The King is Dead brand began with this premier edition which took five years to blend. The line is being manufactured in the Dominican Republic with Henderson and William Ventura, a father and son team with over 40 years experience under their belts. This medium to full bodied cigar is made with some of the worlds most unique micro blend tobacco and stands out compared to most. In short, this cigar is sophisticated and a perfectly balanced flavor bomb.
Wrapper: Dominican Negrito
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican
Caldwell Easter Standard Dos Firmas, alternately dubbed “Caldwell Signature” is a mild to medium bodied special blend that is twenty-plus years in the making. The undisclosed blend is marketed as a special release. What we do know is this cigar consists of Master Blender William Venturas personal blend. Together with Robert Caldwell, Dos Firmas is meant to be a retro type old school vitola.
When the highly critical folks at Cigar Dojo rated it at 93, they said it best,”Dos Firmas is equal parts complex and flavorful, with each taking turns leading the dance as the embers burn. A fine display of tobacco-blending mastery.”
When we have them, GET THEM!
Wrapper: Connecticut Shade-Grown
Binder: Undisclosed
Filler: Undisclosed
Factory: Tabacalera William Ventura (Dominican Republic)
Production: Small Batch (selective retailers)
The Caldwell Midnight Express is a maduro version of the hugely popular Eastern Standard brand. This complexly blended medium to full bodied cigar is an excellent choice for the maduro-loving cigar aficionado.
Wrapper: Connecticut Arapiraca Maduro
Binder: Dominican Habano
Filler: Dominican Criollo 98, Dominican Corojo Ligero, Nicaraguan Habano Seco
The La Barba Purple edition follows the very popular Red Label version created in 2013. Both lines cigars are blended featuring rare tobaccos in extremely small runs. With attention to detail, this medium bodied cigar smokes slowly, smooth and steady. The highly critical folks at Stogie Press described this complexly blended masterpiece best, ” The La Barba Purple was an outstanding cigar that contains enticing flavors and aromas. The magic of the Carbonell leaf reveals itself in the core of sweetness.” Enough said!
This is a great medium bodied cigar that can be thoroughly enjoyed by seasoned smokers as well as new comers.
Country of Origin: Honduras
Wrapper: HVA Habano Ecuadorian
Binder: Dominican Corojo
Filler: Corojo / HVA Habano / and a rare varietal known as Carbonell
Factory: Tabacalera William Ventura
Blender: Tony Bellatto/Robert Caldwell
It’s important to note that La Barba Red was the first entry produced by this now iconic company. This medium to full bodied cigar remains well liked by critics industry wide. With attention to detail, this complexly blended smoke yields delicious notes of chocolate, raisins, cinnamon and cedar for a great smoking experience.
If you like Caldwell and haven’t tried the one that started it all, what are waiting for!
Wrapper: Hybridized Dominican Corojo
Binder: Hybridized Dominican Corojo
Fillers: Peru/Dominican Republic/Nicaragua
With attention to detail, these cigars are rolled at Agroindustrias Laepe S.A. in Danli, Honduras, which also produces Camacho cigars. Robert Caldwell blended this one himself. The Blind Man’s Bluff Habano is the first of four in this amazing series. This well made medium to slightly full bodied bodied cigar is blended for a more seasoned smoker. Yielding a very thick, creamy smoke, with notes of coffee, cocoa, spices and caramel, this complexly blended edition is a winner.
Country of Origin: Honduras
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Honduran Criollo
Filler: Dominican San Vincente Viso and Honduran Criollo “Generoso” Ligero
Factory: Agroindustrias Laepe S.A.
Blender: Robert Caldwell
With attention to detail, these cigars are rolled at Agroindustrias Laepe S.A. in Danli, Honduras, which also produces Camacho cigars. Robert Caldwell blended this one himself. The Blind Man’s Bluff Nicaragua is one of three in this amazing series. This well made medium to slightly full bodied bodied cigar is smooth smoking and flavorful with heaps of natural tobacco taste.Think sweet caramel, malt, dark chocolate, espresso, raisins, licorice, almonds and cedar. That is to say its definitely a flavor bomb!
Country of Origin: Honduras
Factory: STG Danlí
Wrapper: Nicaragua (Habano)
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Blender: Robert Caldwell
The Caldwell Connecticut T is an amazing collaboration between Matt Booth (of Room 101), Robert Caldwell, and Master Blender A.J. Fernández being produced at Fernández’s thriving factory in Estelí. For the record, the Connecticut T delivers more intensity that your average Connecticut. Every puff yields mouthfuls of tasty smoke, producing an overall profile of consistent medium strength, flavor, and body.
When the highly critical folks at Cigar Dojo rated it a 90, they described it best,” The Connecticut T is a well-balanced, and surprisingly flavorful experience. At times, pepper is the dominant ingredient, at other times, it is primarily sweet, but the cigar rallies in the final third to showcase its optimum experience—being a unique balance of sweetness, spiciness, creaminess, and buttermilk.”
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Factory: Tabacalera A.J. Fernandez Cigars de Nicaragua (Nicaragua)
This is the cigar that started it all! While the Caldwell Eastern Standard packs more flavor than almost any full-bodied cigar out there, it remains creamy and smooth yet incredibly rich. This one one of the most complexly blended cigars on the planet. Any size you choose is a top pick!
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: Connecticut Shade and Brazilian Mata Fina Hybrid
Binder: Habana Dominicano
Filler: Dominican Criollo ’98, Dominicano Corojo Ligero, Nicaraguan Habano
Factory: Tabacalera William Ventura
Blender: Robert Caldwell
Caldwell Yellow Cake Cigars use leftover tobaccos from three of Caldwell’s premium lines. Rather than go to waste, the smaller leaves that can’t be used to produce larger cigars in their super premiums are kept to produce the economical, medium bodied Yellow Cakes. These cigars contain the coveted Dominican Corojo wrapper from Long Live the King along with the rare Corojo Ligero Dominican long-fillers from The Eastern Standard and the King is Dead.
These little guys are the perfect way to sample what this great company does and a better way to enjoy their vintage tobaccos in an everyday smoke.
With attention to detail, Long Live the Queen is a four-country blend consisting of a reddish-brown Cameroon cover leaf, a Sumatra binder grown in Indonesia and a mix of Dominican and Nicaraguan fillers. What’s more important is these 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. When the highly critical folks at Stogie Press gave it an astounding 97 rating, they described this medium bodied, slow burning cigar as amazing. The senior reviewer at Halfwheel said it best, “In fact, this is a flavor bomb of almost epic proportions. It’s incredibly sweet and creamy on the palate, but with enough spice and white pepper to enhance the flavors instead of taking anything away from the overall profile.”
Wrapper: Cameroon
Binder: Indonesian Sumatra
Filler: Dominican, Nicaraguan
