Premium cigars are rare in the $6–$7 range these days, so the Crowned Heads Thunderkiss under-$7 price immediately caught my attention. Especially with how expensive cigars have gotten lately.
This was actually my first Crowned Heads cigar review. I've seen quite a bit of praise for Thunderkiss since it came out, especially considering the price, so I was curious to smoke one for myself finally.
I liked it. It burned extremely well; I enjoyed smoking it, and at under $7 a stick, there's really not a whole lot for me to complain about here. Was I as blown away by it as some of the reviews I've seen? Probably not. But I also keep coming back to the fact that we're talking about a boutique cigar under the $7 mark.
Yes, especially at the price. I don't know that Thunderkiss would have stood out quite as much to me if it were another $12 cigar, but that's also kind of the point here. It's not.
For the price, you're getting an Ecuadorian Habano cigar made in Nicaragua that smoked extremely well for me. I enjoyed it and would definitely smoke another.
Profile: Medium
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Factory: D'Hatuey Tabacos S.A., Nicaragua
Size Reviewed: Robusto Extra 5 x 54
Notable Features: Regular production; sold in 10-count bundles
Flavor Highlights: Coffee, chocolate, wood, earth, pepper, and baking spice
Price Point: Typically under $7 per cigar and closer to $6 per cigar when bought in bundles of 10.
Crowned Heads has never been shy about pulling inspiration from music, and Thunderkiss continues that trend. The name comes from White Zombie's “Thunder Kiss '65,” but what's probably more interesting for most cigar smokers is the price.
Thunderkiss debuted with an MSRP of only $6.75 and is offered in bundles of 10 rather than traditional boxes. It's a 5 x 54 Robusto Extra made at D'Hatuey Tabacos S.A. in Nicaragua, using an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper over Nicaraguan binder and fillers.
And really, that's the part that made Thunderkiss interesting to me in the first place. Finding a premium cigar under $10 is getting harder, let alone one under $7 from a brand like Crowned Heads. There's nothing wrong with bundle cigars built specifically to be cheap, but Thunderkiss doesn't really come across that way.
The first thing that stood out to me was that Thunderkiss doesn't really look like a budget-friendly cigar. The Ecuadorian Habano wrapper on mine was a medium-brown with some pretty noticeable veins and seams running through it. It's not a perfectly smooth wrapper by any means, but the cigar looked good and felt well put together.
I also really like the band on these. The black and yellow stands out immediately, with the blue eye right in the middle. It's a pretty cool looking cigar for something that costs less than $7.
I didn't write down any cold draw notes when I smoked this one, so I'm not going to try to recreate them now, but my excitement to light this thing up was very real.
Thunderkiss got off to a really good start for me. The burn line was clean almost immediately, smoke production was good, and I wasn't having to chase it around with a lighter.
Flavor-wise, there was enough going on to keep me interested, with some pepper and spice coming through early. What stood out more to me, though, was how quickly I forgot I was smoking a cigar that costs less than $7.
It didn't smoke like something that was made to just hit a cheap price point, and I was enjoying the first third pretty much right out of the gate.
Not a ton changed for me heading into the second third, but I wasn't really expecting it to either. The cigar was still smoking well, the flavor profile stayed enjoyable, and the burn continued to behave.
I think this is where Thunderkiss started making more sense to me as an everyday cigar. I don't necessarily need something I'm going to stop and think about every ten minutes. Sometimes I just want something that tastes good, burns well, and lets me sit there and enjoy the cigar. That's pretty much what I was getting here.
I ended up smoking this one pretty far down, which probably tells you something by itself.
The ash got quite a bit uglier in the final third. You can see that in the photos. It became flaky and wasn't exactly going to win any long-ash competitions, but the actual burn line continued to be really good. No major canoeing, no constant corrections, nothing that made me want to put it down early.
The cigar never really turned into something dramatically different for me toward the end. It stayed enjoyable and consistent, and I kept smoking it.
Construction was one of the better parts of this cigar for me. The burn stayed even almost the entire way, and I don't remember having to do much with it after lighting up. No complaints there.
As I mentioned above, the ash got pretty flaky later on, but that was mostly cosmetic. I smoked it down close to the nub without fighting the burn, and I'll take that every time, especially on a cigar at this price.
I'd put Thunderkiss somewhere around medium to medium-full. It had enough body and spice to keep things interesting, but the strength never became overwhelming at all.
More than any one specific flavor, what I remember about the profile was how approachable it was. There was enough going on that I never found it boring, but it wasn't an overly complex cigar that had me stopping every few minutes trying to figure out what had changed either.
And for what Thunderkiss is trying to be, I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing. For me, this is a cigar I can enjoy while mowing or doing other things outside around the house. Affordable, dependable, and downright a great cigar.
This is probably where Thunderkiss won me over the most. At its price, it's a great way to enjoy a quality cigar without eating too far into your monthly cigar budget. That's becoming harder and harder to do, especially if you're smoking a few cigars every week.
It's also the kind of cigar I'd have zero hesitation in handing out to friends. We've all probably handed somebody a nice cigar and then watched them smoke a quarter of it before they're done. Watching somebody bail on a Thunderkiss hurts a whole lot less than watching them do it with a $15 cigar.
And the nice part is, it doesn't feel like you're handing them the cheap stuff. That's really where Thunderkiss makes sense to me. Smoke a few yourself, keep some around for friends, and you're not doing the math in your head every time you reach into the humidor.
I really liked Thunderkiss. I smoked mine almost down to the nub; it burned great, and I'd definitely smoke another one.
I wasn't completely blown away by it, which I think is worth saying considering how much praise this cigar has gotten. Maybe another one changes my mind. For this first smoke, though, the thing I kept coming back to was the price.
If Thunderkiss were $12 or $13, I don't know that I'd be sitting here telling you to go out of your way for one. At under $7? That's a different conversation.
It's good, it's affordable, and I don't have to think twice about grabbing one. I'd keep a few around for myself and probably even more around for friends. I would suggest you do yourself a favor and do the same.
---TABLE---
Flavor – 8.3/10
Construction – 8.8/10
Burn / Draw – 9.0/10
Value – 9.4/10
Overall Rating: ⭐ 8.5 / 10
Good cigar, great price. Thunderkiss didn't blow me away on my first go with it, but for the price I'd have no problem keeping a few in the humidor.
You can find the Crowned Heads Thunderkiss Robusto at After Action Cigars, available as both 5-packs and 10-count bundles. If you're curious about the cigar after reading the review, I'd start with a 5-pack or grab a bundle of 10 and see whether Thunderkiss earns a regular spot in your humidor. I truly can't imagine you'd be disappointed if you did.
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