Cigar Review | Long Live The King

When I moved up north from Florida my friend Jaclyn Sears of Caldwell Cigar Co. hooked me up with samples of the then forthcoming releases from Caldwell Cigar Co including Long Live the King. It was then that I first smoked today’s cigar which when I reviewed it for another site I labeled it as the best cigar I smoked all year. A lot has changed since then as I have gotten my palate back after years of smoking primarily the same cigars.

Let’s see how the cigar compares to when I last smoked it.

Cigar: Long Live The King
Size: 6 x 52 (The Petite Double Wide Short Churchill)
Wrapper: Dominican Corojo (2008)
Binder: Dominican Corojo (2009)
Filler: Dominican Corojo Peruvian Pelo de Oro, Nicaragua Habano
Strength: Medium-Full

The Look: A beautifully constructed cigar with almost no seams present on the roll. The wrapper is nearly flawless and trying to find one is nearly impossible. In the hand the cigars are firm with no soft spots and a nice weight to them. The band has a nice sketch of a king with his crown. The king reminds me of a “homie” which were little figurines back in the day.

The Notes: One of my favorite tobaccos is Pelo de Oro, and the fact that this cigar has it makes me giddy. The cold draw of the cigar reminds me of sour dough and the foot has the nose of cedar. Once the cigar is lit there is a sweetness that borders on caramel and mocha. As the cigar progresses into the first third of the cigar the distinct taste of the Peruvian Pelo de Oro is dominant. There is a faint raisin note with some citrus and continues mocha on the first third.

In the second third of the cigar, a faint citrus lingers in the background. There is a cedar developing along with a rich butter note and a continues sweetness. The citrus which is the tangy notes I associate with the Pelo de Oro on my palate. As the second third of the cigar comes to a close the strength begins to slide over to the fuller side of medium and some nuttiness enters the mix.

The last third of the Caldwell Cigar Co. Long Live the King has some nuts and a butter like smoothness. There is a developing earth toward the finish which is short with a hint of citrus.

The Burn: A slow burning stick with a draw that offers a light resistance. The medium color ash holds a quarter at a time although it is a bit flaky. The cigar burned even and crisp from the initial light to last puff and no relights were needed.

The Finish: Long Live The King when I first smoked it was the best cigar I had all year. For me it is still among the best, but with so many new cigars coming through it is hard for me to call at this point what the best cigar I had all year was. We will be unveiling our best cigars on a future episode of The Cigar Authority. The question is, will this cigar make that cut.

Score: 92
Price: $11.19 single / $239.99 Box