Steve Mawby and I recently had a chance to chat about Crowned Heads' Four Kicks Mule Kick cigar, which packs a punch (and a kick) of intensity with cool artwork to boot. With only 250 10-count boxes made, these are sure to go quickly so don't miss out on this beater of a cigar while we have them.

[Tyler Caldwell]: We're doing something a little special today. We want to introduce you to the new limited-edition 2025 version of Crowned Heads' Four Kicks Mule Kick. We're going into this completely blind. We have not been able to smoke this prior. I will say, right off the bat, this cigar is strong. If you like your cigars strong, this is gonna be right up your alley.

[Steve Mawby]: Which I do, so this is perfect. I've always been a big fan of the Mule Kicks, and all their previous releases. This is their eighth release, right?

[TC]: Yes, it's the eighth one. The first one was released in 2012.

[SM]: This is not disappointing right here off the bat. Of course, I am a fan of the stronger stuff so keep that in mind.

[TC]: What I like about the Mule Kick series is they don't necessarily release it every year, but essentially they try to, and every year it's a different blend rendered in typically the same size, if I'm correct on that, for every release. However, every release is just a completely different cigar.

This one reminds me of one of their earlier renditions. This is a beater. If you want something with a high nicotine content, a lot of body, but also a lot of complexity in flavor, this will be for you.

[SM]: For sure. Yeah, it's a great second cigar for me to be smoking on an empty stomach already.

[TC]: Oh man, this is breakfast right here. This does come from Casa Carrillo's factory. For those out there who don't know, that is E.P. Carrillo's factory. This cigar definitely has that kind of signature Carrillo flavor profile to it.

Also, for me, a lot of Carrillo's cigars tend to lean towards heavier, fuller, and thicker-bodied flavor profiles. Four Kicks Mule Kick is made up of a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper, a Mexican San Andrés binder, and two different forms of Nicaraguan in the filler.

[SM]: We touched on how they don't necessarily do this every year. I think that kind of speaks to Crowned Heads as a company. They're going to do it when they're ready — when they've got something that they're really happy with rather than trying to force something every year.

[TC]: Absolutely. John Huber, who is essentially the one who comes up with the ideas of the blends and all of that, and is also co-owner of Crowned Heads, always sees himself as more of an artist. I think artistically this cigar is right on point with his philosophy of Crowned Heads and he makes cigars for people not only based on his palate but also has the consumer in mind.

[SM]: Yeah, and that's why you get a lot of variety, but also that consistent thread through all of those cigars. There's always a definite Crowned Heads flavor to it. Artistically with this, not just with the flavor and the way everything's blended and balanced, but the band, the artwork on the box, it's all very cool. You've got these 10-count boxes here and they only made 250.

[TC]: Yeah, so scoop them up while you can.

[SM]: Crowned Heads' Four Kicks Mule Kick is available at Smokingpipes now so don't hesitate if this sounds like something you'd be interested in.