have to try it. If

you have ever followed me on Twitter or Instagram, you will see that I have smoked it numerous times. So if you have questions, make sure you reach out to me. And I'll be more than happy to direct you to retailer that can help you get it. It's a great value for dollars to go out to. I would add that. And I think, you know, I think

it it punches. It's way above its weight. I think I put that in the same ring with eight to $12 cigars, you know, and the entry point for for war is like $5.95 a stick. So yeah, very good value for dollar. Amazing cigar. Amazing. Thank you. Thank you, my friend. So, you know, this is a great segue into my next question because we talked about this

a little bit. The inspiration behind blends. And I have heard other people tell me how they come up with inspiration. But music seems to be what drives inspiration for some of the best cigars that I have ever smoked. And as you said, one of your best sellers in the war is. And I just want to know how much inspiration and where do you get your inspiration

from? Is it all musical or is it something else? I think it's something else. It's, you know, I've always believed that if you see it, I think it's something else. I think it's something else. It's, you know, I've always believed that if you see it, I think it's something else. And it's just like, you know, I've been sitting down and trying to be quote unquote inspired

by something or look for something. It's not going to happen. I think it's all around all of us. And what our job is. It's to just free up our mind to the point where we become like that conduit and let it just channel through us. And it will come. You just have to be in a space where that inspiration could speak through you. Like I'm not

doing anything other than just being like, you know, the middle guy really I think. I mean, I believe that like God inspires. I mean, I think God is the only way to get a lot of blessings come when we're open to them. But when we're closed off and we're trying to do it ourselves, it doesn't work. You just gotta let him take control and it'll come

to you. And I believe that and everything I've done to this day, I believe it happens that way. And so some of the inspiration comes musically, sonically, lyrically, some of it comes from art, some of it comes from fashion, some of it comes from whatever. Some of it's just from the history of cigars. But I'm just trying to, I try to put myself in a place

where I'm going to be. I'm going to be in a place where I'm open to receive any and all of that. And then what comes out is the jumping off point. And then you know, you go from there. Amazing. You know, you said something that resonated with me. And it resonated with me so strongly that I need, I need to ask this question before I ask

about the next cigar. You said art. Now I am looking at you. And I'm also looking behind you. And I am reminded of you. I'm reminded that the band for the last color of ares is dope. Where did you come up with that art, bro? I love that. That's, you know, I didn't reinvent anything. Really. That was, that's just based on, uh, God, what was the

name of the piece? I can't remember it off the top of my head. I'm Mexican artist that it basically where the whole sugar skull motif came from. And I was in an airport, Mexico coming back my trade show of my wife one day. I looked up at that and I was like, it's just stuck with me. Like I said, you've got to be open and be

in a space where you can just receive. And I looked up like light bulb went off. And I had always wanted to do. Not a day of the dead cigar per se, but I wanted to do something that paid tribute to the people that passed before us, like each year, like, because we, as we get older in this business, so many people go away. And we,

I like to pay tribute to those people, whether it be family members or friends or industry people or artists will have you. And that was the, I think it was like, a caliber that Katrina or something like that. It's like an 1800s kind of a, a, a thing. You have to look it up. But, um, that was the, the jumping off point for, for last caliber.

So that came to me back in like 2013, eventually started to work on it in January 14 with Heiming Garcia done at my father's cigars. And, um, and the rest is history. And this will be the seventh or eighth last color grocery done every year since 14 with the Garcia. I have to give a little shout out to my good friend, Pete Johnson, for making that

all happen because Pete was very instrumental in getting us in the door at my father's cigars. And it's because of his, his graciousness that we have that relationship to this day. Beautiful. Beautiful. You know, I am, I'm thinking a lot about our conversation and about the great plans. The motivation, um, the interest in crowned heads. And I'm thinking about me, both as a consumer and just

as a member of a group, we actively hunt and seek out the last color bears. I ran into a buddy. I was in Chicago this weekend. And my buddy came across some 20. 15's. And I was so envious. I was like, bro, let me cash. I have you right now, bro. Send me five, man. Clean out the box. I need that, bro. He was like, no,

man, I love you, man. But these are for me. You didn't do it. You didn't get it. No, man. He didn't give me any. I want to make you feel even worse. So in 2015, I was, I, it was January 15. And, and I had, had some direction towards what the 15 calibers is going to be. And I remember it being in the truck, getting driven

from a knob with to, to Estelle, to go start working again on it with a timing. And I wanted something different than the 14 because the 14 blew up. For whatever reason, I had no idea what was going to happen with the 14 blew up. So I said, you know, I wanted to go in a different direction. I wanted, you know, this different rapper and I

want a different profile. And so they gave me this cigar, this little robust one. I lit it up in the truck of smoke. And I said, God, what is this? And I remember, you also said, that's your, your sample for your 15 that you wanted, your Cala Vera. She might do it. This, I think this blows the doors off the 14 said, yeah, he goes, I

mean, said the same thing. So to this day, when everybody tells me all the 14 was the unicorn and the Holy Grail would have you, I always say, you know, what, the 15 was better. And I don't just think that, but, you know, the man that blended it, thinks that too, I'm in Garcia. So 15 has always been a very special cigar for me. I always

thought it was one of the best. I am sitting on a 17, 18 and 19. No 20s. I smoked them all, man. What did you think of the 20? I like the 19 better than 20. I agree with you 100%. I agree with the 100%. I would put, if I had to rank them, I would say, for me, it'd be a toss up between 15 and

19 and then followed by the 14 and the rest of them can fall after that. But yeah, I thought the 19 was, was amazing. Yeah. And I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I am actively seeking them

so that I can hoard them. I know, I know that sounds bad, man. No, that's all right. It's, it's fun to do. I, we keep a, like, a box of everything in archives, but some of the stuff we kind of missed, like, I don't have any more 15s. Yeah. I think we might have a box of 16, but 20s went real quick. It was amazing. Cause

you know, this time last year, we're in the middle of the pandemic. And that thing was great. So we didn't know what to expect. When we announced the 2020 Calibers. And I was kind of thinking, it's gonna be a tough sell, you know, shops aren't doing business. We're all stuck at home. Blah, blah, blah. And hand to God. That thing sold out in two and a

half days. The entire production. I was just blown away. I was just like, this can't be real. It, yeah. It happened. Like the sample, it did 500 samples in 2020. Those were going in two hours. And then it was, it was like watching like a stock market thing. I was like, I was like, wow. So I don't know. We'll see what happens. Man, we're gonna announce

the, the 21 on June the 9th. So that's the game plan. And it's gonna ship in July. Fingers crossed. We'll see what happens, man. You heard it folks. You heard it. Jim dropped you. You know, you're gonna get those credit and debit cards. You cash up. You just extra human door because if I get to it before you do, you won't have any. I will say

if you like the 19, you're gonna like to, you like the, yeah, the 21. It's, it's a different rapper. It's, I was without giving the whole thing away. It's the first time we've used this rapper with the Garcia's on the last Calibers. So I'm pretty excited. It's still a bit, a little bit new and charter waters for us. But they did a fantastic job on the

blend. In fact, it was the, for me, it was a toss up in 20 between the final blend. And then this, there was another blend that was very close competitor contender. And that contender could have flipped the coin. It became the 21. So that's what we're going. My last question. Well, not my last question, but the last cigar when I talk about the lot in period.

So tell me about that one. The same blend as ever in this'... so you listen to it. I'm coming up with this thing, it's called La Unperiosa and we're repurposing the Calavers blend, you know, back by popular demand. What have you? Just different fatolas. And ironically, we got so much backlash initially for releasing that cigar. Because people were complaining to me that, you know, now my

2014's are meaningless, they're worthless. You devalue them and, you know, now I can get that blend anytime. And then other people were saying, oh, it's not the same blend. It tastes different. A lot of hate, a lot of hate. But, you know, here we are six years later and that brand continues to thrive and survive because it's just a great quality cigar. But it's the same

Habano, or a school or app, or same, you know, the Cragumbinder filler. Just different fatolas in the 14 Calavers, but it is that blend repurposed. So that's... And Imperiosa is an old Cuban brand that we were able to re-register and bring back to life. And it means the... That which is imperative, you know, that which is necessary. And I thought, what a great fit. It's imperative

and necessary that we bring this blend back. And that became Lampperiosa. So... There it is. That's the story. And ironically, we have the original label from the Cubans from 19... I think it's somewhere between 1912 and 1920. And the band and label manufacturer that we were working with at the time of Rydog and Holland gifted it to us when we released Lampperiosa. And it's so cool

that I still have it hanging up in my office. And beautiful art. It just blows my mind that they were able to do that quality of art and production 100 plus years ago. I mean, still... It would be... Still blowing doors and most packaging today. John, I want to take a moment, sort of. Thank you so much for joining me. I have learned so much about

you as well as your brand. Folks, find you online. Where can we find Crown Heads? Well, if you want to see a very outdated antiquated website, you can go to CrownHeads.com, which is a terrible website. We're in desperate need of a real facelift on that. But more importantly, at the Crown Heads is our Instagram and our Twitter. I manage both myself personally. We don't outsource it.

It's just me. And that's where you can find us. That's where I... I spend 99% of my marketing effort is on Instagram. We have yet to take out a print out in any magazine or anything. So it's all... You know, grateful for the people that supported us. This point is to enable us to do so. But at the Crown Heads, you know, the reason it says

the Snack Sun Bougie or anything, it's just because Crown Heads was taken by some... some like little three-piece band in New Orleans or something or whatever back in the day. So we had to put the dud in front of it. So much for your time, sir. I really do appreciate it. Dante, it was my pleasure. Absolutely. Anytime, man. Anytime. Thank you for your taking the time.

I appreciate you. No problem.