Happy Valentine’s Day! Today’s review is dedicated to all the queens in our lives and all the shit they have to put up with. And if you’re reading this, I’m assuming you smoke a lot of cigars so these queens do indeed put up with a lot of shit. Just acknowledge it, say “thank you”, tell her why she’s so damn special, take your queen out to dinner (at a restaurant that doesn’t serve wings, you asshole), and good luck on the rest of your night!
THE CIGAR – LONG LIVE THE QUEEN’S CROWN by CALDWELL CIGAR COMPANY
Size: 6 x 50 (toro)
Wrapper: Cameroon
Binder: Sumatran
Filler: Dominican Republic & Nicaragua
Price: $15.00 (head on over to Famous Smoke Shop and use promo code TNCC20 to knock $20 off your order of $100 or more!)
I love the band artwork on the Long Live The Queen. I’ll admit, when it comes to Caldwell cigars the whole dudes with long beards and old timey bicycles aesthetic doesn’t do anything for me personally but this… this is a classy and downright beautiful presentation. The cigar itself is super firm when squeezed and the wrapper emits aromas of sharp leather and faint milk chocolate.
1/3
Body: light/medium
Strength: mild/medium
After clipping the cap, the Long Live The Queen’s Crown features an airy draw and the cold draw flavors are of dry almonds and more leather. Upon ignition, first impressions are of a mild-to-medium pleasant spice through the nose accompanied by woodsy oak and (no surprise) leather on the draw. Smoke production is copious from both ends of the cigar and the resulting aroma from the dense white clouds is quite nice. A flavor reminiscent of toasted rye bread begins to develop on the draw before the cigar has reached the 1” mark and it’s soon joined by a creamy cappucino note via the retrohale. That smooth coffee presence almost completely outshines the gentle spice by the end of the first third of the Long Live The Queen’s Crown and that’s A-Ok by yours truly.
2/3
Body: medium
Strength: mild/medium
At the beginning of the middle portion of the smoking experience, the pepper spice has reemerged to where it’s noticeable once again but it is completely balanced now with the cappuccino note. The draw’s so-far core flavors of rye toast and gentle oak continue to dance nicely together as well, with the oak now receding in to the background somewhat. Construction has been very good so far with a smooth draw and a consistent burn that’s produced a nicely stacked grey ash. It’s worth mentioning that the burn line has grown just a touch uneven but I’m not going to rock the boat and put a flame to it just yet it. The Long Live The Queen’s Crown is smoking extremely smooth and I don’t want to fuck it up, quite honestly…
I reluctantly have no choice but to correct the uneven burn line a short time later once the ash finally drops around the fifty yard line. No biggie. Espresso has now joined the toast and leather on the draw kicking what was left of the woodsy oak note out the front door. In regards to the stellar retrohale, if you’re not blowing smoke out your nose with this cigar you are truly missing out.
3/3
Body: medium
Strength: medium
The pepper spice begins to flex its muscle once again here in the last act. That spice is now coming through even more pronounced than it did initially at the beginning of the smoking experience, which is unfortunate as far as the cappuccino cream is now overshadowed by this medium-strength pepper. Espresso, rye toast, and leather are still being delivered in equal does and these flavors do well in standing toe-to-toe with the newly developed spice via the retrohale. I’m happy to report that no further burn issues developed as the Long Live The Queen’s Crown performed like a champion construction-wise until the very end…
THE NUB
TNCC FINAL SCORE = 92
Caldwell Cigar Company’s Long Live The Queen’s Crown is a superb cigar that delivers a highly enjoyable 78 minute smoking experience composed of distinct, well balanced flavors with just the right amounts of fluctuating strength throughout. Complex, smooth, and never boring, this very well may be my favorite Caldwell offering to date.
