You may have heard back in September 2022 about the loss of a thriving cigar factory in the Dominican Republic. A fire raged through Tabacalera William Ventura and completely devastated the site. The factory produced cigars for many brands such as ADVentrura, Room 101, Freud Cigar Co., J. London Cigars, and Caldwell. While some lines were able to be shifted over to Ventura's old factory, El Maestro, some lines will be discontinued. Prior to the fire, Caldwell had been getting approximately 1 million cigars a year made from there. With that kind of volume, lines were going to disappear. Below is a list of cigars that you should grab while you can, otherwise they'll just be a memory.
- Eastern Standard Sungrown
- The Last Tsar
- Midnight Express
- Pacific Standard
- La Barba Purple
- La Barba Red
Lucky for the lovers of the leaf, Long Live The King and it's MoFo variation are spared from the ax. They are currently being produced at El Maestro in the Dominican Republic. That is a sigh of relief for me as I really enjoy the LLTK series. So let's cut this MoFo up, apply some heat, and live like a king for an hour.
The Deets
Cigar: Caldwell Long Live The King Mad MoFo Corona
Origin: Dominican Republic
Factory: El Maestro (currently) / Tabacalera William Ventura (previously)
Size: 5.75 x 43
Wrapper: Mexican San Andrés Maduro
Binder: Indonesian
Filler: Dominican Corojo '98, Nicaraguan Habano, Pennsylvanian Double Ligero
Appearance 9.5/10
This cigar looks perfect for a rowdy king. A light, oily sheen shimmers over the entire wrapper from the top of the cute piggy to the clean-bunch foot. All veins are heavily diminished and the roll job was solid. Bands are elegant, yet rugged. It's like being punched by diamond encrusted brass knuckles. I shaved a half point off for not being as concentric as I would like, but overall I think this cigar looks pretty dope.
Draw 8.5/10
Opting for the guillotine, I gave it a full chop. It was still on the tight side and required a lengthy puff, but it did burn. I typically purge on occasion with all my cigars, but this one I felt the need to purge after every puff to ensure the mucky muck didn't begin. That seemed to do the trick. Once the final third rolled in I did jab some minor pokes and it loosened up a bit.
Burn/Construction 9/10
The ash on this MoFo was bright & white. Dense too, as seen on the ash picture above. A small, lopsided burn at the beginning but it corrected itself and burned the rest of the way straight. Sometimes with pigtail caps I find that the cap area can get a little wobbly and give a strange sensation on the lips, as if it's about to come off but doesn't. I didn't experience that here and all remained taught.
Taste 8/10
1/3 - The first to arrive in the king's court are juicy leather and a large sack of salt. The double ligero is clearly the bouncer of the room. Plenty of black pepper on the retro with some fir tree and dryness on the palate. There are wisps of sweetness that come and go. The earthiness seems to shift around and sometimes is peat moss while other times more like flower fields.
2/3 - The wisps of sweetness have been replaced by mild bitters. Leather is full forward and making itself known. Hearty black pepper remains on the retro and damp fallen leaves on the palate. Any ligero zing has fallen flat and I have to search for any spiciness.
3/3 - Smoking into the final third and it's tasting like a leather quiche. Surprisingly, the sweetness and spiciness decided to return and the black pepper retro has taken a seat.
Overall 8.8/10
While I did enjoy this cigar, I recall liking the super toro (6x54) a little bit more. I wanted some more punchiness from the ligero and I didn't feel I got that. Still though, it was a tasty jam and performed well. Robert Caldwell puts out some great blends and Mad MoFo is certainly one worth trying. Perhaps pick up two different vitolas and see which one you prefer. If you ask me, the LLTK The Heater is the best of from the line. Let me know in the comments which you found to be top dog.
**Number of cigars smoked for the review: 1