Hello ladies and gentlemen and welcome to another one of our Sunday journals. This week we are taking a look at a personal favourite of mine, the Long Live the King line by Robert Caldwell.

This blend comes in three different sizes: the Belicoso, the Marquis and the Petit Double Wide Short Churchill.  First, let’s take a look at the history of the brand.  Founded by the man who give the brand its name back in 2014, Robert Caldwell has been a non-stop creative force in the cigar industry ever since. The Caldwell Cigar Company now boasts several cigar lines whilst Caldwell himself entered the world of cigars in 2008, running a concierge type service, providing cigars to high end hotels and restaurants in his hometown of Miami Florida.  This is the home of Robert Caldwell cigars with the factory for his core range being Tabacalera William Ventura in the Dominican Republic.

So let’s dive into the first of the three cigars in this line - the Belicoso.  Coming in at 5 inches in length with a 52-ring gauge, the Long Live the King Belicoso is a full strength, full flavoured cigar.  With its Dominican wrapper and binder and the Peruvian filler, this blend uses all rare and A grade tobacco.  The flavour is one of rich complex spice with a sweetness rounding it off, the 45-minute smoke is a perfect way to spend the best part of an hour, accompanied by a coffee or maybe paired with a glass of our own Lochwood Single Malt Scotch Whisky.

The next cigar in the line is the Petit Double Wide Churchill, made of the same blend of premium rare tobacco as the Belicoso, the only difference being the size.  Coming in at 6 inches and once again with a 52-ring gauge, that extra inch creates a slightly longer smoke.  Unlike a Belicoso, it does not have a tapered end, thus creating a warmer and slightly different smoking experience.  Once again, I feel our own Lochwood from our core range whiskies makes a perfect partner or, if you’re a beer drinker, maybe a good pint of IPA.

The last cigar of the three sizes in this line is the Marquis.  As you would expect, this cigar is made of the same blend of top-class rare tobacco as the other two sizes in the line, though this one is the biggest of the three, coming in at 6 inches in length, with a 60-ring gauge.  Here we have a spicy complexity of black pepper and dry coca which rounds off to a sweetness in the last third.  This cigar would be a perfect match with a full-bodied Malbec, perhaps after your mid-week steak or your Sunday lunch.

As we come to the end of another Sunday journal, I feel it’s worth mentioning some of the other cigar lines from this company.  The Eastern Standard range is another great cigar line and perfect for those who prefer less strength in their cigars.  The company also has several other lines such as All Out Kings, The Last Tsar, Blind Man’s Bluff and the King is Dead.  Some lines are yet to be made available to the UK market.

Until next time folks, happy smoking and Long Live the King

Dave