The Black Belt Buckle by Crowned Heads is a special line of cigars created exclusively for Famous-Smoke. The original Four Kicks was made with a Habano Ecuador wrapper, while the Black Belt Buckle comes with a Connecticut Broadleaf. This will be my first ever Four Kicks BBB.
Prelight
Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Vitola: 5 5/8 x 46 (corona gorda)
Price: $ 7
The Four Kicks is seemingly constructed well, void of soft spots or major issues, it has a slightly veiny wrapper with a medium brown hue and a light sheen of oils. The red and gold band is classic and ornate in appearance, the secondary band is exclusive to the Black Belt Buckle.
Flavor and Smoke
Immediately upon the first few puffs I taste a robust but delightful smoke. Burnt Caramel, dark chocolate, and espresso make up the majority of the notes at the beginning of the Four Kicks. Secondary, more faint notes of cedar and cream dwell somewhere in the background.
The Black Belt Buckle is rather spicy, blasts of black pepper lingers on the finish, and will tickle your nose with each retro-hale.
I was able to snag a box of 10 for free with an online coupon for the month of July, although I had to spend $300 with Famous-smoke. If you are purchasing cigars, I would highly recommend first checking out the coupon section with Famous, you can find it here
Leaving the first third of the Black Belt, the black pepper has transitioned into a spice more related to hot cinnamon. Any nuances of chocolate are long gone, replaced by cedar and hay. I don’t dig the flavor profile as much, but it is still quite delightful.
At the halfway point of the Four Kicks, a rich dark almond note appears alongside the still-there woodsy notes, with just a touch of sweetness complementing.
It has become impossible for me to retro-hale a full puff, of course there is never a need too, just a small amount of smoke channeled up to the back of the nose will suffice for flavor enhancement. Then again, I suppose it is possible if I want to look like I have been chopping onions and snorting paprika 😁. Although the full strength is quite apparent in flavors, I feel no nicotine buzz.
The final third is providing dark and robust meaty flavors, while the cedar notes wane.
A slight floral note and toasted walnut has appeared on the finish. I love when the final portion remains enjoyable, all too often a cigar tends to go downhill and over-darken at the end.
Final Thoughts
The Four Kicks Black Belt Buckle is another fantastic cigar created by Crowned Heads. I find it perfect for the times you are in the mood for a dark and rich cigar that won’t overwhelm the palette, nor the pocketbook.
The cigar as a whole featured a complex and well balanced, yet dark flavor profile. This remained until the end, never ending up too dark or bitter. I was also impressed with the construction and burn-line, no re-lights or touch-ups were required.
My emoji rating:😀
(🤢😖☹️😕😐🙂😀😋🤗😍)
Smoke time: An hour and 20 minutes
Cigar paired with: Gevelia coffee mixed with chocolate milk
Price opinion: 👍🏻
Recommend/buy again? Yes - You can find them here at Famous-smoke