Vitola: Robusto- 5” x 50 ring gauge
- $10.80
- Purchased at Maxamar Ultimate Cigar
Background
I didn’t go to the IPCPR show this year (I know, I know…some of you may have heard that refrain from me before), but even most of those that did were probably not aware of a few very special and very limited releases from Caldwell Cigar Company. It’s no secret that Robert Caldwell has been doing some work with A.J. Fernandez, most notably with The T series, which also included fellow conspirator, Matt Booth. Caldwell had a couple other irons in the fire while he was in Nicaragua, though, and I grabbed some while I was in California in October.
The King is Dead is a familiar name to Caldwell Cigar fans, with the original blend being a Dominican puro featuring HVA 20/20 and Negrito leaf and made in the William Ventura factory in the DR. New is The King is Dead by A.J. Fernandez, a Nicaraguan-puro reinterpretation of the blend. There were only 250 boxes of each size—Robusto, Double Lonsdale, Super Toro, and Torpedo—made, for a grand total of 25,000 cigars.
Even if your local shop carries Caldwell, chances are they will not have this cigar in stock. You can order them from Small Batch Cigar, which is a Leaf Enthusiast sponsor.
Prelight
The packaging on this re-imagining of The King is Dead is fairly similar to what is being used now on the regular line (new packaging was introduced for most of Caldwell’s core lines at the trade show). The box is a different color and there is a pattern behind the broken throne. The band is similar, as well, with some of the same changes. The background behind the throne is dark red and the pattern from the box lid shows up on the arms of the band. A secondary band notes “by AJ Fernandez.”
The wrapper was an espresso bean dark brown color with a nicely oily touch and an aroma of earth and leather. On the foot, the cigar had a lighter earthiness, with a touch of cocoa powder and coffee bean. The cut cigar allowed a very good cold draw that offered up flavors of cocoa powder, earth and cedar.
Flavor
TKID AJF fired up very slowly, almost as if it was overly humidified, although I know that wasn’t the case. I got initial notes off cinnamon and wood, with touches of earth and a mild sweetness, riding on a medium-plus-bodied smoke. As the first third continued on, the sweetness grew in strength, with a dark fruit note that was particularly nice. Cinnamon and pepper heat steadily increased while notes of earth and cedar backed off.
The increase in sweetness continued as I puffed through the second third, while cinnamon notes backed off. Pepper heat diminished to a great extent while a little woodiness came back and earth continued steadily along.
The last third had the dark fruit sweetness mixed with just the right amount of cinnamon and pepper spice, with earth and dark roast coffee notes playing around underneath.
Construction
I had a great draw, very even burn line and a solid, compact ash up to three-quarters of an inch at a time.
Value
Very good cigar and about in line with other “Caldwell Collection” blends, so good value.
Conclusions
I was skeptical about making a Nicaraguan puro version of The King is Dead. Honestly, if you smoked them side-by-side, you probably wouldn’t get much, if any, similarity between the two, but it turns out that this blend is very good…maybe better than the original! The key thing it shares with the original is the sweetness, while this version adds in copious amount of AJ Fernandez spice. Get this one while you can!
By-The-Numbers
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4.5/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9.5/10
