Caldwell The King Is Dead The Last Payday

Caldwell The King Is Dead The Last Payday - the test. The cigar consists of 100% Dom. Republic tobacco. It is a quality product as you would expect from Caldwell. I am a fan of Caldwell. On the one hand, because I am highly impressed by his career. On the other hand, because his cigars stand out with their graphic communications. Ah, that reminds me of another thing: The Anillas are made of very nice paper and very nice embossing. They always fit perfectly with the overall impression of the cigar.

Here is the article about Caldwell's impressive career: The Swiss CALDWELL story: drugs, dropping out of school and the urge to master life.

A cigar test is subjective

Note: How a cigar tastes is influenced by personal taste preferences, taste memories, the form of the day, what you have eaten or drunk beforehand. Even the lighting in the room has an influence on the flavour you experience. The notes described here therefore do not necessarily correspond to your own impressions.

Fact sheet from The Last Payday

• Format: Torpedo (length: 152 mm / ring size: 52)
• Tobacco:
  • Wrapper leaf: Dom. Republic, Negrito
  • Wrapper: Dom. Republic, Corojo
  • Filler: Dom. Republic, Corojo, Negrito and others
• Price: Status April 2021
  • CHF 10.00 / box of 24 CHF 240.00
  • EUR 10.50 / box of 24 EUR 252.00
• Buy a cigar: Google Search >

Personal impressions of the pleasure

First half

• Tongue, palate: Lots of bittersweet (cocoa) / gentle sharpness / almonds / nuts
• Retronasal: Lots of nutty roasted flavours
• R+ ZiZo vacuum technology: A warm breath of forest floor in summer. My goodness. How did I get this impression?
• Umami: slightly juicy / somewhat meaty
• Strength 3/5

Second half

• Some acidity retronasally and on the tongue / much more cocoa and a full portion of nuts / a little creamier / a pinch of sweetness and even slightly salty (who knows why I tasted „salty“)
• Strength 3/5 (maybe 4/5)

What is „retronasal“?

Retronasal cigar enjoyment enhances the flavour. What it is, why it works and how to do it please read here. Take a look at the ZiZo vacuum technology in particular. Incredible enhancement of cigar enjoyment!

What is the „R+ ZiZo vacuum technology“?

This is the consummate pleasure of a cigar. Hard to describe. I'll try. Here's an example: a baby sucking on a dummy. Try this technique with a cigar. Very little smoke gets into the mouth. But it passes over the tongue and goes straight through the nose. I tried it with about 10 cigars before I mastered it. Please be very careful with this technique when practising: the smoke hit the back of my larynx several times. That was really bad. But now that I can do it, it's a perfect technique for enjoying a cigar.

What is umami?

This means „savouriness“, „spicy“, „essence“, „meaty“. This mixture of taste sensations is perceived on the centre of the tongue. You can find a good article about this on Wikipedia. 

Non Cuba cigars and the important acclimatisation process

Acclimatisation recommendation: 3 days in the humidor with cellophane.

The fact is: you don't know when the cigar was imported and how long it rested with the importer. You also don't know how long the resting phase was at the retailer. Cigars are in shock after being transported from the tropics to Europe. They have to acclimatise first. The industry is sales-orientated. The cigars have to be sold quickly. Therefore, they may not taste as they should.

If you buy single copies

Place the cigar with the cellophane in the humidor. If your cigar does not have cellophane: Put them in tubos and then in the humidor. Or you can put the individual cigars in a Zippo bag and put a small Boveda inside. You then seal it and place it in the humidor. Cigars that are stored open without cellophane or a box lose their flavour very quickly. This is demonstrated in this article with experiments.

Conclusion Caldwell The King Is Dead The Last Payday

For me, a Caldwell cigar is always something special. Mainly because I really like the graphic communication. All his cigar graphics are extravagant and stand out. The names of his cigars are also crazy. I mean, how do you come up with the name „The King is dead“ or „Long live the King.“ - haha - that's so cool.

However, his cigars also impress me with their tobacco blend. I personally like the flavour of the different lines. They are medium to full-bodied and are particularly good after a good meal. If you are already a seasoned cigar connoisseur: try them BEFORE breakfast. Your tongue will still be fresh and alert and KAWUMMMMMM you will be able to enjoy a full load of tobacco.

If you're a beginner, don't try a cigar BEFORE breakfast. The Nicotine flash (here a contribution from me) will get you. Back to this tested cigar. I tested 4 examples. Different days and different times. They always tasted good to me. Sometimes stronger, sometimes a little weaker. I was particularly struck by the pronounced nutty nuances. A real treat for me. The burn of the 4 examples was wavy. Most of the time it corrected itself. Every now and then I had to help with the flame.

I always choose a strong, unsweetened espresso as an accompanying drink. A high-proof and not too sweet rum is also very suitable. A nice whisky also goes well with it.

Finally, I would like to say this about this The Last Payday cigar: GEEEIIIILLLL!!!