Caldwell Long Live the King Review

At Anthony’s Cigar Emporium we strive to provide the very best selection of premium cigars to its customers. Sometimes, customers demand a certain cigar, other times we find a new cigar that our employees love that suddenly become a customer favorite.   Anthony’s Cigar Emporium is proud to be part of the First 49, among the first retailers to launch the Caldwell brand before it took off. We are having a lot of success with all of the Caldwell lines including the Caldwell collection and the Seleccion Junior Varsity that quickly became an employee favorite for its distinctive flavors and its price point and this Caldwell Long Live the King Review shows why.

They represent a good value given its impeccable look, from its packaging and labeling to the beautiful construction, and its distinctive blends.  Sometimes only a boutique company with its smaller production numbers like Caldwell Cigar Co. can source rarer, smaller batch, limited supply tobaccos and create a regular production line around it. Robert Caldwell is committed to sourcing non-readily available Grade A fermented and aged tobaccos.  This is what Caldwell Cigar Co. did for its Caldwell Collection, which includes three regular production lines: Eastern Standard, The King is Dead, and Long Live the King; and a limited production run originally referred to as “Nothing You Ever Heard Of.” but now finally named “The Last Tsar” that will be shipping to Anthony’s Cigar Emporium today.

The Caldwell Long Live the King Review was based on smoking two formats: an exquisite lancero My Style is Jalapeno (7 1/4″ x 40) and The Heater (5 3/4″ x 46 Corona).   The line sports a very oily dark brown Corojo wrapper that has minimal veins and a perfect pigtail.  Robert Caldwell chose to use Tabacalera William Ventura in Tamboril, Dominican Republic to collaborate on the manufacturing of his cigars, headed by former Davidoff Master Blender William Ventura.  Clearly William Ventura has brought his Davidoff quality control standards to the Caldwell Collection, with each cigar appearing flawless and almost too good looking to smoke.

The cigar blend for Long Live the King reads like a wine label using tobaccos 6-8 years old:

 

It is wonderful to see a Dominican puro at a lower price point.  Typically they go for at least $5 more.  The dark brown Corojo wrapper is an “authentic,” non-hybridized version of Corojo.   Most growers switched to a hybridized Corojo after mold destroyed many crops in the early 2000s.  Authentic Corojo, though more difficult to grow, has a fuller-bodied and more complex flavor profile than hybridized Corojo.  It is a bit more difficult to blend due to the burning qualities and its overpowering flavor, but in Long Live the King, some Pelo de Oro and Habano leaves are flavorful enough to complement the Corojo with some creamy depth and a subtle hint of natural tobacco sweetness to tone down the spicyness.

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First Third:

Pre-light aromas from the thick and oily Corojo wrapper and foot are of fermented tobacco and rich soil.  The wrapper is thick and oily but it lights well.  The cigar feels a little spongy and would do well with a couple of weeks of dry-aging, if you have the patience.  It starts off with a black pepper punch; though not harsh or over-powering.  It is a cigar that feels and tastes fresh but its smoothness tells you that the tobaccos have been well aged and the cigar is ready to smoke now for its most full-bodied flavor profile.  As the wrapper warms up the cigar becomes a bit more soft, and it takes a little bit of effort to draw on but each draw is very rich, creamy and flavorful.

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Second Third:

In the second third, the black pepper fades into the background and leathery, rich earth flavors take over along with smoky oak aromas.  A bit of minierality begins to show up the deeper you get into the cigar and the strength gradually increases.  The dense white-gray ash is about an inch long.  There cigar burs a little uneven, but not so much as to affect the smoking experience.  The cigar does get hit some “funk” notes as it transitions into the final third but they disappear.

 

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Last Third:

The cigar finishes well, as all fine cigars do, as the black pepper returns along with a distinctive savory component that coats the entire palate and the oaky aromas intensify.  The mineral flavors take over the rich earth flavors with a dryer taste profile.  The cigar is at its strongest but is still well balanced. After finishing the cigar, I want to sit down and reflect upon the whole experience.

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Final Thoughts:

This is a connoisseur’s cigar, for someone who can appreciate the flavors of a full-bodied cigar and the rare tobaccos that went into it.  The attention to detail is apparent in all aspects of Long Live the King, from its packaging and unique artistic labeling to the construction and blend of the cigar.  Robert Caldwell clearly has a passion for fine tobaccos.  The best part about this cigar is its price point, making distinctive Dominican puros accessible to the everyday smoker.  My Style is Jalapeno is a beautifully rolled lancero that shows more peppery notes and intense flavors that The Heater.  Again the only drawback to Long Live the King is the burn probably because of the thick and very oily Corojo leaves, but the flavor of that singular authentic Dominican Corojo wrapper and filler make it totally worth managing the burn with just a couple of torch corrections.  Perhaps these minor flaws will be corrected with some more aging.  I am definitely setting a few aside to see how the flavors merge and develop.  It is a cigar worth smoking now and should age quite nicely.  It would pair well with a dessert wine, especially a ruby port.

Buy Long Live the King at Anthony’s Cigar Emporium Now!