Caldwell Long Live the King Petite Double Wide Short Churchill

Founded by Robert Caldwell in 2014, the Caldwell Cigar Company is bursting onto the boutique cigar scene with its four new cigars that premiered just recently at the IPCPR in July 2015. When starting the company, Robert decided that he was going to do things his way and began scouring the world for the best tobacco leaves which he would test over and over again until getting the exact flavors he was looking for — before testing it again. He is so committed to his product that he keeps production limited to ensure that he is delivering a superior product. Currently, Caldwell Cigar Company is based in the Dominican Republic and has built a new factory aptly named the Caldwell Cigar Factory. Long Live the King is a prime example of Robert Caldwell’s quest for top notch tobaccos. This Dominican puro features an aged, beautiful mocha brown Dominican Corojo wrapper that firmly secures a premium Dominican binder and a bevy of Dominican long-fillers. Perfectly constructed, this puro is medium to full bodied with flavors of earth, oak, and chocolate, with hints of black pepper. Not only did we love it but so did Cigar Aficionado with a rating of 91. Pair it with an old fashioned.

Though tobacco is indigenous to Hispaniola, the tobacco industry in the Dominican Republic existed in the shadow of Cuba’s dominance through the 1960s. When the exodus of Cuban cigar makers began in the wake of the revolution, many decided the Dominican Republic would be ideal for the resumption of their livelihoods. Unrest in Nicaragua in the 1980s fueled the Dominican cigar industry further. The country now makes more than half of the premium cigars imported into the U.S.

The Cibao Valley and the nearby city of Santiago are the center of cigar production in the Dominican Republic. Three main varieties are grown here: the mild and native Olor Dominicano; the intense Piloto Cubano, brought from the Vuelta Abajo of Cuba; and San Vicente, a milder and more acidic Piloto hybrid. Dominican puros were once unheard of as it was widely thought impossible to grow quality wrapper leaf on the island, but new growing techniques are now allowing some exceptional puros to be produced.