Long Live the Queen is the new line of cigars from the Caldwell Cigar Company that was announced late in 2022. If you recall, last year their was a terrible fire that burned down Tabacalera William Ventura, the primary factory used for creating the Caldwell portfolio of cigars. Caldwell and Ventura though, were making this cigar at the El Maestro factory, a smaller factory owned by William Ventura in the Dominican Republic.
According to Robert Caldwell, the Long Live The Queen cigars have been aging for the better part of a year after they were rolled, so these are ready to be smoked right out of the box.
The blend is described as:
- Wrapper – Cameroon
- Binder – Indonesian Sumatra
- Filler – Dominican Republic and Nicaragua
Long Live The Queen is expressed in 4 regular production vitolas and one limited edition vitola. Each size comes packaged in 10-count boxes:
- Queen’s Sword (7 x 38) Lancero – MSRP $14.50
- Queen’s Court (5 x 52) Robusto – MSRP $14.00
- Queen’s Crown (6 x 50) Toro – MSRP $15.00
- Queen’s Club (6 x 56) Toro Extra – MSRP $16.00
- Ace of Hearts (6 x 52) Boxed Press Toro – MSRP $18.00 (Limited to 800 Boxes of 10 Cigars)
For this review I sampled one of the Long Live The Queen – Queens Club which I received as part of the Midnight Burn at Destination Herf this past weekend.
Pre-Light Examination
The Caldwell Long Live The Queen is draped in a beautiful reddish brown Cameroon leaf that exhibited very few veins. It had a matte finish was was solidly packed but had just the right give when pressed gently between the fingers. A well applied triple cap finished the presentation.
Two bands adorn the Queen. The primary band uses a gold leaf motif and presents an image of an African Queen in all her splendor replete with golden jewels. The left side of the band identities it as a Caldwell product while the right side displays the year 2013 the year before the company was founded. The band is as beautiful if not even more than the company’s Anastasia. A thin secondary white and gold band is placed just below the primary and declares it as the Long Live The Queen.
Running the cigar along the nose, I did not get much aroma off the barrel but the foot exuded a fresh and enticing tea leaf aroma.
I used my newly acquired Caldwell cigar scissors to open the cap which sliced perfectly, just above the shoulder of the cigar and then gave it some cold draw puffs that presented a mild peppery spice and natural sweetness to the palate.
Using my single flame torch, I warmed the foot to an even orange glow and drew in the first puffs of cocoa and pepper notes. Follow along as I burn the Queen to ash.
Cigar Review Notes
- Initial light offers a pleasant cocoa and pepper sensation
- Malt notes enter quickly rounding out the flavor early in the burn
- Solid white forms on top of an even burn line
- Continued chocolate with an added nut aroma
- Oils have developed nicely above the burn line
- Nut adds to the flavor deep in the first third
- Fruit notes join the mix moving into the second third
- Ash fell in big chunk revealing a perfect burn cone
- Cedar notes brighten the blend midway
- Mild wave develops in the burn but no touch ups required
- Light cinnamon spice takes it down to the final
- Medium in Strength
- Total Smoking Time was 1 hour and 40 minutes
Final Analysis
Caldwell and Ventura hit it out of the park with the Long Live The Queen and I truly hope she lives on as a regular offering from Caldwell Cigars. The flavors and aromas were pleasant and well balanced from pre-light down to the nub. I especially enjoyed the early malt and cocoa notes and then the later the cinnamon spice near the end. Construction was spot on – checking the boxes for long solid ash, burn, and even oil development above the burn line. Yes this is a box buy, and I did pick up a box of the limited edition vitolas after smoking smoking this from the Terrible Cigar Club. You too can get these for 10% off and free shipping using the discount code JASON10. I rate this a solid 97.
Point Deductions: (-1) Mild Wave in Final
Bonus Points: (+1) Long Solid Ash; (+1) Buy a Box; (+1) Excellent Oil Development above the burn line; (+1) Complexed, Nuanced and Balanced
