During an early episode of what is now Oz Heads Podcast, Jon Huber said something along the lines of, “The day of the $10 cigar is dead; the day of the $20 cigar is upon us.” That has stuck with me. Very soon after that proclomation, Crowned Heads released their first cigar with a $20 MSRP, La Vereda. What I find curious is, that is Crowned Heads’ only venture into that price range. In fact, Crowned Heads released two sub $10 cigars in 2025: The Meat and Three and Thunderkiss.
The Thunderkiss is a 5″ x 54 robusto extra and has an MSRP of $6.75 (for those keeping score at home…that’s $13.25 cheaper than a $20 cigar). It features an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper over binder and fillers from Nicaragua. The cigar is named after the White Zombie song “Thunder Kiss ’65.” As a metal fan, I admit to being excited that Jon Huber decided name a cigar after a White Zombie track.
OVERVIEW
VITOLA:Â Â Robusto Extra
SIZE:Â Â 5″ x 54
ORIGIN:Â Â Nicaragua
FACTORY:  D’Hatuey Tabacos S.A.
WRAPPER:Â Â Ecuadorian Habano
BINDER:Â Â Nicaragua
FILLER:Â Â Nicaragua
STRENGTH:Â Â Medium-full – Full
SOURCE:Â Â Â
Small Batch Cigar
ENVIRONMENT
WHERE:Â Â
Studio/Lounge
WHEN:Â Â
January 21 @12pm
DRINKS:Â Â
Bottled Water
WEATHER:Â Â
Indoors
HOW MANY CIGARS SMOKED:Â Â
3
PRODUCTION
RELEASE TYPE Â Regular Production
ORIGINALLY RELEASE DATE Â December ’25
TOTAL PRODUCTION
Typical Box Size:Â Â Â Bundles of 10
Production Totals:Â Unknown
VITOLA BREAKDOWN
o  Robusto Extra (5″ x 54)
BAND DESIGN
The band mirrors the sticker on the front of the bundle: a black background, a giant blue eye, surrounded by yellow, with Thunderkiss written in white above it, and yellow lightning on the sides. This will grab your attention in ant humidor. Just a quick note: the Thunderkiss does not have the new Crowned Heads branding on it. In fact, the band has no mention of Crowned Heads in it, though it is found on the sticker on each bundle.
PRE-LIGHT OBSERVATIONS
CONSTRUCTION
The Ecuadorian Habano wrapper is light shade of brown, just a bit lighter than milk chocolate. The wrapper is smooth to the touch, though each cigar smoked for this review has multiple bumps and and raised veins running up and down the cigar. There are a few dark spots on the wrapper, along with a nice oily sheen. The cap appears to be expertly applied. There are no obvious hard or soft spots on the Thunderkiss.
AROMA
The Ecuadorian Habano wrapper has subtle notes of wood, spice, and barnyard. The notes are faint, but there. The foot has big notes of fruit, earth, and sweet tobacco.
COLD DRAW
Baking spices, earth, grass, fruit, and something akin to an animal cracker jump out on the cold draw. Each Thunderkiss has a different type of draw: the first was almost perfect; the second was on the tight side, the third is very open.Â
SMOKING EXPERIENCE
LIGHT & DRAW
Cut: Le Petit by Les Fines Lames
Fire: Vector SONICPUMP
Big notes of earth, baking spices, coffee, cayenne pepper, and avocado oil jump out from the initial light. Black pepper on the retrohale. Spicy and earthy to begin, but there is a smoothness to it. Sweetness hiding beneath the bold flavors, while pepper claws at the back of my throat.Â
SMOKE
The smoke is creamy and thick. Each draw produces a more than satisfying amount. It coats my palate in a pleasing way.Â
FIRST THIRD
>> Earth, Chocolate, Wood
Chocolate, nuts, earth, and red pepper flake continue where the initial light left off. Black pepper and baking spices on the retrohale. There is sn almost caramel creaminess to the Thunderkiss’ first third. Still spicy. The burn is almost perfect. The ash white with a few streaks of black. It resembles a stack of nickels. The sweetness sublime. It is flanked by notes of wood and coffee. The retrohale sets it all off. Perhaps a bit of herbaceousness lurks in the background. Wood lingers on my palate. Earth, chocolate, wood, spice, and pepper continue to dominate the first third. Subtle sweetness lurks underneath it all.Â
SECOND THIRD
>> Coffee, Wood, Baking Spices
Coffee, cedar, spices, and earth continue through the beginning of the second third. Caramel and wood linger on my palate. Baking spices rule the retrohale. The ash begins to lose some cohesion on two of the three Thunderkiss smoked for this review. The burn line is still straight. The smoke is still creamy and plentiful. Pepper is still clawing at the back of my throat, but not like it did in the first third. The Thunderkiss seems to throttle down in the middle third, while still delivering the full flavors it did during the initial third. Cedar, caramel, coffee, and pepper continue to dominate.Â
FINAL THIRD
>> Espresso, Dark Chocolate, Black Pepper
The final third begins with the pepper ramping up back to the levels found in the first third. Notes of baking spices, earth, charred wood, and burnt coffee jump out at me. Black pepper returns to the retrohale. The ash continues to be flakey, as the burn line becomes a bit uneven. The Thunderkiss is a flakey mess by this point in two of three cigars smoked for this review. Red pepper flake and wood linger on my palate. The sweetness returns, adding some much needed depth to the flavor profile. The smoke is still creamy and plentiful. Honey roasted nuts, wood, espresso, dark chocolate, and baking spices round out the Thunderkiss’ final third.
RATING & FINAL THOUGHTS
FLAVOR PROGRESSION
The Thunderkiss delivers a straightforward flavor progression from start to finish. Chocolate, coffee, wood, baking spices, red pepper, and black pepper permeate each third. Variations of caramel, butter, and nuts come and go throughout. While it is not the most complex or nuanced flavor progression, it is enjoyable.
BURN EXPERIENCE
The burn starts out strong: compact and straight through the first third. Unfortunately, two of the three Thunderkiss smoked for this review devolved into a flakey mess. The burn wavered, but it always corrected itself.
RATING BREAKDOWN
0.70Â / 0.80 … Craft & Aesthetic
0.50Â / 0.50 …Â Pre-Light Characteristics
0.50Â / 0.50 …Â Lighting Process
6.70Â / 7.70 …Â Smoking Experience
0.30Â / 0.50 …Â Personal Enjoyment
COMPLIMENTS & CRITIQUES
- Well balanced flavor profile.
- No touch-ups or relights.
- Incredibly flakey ash in two of the three cigars smoked for this review.
- Same flavor notes found throughout the smoking experience.
GIMME’ THAT, GIMME’ THAT.
The Thunderkiss delivers great notes of coffee, chocolate, wood, nuts, pepper, and spices from start to finish. It is a great value proposition from Crowned Heads at an MSRP of $6.75. Fans of bold flavors will undoubtedly find a lot to love with this offering from Crowned Heads. The cons are the flakey ash and the same notes repeated in each third. The Thunderkiss doesn’t demand your attention, nor does it try to be more than it is. It’s a straightforward, solid cigar that is more than worthy of a spot in your humidor.
