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Caldwell’s The Last Tsar LE

H. Vachon

King of the Hobo Hut
Joined
Aug 30, 2019
Messages
4,134
Honestly I had no intention of reviewing this cigar, but with such a unique flavor profile (to me at least) I figured what the hell. This stick couldn’t make up it’s mind, it seemed to change back and forth every five minutes.
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The first third was rittled with roasted peanuts, a touch of salt and a ton of brown butter. It definitely caught me off guard but it was very pleasant! The construction was great and the burn was so-so. Perhaps it would have benefited from a few more days in the dry box.

As soon as I dropped the first inch and a half of ash, it took a hard right turn. The profile was now filled with leather and cedar. It had a fairly distinct tannic tingle on the back of my throat. No pepper whatsoever.

As approach the midway point it changed yet again. The leather was still on the finish but the main flavor was praline (honestly the nuttiest cigar I have ever smoked). The strength has kicked up a notch, but nothing too crazy. This was marketed as being one of the stronger cigars in the market, but it hasn’t gone too far, yet.

In the final third, the flavors have gone dark and bitter. Mostly cedar, but not at all enjoyable. I decided to cut and purge (thanks Bill) and that made a huge improvement. Still mostly cedar with a bit of chocolate, but all the bitterness was gone.

I let it die with about an inch left. Total smoke time was 1 hour and 15 minutes.
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I really enjoyed the many changes this cigar offered. I’m curious if they will all be like that, or if the roller kind of fumbled around with the filler. Thanks for reading along!
 
Great review. I love it when a cigar surprises me like that.
For sure. I had seen a few reviews that really
played up the strength by comparing it to Opus and LFD. I’m glad it didn’t meet my expectation in that category.
 
Nice! I've been off Caldwell for a few years after initially really getting into the The King is Dead line. I might have to check this one out, as I like a cigar that throws in some twists.
 
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