Jon Huber has a new cigar company, Crowned Heads. After leaving the corporate strictures of CAO, as the brand shuffles hands from within Scandinavian Tobacco Group and Swedish match/General Cigar.

This is what Jon had to say about his relationship with “corporate” life,

“I can tell you that it feels damned good to be free of the corporate chains and choke hold that was our dear friends we knew and loved (I say that with tongue firmly planted in cheek) as ‘ST Group.’”

Because Jon Huber has been with the CAO brand for so long, his departure leaves many questions surrounding successful lines like the La Traviata, Brazilia, Italia, the MX and LX series, etc.

Well, a few days ago, Jon was spotted wearing a baseball cap with the lettering CH – which prompted many to speculate that his new company will be called Casa Huber. We learn today that it will be called Crowned Heads. It seems that the brand is still under construction because Jon Speculates that he will have something to showcase for this year’s IPCPR. Sure hope he makes it.

As for his cigars, it looks like he has yet to find his blend and had to say about how he’s going to choose his blend:

…it’s like when you meet the woman you wanna spend the rest of your life with; you just KNOW.  Up to that point, you’ve dated women who have each had their assets and good attributes–but there was a certain ‘something’ that just wasn’t ‘there’…..and then you meet THE ONE.  And then everything changes.  You stop thinking about other women.  You stop looking at other women.  All you can think about is her; and you know it is right.  It feeeeeeels right.  You eat, sleep, breathe, and dream…….HER.  Do you know what I mean?

Well, to me it’s just like that with blends and, yes, creating the ideal manufacturing scenario.  I remember when we were developing La Traviata […] At that time, we could articulate what the cigar should taste like, what it should smoke like, what it should look like–but it wasn’t there.  We had literally gone through 21 different ligas in search of the La Traviata blend.  Then, I recall that I had just come back to Nashville after a few days on the road doing Rock N Rolled in-store events [and] I was pretty much told “..you have to smoke that sample on your desk–now.”  I remember that I was maybe 1/2” into that 6” x 50 sample and said to myself, “THIS is it.”  I knew we had found her…THE one.  And from that point on, I knew in my skin that we had a home run.  I couldn’t stop thinking about that blend.  I only smoked THAT blend.  Every day.  For weeks.  Months.  Ultimately, that blend became C** La Traviata.

And so I’m hoping we will soon find ‘her’….‘the one.’

That’s interesting – I didn’t realize that Jon felt that way about awesome blends. On the consumer side, when I find an awesome blend, I’ll remember it. But soon, I’ll try to find an even better one.

And where does one start up a new cigar company? New York? Miami? Nope – Nashville. There’s one thing certain for Mr. Huber – and that’s respect. Mad props to the man who decided to stay in the once underdog luxury tobacco town of Nashville. Frank Sinatra would be proud of you, Jon, for your choice to do it your way.

Now let’s see if your new smokes are any good.