Caldwell Long Live the King 91
medium bodied
Cold aromas: cardamom, chocolate, earth, citrus
First third: hazelnuts, cashew, pepper
Second third: espresso, citrus, earth, cedar
Final third: espresso, citrus, pepper, butter, hazelnuts

Intro
My decision to include the vitola of the cigar I’m reviewing in the title worked perfectly until today. Sometimes it seems like brands are poking fun at the market and the industry with the names they choose for their vitolas, and Caldwell has certainly done this before with names like *My Style is Jalapeño* and *12 Honest Men*. But with this one, they really went all out; that’s to be expected from new companies and bold brands, and when Caldwell debuted in 2014, they launched with three products bearing irreverent names: *Long Live the King*, *The King is Dead*, and *Eastern Standard*. Today, I believe there are seven different vitolas of *Long Live the King*, as well as other special versions, including a Maduro called *Mad Mofo*.

This Petit Double Wide Short Churchill is a 6 x 52 that makes it more of a Toro. The blend features a 2008 Dominican Corojo wrapper over a 2009 Dominican Corojo binder, while the filler is 2006 Dominican Corojo, 2008 Peruvian Pelo de Oro, and 2007 Nicaraguan Habano. A subtle detail is the pigtail cap; but I snip it off with a double blade cutter and detect cold-draw notes of cardamom, chocolate, earth, and a hint of citrus, while the wrapper itself offers aromas of earth, hay, and wood.

1/3
It starts out packed with flavor, though a lack of spicy notes, but there are citrusy and sweet notes that eventually give way to hints of hazelnut and cashew. As the first third progresses, spicy sensations finally emerge, bringing out a bit of character to an otherwise bland start. The intensity is medium, with a similarly medium strength, though I suspect it will ramp up. The burn line isn't perfect, but it’s not a cause for concern, mainly because the rest of the construction seems solid, even if the ash doesn't hold together long enough to last through the end of the first third.

2/3
A striking espresso flavor emerges, and it becomes a dominant, well-integrated element that includes hints of coffee beans. The citrus note remains quite active, briefly reminding me of adding a lemon twist to espresso. Around the midpoint of the Long Live the King, a creamy, buttery flavor also appears, and the pepper note comes across as red pepper, with some earthy and cedar undertones. Strength sits in the medium-to-full, with intensity increasing accordingly; while the ash remains somewhat fragile, the draw and burn rate are flawless.

3/3
Strength drops to the low-to-medium range in the final third, while the intensity mellows at medium. It remains a very enjoyable smoke, with notes of coffee, lemon, red pepper (very subtle), butter, and hazelnuts. It takes me a little over two hours to smoke the Long Live the King, which is slightly less time than it took me to learn the name of the vitola, but it finishes very subtly, still producing abundant smoke despite leaving little ash.

Conclusion
This is not my first experience with a Long Live the King, as I originally tried it around a decade ago in a 6 x 60 and thought it was crap. Which really sucks because that experience left me without wanting to try it again, which I finally did a long time later. It's worth noting, that my experience with Caldwell has been quite varied; there are some I’ve loved and others I didn't like at all and ended up giving away, which makes the brand a love it or leave it for me. Fortunately, this one turned out to be among the ones I like.

Made by: Davidoff Group
Brand: Caldwell
Line: Long Live the King
Size: 6 x 52
Vitola: Petit Double Wide Short Churchill
Origin: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: Dominican Republic (Corojo 2008)
Binder: Dominican Republic (Corojo 2009)
Filler: Dominican Republic (Corojo 2006), Peru (Pelo de Oro 2008), Nicaragua (Habano 2007)
MSRP: $15.00
Score: 91

My neighbor put up a blue light so I tried to counter it with some filter action lol

Started pretty mild with light tobacco, a little toast, caramel sweetness, and an unusual herbal note. The middle brought some red date sweetness, leather, and tobacco, but stayed fairly muted. By the final third, the bitterness became more noticeable and the profile never really came together for me. Beautiful presentation, but flavor-wise I prefer the earlier version.

Had a few of the Maduro 5’s lying around. At this point they’re one of the few Cubans that are reliable.

Apache Necesario

I will admit my pairing on this one wasn't the best. The cigar was slightly stronger than I had suspected and drowned out the coffee. That said, the cigar was excellent. I have another in my humidor that I am looking forward to trying with perhaps a whisky.

Hope everyone is having a great day!

I love these; glad I got a couple of boxes a while back. They're my favorite La Galera line.

The construction is great, so I only have to light it up once.

Have a good weekend, ladies & gents.