• Hi Guest - Come check out all of the new CP Merch Shop! Now you can support CigarPass buy purchasing hats, apparel, and more...
    Click here to visit! here...

CP Newbie Review of The Last Tsar from Caldwell

zeemanb

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 12, 2015
Messages
1,341
20150719_152537_zpsqekdbwbq.jpg

 
I got a single Last Tsar (5 ½ x 52) in a sampler from Cigarpimp.com.  I’ve really enjoyed buying stuff from them, it’s a good place to get singles and samplers…this smoke was in a sampler that included all of the new offerings from Caldwell and they threw in a pre-release Blind Man’s Bluff robusto as well.  Four dollar shipping is another plus. (I am in no way affiliated with them, or I'd be laying it on WAY thicker...)
 
This is a beautiful cigar, the look is great and I've been looking forward to smoking it. Getting into the cigar, there is a slightly tight draw, but nothing to worry about.  Sweet tobacco and a ton of red pepper hitting the back of the throat on the prelit draw.  Caldwell, Warped and Crowned Heads are all brands I’ve smoked my way through this year, and have found some dependable winners.  I lump those three brands together due to what I refer to as the “hipster cache”.  I have a ton of friends who run bars and restaurants, many of whom have been great at leveraging a certain aesthetic that falls under the small batch, domestic brand, local producer, artisanal movement that has been on the rise for the past several years.  An old school, “classic” appeal and the ability to use social media incredibly effectively is key.  The branding of those three companies fits into that category to me, and each has managed to put out at least one or two products that match the hype.   
 
20150719_153607_zpsalduszkn.jpg

 
I’m not that easy of a fanboy to win over, considering my past wannabe Cuban cigar snob status. As far as Caldwell is concerned, the Long Live the King line appeals to me the most.  There is a level of strength and flavor to the cigars that make them worth the money to me.  So when I heard about how strong The Last Tsar was, I was curious to try one.  BUT I didn’t want to shell out for a box or even a five pack immediately.  An eighteen dollar cigar is no joke.  With a few exceptions, you can smoke almost any cigar in the world for that type of money. 
 
The Last Tsar starts off with a ton of smoke, and a ton of pepper when lit.  It retrohales on its own, meaning that the “bear mace” finds its own way into your nostrils and the backs of your eyes.  It’s not for everyone, but I am a fan of the bear mace as long as it doesn’t go on forever.  This ain’t no Eastern Standard.  That lasts for about the first five puffs, and then backs off somewhat and lets some other flavors come through.  Lots of cedar for sure with an abundance of pepper in the throat.  A huge iced tea was the smart choice to pair with this smoke.  The draw and burn are perfect up to this point; kind of necessary when you’re dealing with an ultra-premium cigar.  Still in the first third, it mellows a bit more and good, savory flavors I can’t completely identify come in behind the initial cedar bomb.  I guess “leathery burnt fruit wood” would be the best description I can think of.  I’m no Katman with the free-flowing adjectives.  The retrohale isn’t nearly as brutal as I was expecting.  And as always, I get no additional intel from it….the same sort of green vegetal flavors that pop out for me when I retrohale almost anything.  It is definitely a strong cigar, I won’t be powering through it. 
 
20150719_154504_zpsb0gniu0o.jpg

 
Getting into the 2nd third, there are no major shifts in flavor.  Still plenty of cedar, but the overall strength and body have dialed back a couple of notches.  The leathery/woody flavors have simmered down and I’m getting a little bit of what I’d describe as a funky, washed rind cheese….one of my favorite foods, and it translates to a cigar better than you’d think.  Just a little bit of sweetness and peaty notes in there too.  If you are prone to drinking single malts, I think this would be an appropriate partner for that.  The construction and smoke production are still rock solid. As I puff away, a good dose of earthiness starts to creep in.  That specific flavor is what makes me love a cigar, it’s my favorite thing.  
 
The strength starts picking back up as I get into the final third, and the cedar went bye bye around the time the earthy flavors began.  Thinking back on the cigar up to this point, the finish has never been very pronounced…it lingers for a bit and dies off.  Not a bad thing, just worth noting.  A little bit of a floral flavor comes in at the tail end of the earthiness, and the burnt wood notes are back in full effect.   Not a whole lot changes as I get to the end, but the finish picks up quite a bit.  It burns cool and never gets bitter.  I can definitely feel the strength, this is not a cigar to wander into lightly unless you are used to pretty strong cigars. 
 
20150719_155716_zpsvwll8cw7.jpg

 
The overall verdict:  The Last Tsar is a very good $12 cigar that costs $18.  I would keep one or two in the humidor, but would not buy a box for that price.  To each their own, taste is subjective and the limited availability trend that boosts prices probably isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.  The cigar is a real performer as far as construction and flavor, but ten cigars for $180 when I can get 25 very solid recent production, similar format Bolivar BF’s for not THAT much more doesn’t work for me.  Good cigar, it just doesn’t stand out as unique enough to earn the humidor space.  $120?  Then maybe I’d find a way to re-arrange my Jenga puzzle of a humi and fit it in there. 
 
 
20150719_161716_zpshykmi1se.jpg
 
Great review.
I have seen a lot of Caldwell's "King" lines floating around on social media including the "Long live" and the "Kings Dead". Curious to pull trigger on them up until now.
Thanks for the thorough review on the "Tsar"
 
bucfan444 said:
Great review.
I have seen a lot of Caldwell's "King" lines floating around on social media including the "Long live" and the "Kings Dead". Curious to pull trigger on them up until now.
Thanks for the thorough review on the "Tsar"
For a fuller bodied smoke, the Long Live the King line is good. Worth a fiver when Smallbatch is running a deal, but the complaints I hear from people who don't like that line is it's too harsh/rough/young. I like that profile, but definitely not for everyone. I look forward to checking them out after a year or two to see if they balance out some.
 
Excellent review indeed! The repressed hipster in me likes the marketing/bands of this line of cigars. I think you correctly identified the exact reason I keep getting drawn to brands like Caldwell, CH, Warped and Epic. Cool marketing does matter. Perhaps it shouldn't, but clearly it does, at least on me.
 
MichaelD said:
Excellent review indeed! The repressed hipster in me likes the marketing/bands of this line of cigars. I think you correctly identified the exact reason I keep getting drawn to brands like Caldwell, CH, Warped and Epic. Cool marketing does matter. Perhaps it shouldn't, but clearly it does, at least on me.
 
Effective branding and the Millenial dollar...I run into a lot of younger smokers at the local shop who have Caldwell, Warped, Drew Estate, etc. branded gear, and when we start discussing cigars they've usually tried a lot of different stuff and know why they like what they like.  And there is some serious brand loyalty, due in no small part to the savvy use of Reddit, Instagram and Twitter by the manufacturers for sure.  We have a serious local beer/spirits/coffee/butcher/baker/candlestick maker scene here in KC, and no shortage of hipsters who wouldn't blink at paying north of eight bucks for cigars, but so far I don't see a lot of crossover.  I've been talking with a couple of our local coffee roasters who enjoy cigars about promoting some kind of drink and smoke event.  But in reality, it's my way of getting all of my service industry friends into cigars so that I have more people to smoke with, lol.  
 
Top