Before I get into the review of the 2018 maduro rendition of the Caldwell Cigars Long live The King, please allow me a moment to say that Robert Caldwell may very well be a Mad MF. On the last day of the IPCPR this year, there was a little battle between Caldwell Cigars and Mombacho Cigars. The end result was the following:
I do not know the whole story, but as I understand it, there was a Mombacho Cigars sticker mysteriously placed in the Caldwell booth. Then on the last day of the show, as we entered the floor, we came across the Mombacho booth mysteriously wrapped with #caldwellblows toilet paper. I have to say this was a Mad MF thing and it had the whole floor laughing their asses off on the last day of the show.
Strange things happen in this industry we love so much. Maybe that was just a publicity stunt for the new Caldwell Long Live The King MF cigar. It certainly got everyone’s attention. I have not heard anyone lay claim to the stunt though. What I do know is that this new rendition of Long Live The King is a pretty damn good cigar.
The name of this cigar is exactly what it implies. It is the maduro version of the Long Live The King line and according to Robert Caldwell, the blend is described as:
- Wrapper – Mexican San Andrés
- Binder – Indonesian
- Filler – Corojo 98, Habano and Pennsylvania double ligero.
The Long Live The King Mad MF (LLTK MF) is available in 4 vitolas, each packaged in 10-count boxes:
- Corona (5 3/4 x 43) – MSRP $10.40
- Super Toro (6 x 54) – MSRP $11.40
- Belicoso (5 1/2 x 52) – MSRP $12.00
- Magnum (6 x 60) – MSRP $12.40
For this review I sampled the one LLTK MF corona which I received from Robert Caldwell at the show for the purpose of reviewing on Stogie Press.
Pre-Light Examination
The Caldwell LLTK MF is a dark brown and oily cigar that has a decent amount of marbling running through the wrapper. It is neatly finished with a well applied pigtail cap, which is only on the corona vitola of the line. The wrapper has a characteristic, San Andrés gritty feel to it and the cigar is solid to the touch.
There are two bands that embellish the cigar using a blue, gold, and cream motif. The primary band uses the Long Live The King logo and the secondary band, directly below, is deep blue with the phrase “MAD MF” printed in gold.
Did I mention that Robert Caldwell is one Mad MF? Oh yea, I think we covered that already.
As I ran the Mad MF across my nose (the cigar that is), I picked up a pungent aroma along the barrel and a natural tobacco sweetness off the foot. There is no doubt this Mad MF has been properly aged.
I sliced the pig tail with a double blade Xikar cutter and got things started by giving it some cold draw puffs. The cigar was talking my language with pre-light notes of light cocoa and cinnamon spice.
A tasty start indeed, but I had to set fire to this Mad MF to see how bad ass it really is. I used my double flame torch lighter to warm the foot getting it to a nice even orange glow.
Cigar Review Notes
- Initial light offers malt like sweetness and pepper notes
- Smoke is full right from the start with a rich creamy texture
- Oils get sticky early into the burn
- Light grey ash rests on medium-thick char line
- Sweetness continues as cedar aroma develops
- The ash fell after an inch plus and revealed a fairly well centered and formed burn cone
- Herbal notes enter
- Aroma shifts to a fragrant syrup note
- Mad oils have developed on the wrapper
- Baking spices fill the profile with an undertone of sweet woodiness at the halfway mark
- Fruit notes start to fill in the profile
- Amazing sweet syrup aroma
- Burn cone is a bit off centered and pointed as the ash fell into the second third
- Extremely well balanced flavor
- Mineral and earthy notes appear entering the final third
- Cashew notes are gracing the palate as it moves through the final third as a floral aroma finishes the journey
- Medium plus in strength
- Total Smoking Time was 1 hour and 20 Minutes to the nub
Overall, I rate the Caldwell Long Live The King Mad MF Corona a 93. This cigar is chocked full of flavor from foot to nub and had an ever shifting array of aromas that filed the air. The aging on this cigar is clearly evident. Construction wise it was pretty solid, though it did have a mild run in the burn and a resulting off centered burn cone in the second half. I would still say it is definitely worth picking up a fiver to add to your rotation and maybe even let one age even more than the 4 months I did.
Point Deductions: (-2) Mild Run in 2nd half; (-1) Off-centered Burn Cone in 2nd half; (-1)Pointed Burn Cone
Bonus Points: (+1) Extreme Oiling
