5 Caldwell Cigar Reviews

I. Caldwell Sevillana: A Review

Magnum
Size:60 x 6
Ecuador Connecticut

The Connecticut wrapper is pale and very thin with only a couple, petite veins. It was not at all oily and offered very little in the way of tooth. It smelled sweet, like caramel painted tobacco. The band is another unique offering from Caldwell with a golden image of a bull that has a sword buried in its back and reads “Loyalty over greed”. The cap was twisted like a pigtail, but did not have a classic pigtail. I used a punch and was amazed at how thick the cap was- an 1/8” of an inch at least, and made of numerous layers of leaf. The cold draw was moderately firm and offered flavours of nuttiness and light wood notes.

First 1/3:
Faint cedar woodiness marked the beginning of the cigar. The smoke was creamy and carried hits of browned butter. As it progressed about an inch I began to get interesting notes reminiscent of bay leaves, in the retrohale. The burn was perfect through the first third.

The Middle:
The woody notes continued into the middle of the cigar but a various points were accompanied by a slightly tart pit fruit flavor- something like an apricot on the verge of being ripe. I also picked up some cinnamon along the way. The burn strayed from its sharpness but didn’t require a touch up. As I approached the nub the wrapper began to crack about an inch and expose the binder leaf.

The Nub:
The cigar seemingly came around full circle, returning predominately to the nutty woodiness of the first 1/3. The sweet cedar spice picked up a bit and it nubbed without becoming overwhelming. The cigar was stronger-mild to medium all the way through.

Overall: I was a bit surprised by the cracked wrapper since there weren't any environmental or storage conditions to justify it. Fortunately it didn’t do much to affect the smoking. While there were some flashes of variance and promise throughout, this cigar was pretty monotonous and for a 6” x 60rg cigar, that was disappointing. My experience was pretty ho-hum and I’d give it an 8.5 out of 10.

II. Caldwell Eastern Standard Euro Express: A Review
Size: 5 ½” x 44rg

Wrapper: Connecticut Hybrid Ecuadoriano - 2006
Binder: Habano Dominicano - 2005
Filler: Criollo '98 Viso Dominicano 30% -2005
Corojo Ligero Dominicano 30% - 2006
Habano Seco Nicaraguense 40% - 2007

This is an attractive cigar with a nice little pigtail cap and the standard, unique and random artwork on the band that can be found on all the Caldwell Cigar Company offerings. The wrapper is on the lighter side of medium brown and it was rolled slightly on the soft side. There was minimal, thin veining and the general scent was that of dried leaves, hay, and roasted cocoa. The foot smelled of sweet tobacco. The draw was moderately loose and tasted of oak and dry grass.

First 1/3:
This is a mild cigar- I’m not sure what I expected but this fact really caught me off guard. The first notes were of toasted almonds and crisp dry leaves. These were joined by damp soil and faint hints of cedar, all swirling around in a buttery smoke. The burn was perfect.

The Middle:
I got a very surprising hint of orange zest that shared the stage with mostly woody flavors. The cedar was incredibly muted. It was like walking into a woodworking shop after someone had been doing some hand sanding on a cedar chest. Towards the end of this section the woodiness took on more the nature of aged oak.

The Nub:
The cigar finished with hints of tart pit fruit and some white pepper spice as it flirted with becoming medium bodied. The final draws were the oak notes and wet soil. Upon a little reflection I realized that this cigar really reminded me of a Davidoff Classic No.2 which is one of my favorite smokes from that maker. The vitola is similar in the sense that they are both smaller RG cigars, but the No. 2 is slightly longer.

Overall, I have to give this a resounding “two thumbs up”! I not only enjoyed this more than any of the Bellatto, Caldwell, and Sears LEs, but more than any boutique blend I’ve smoked recently. This is certainly a winner in my mind. 9.6/10

III. Bellatto/Caldwell/Sears The One Night Stand: A Review
5.5x52
Corojo/Corojo/Corojo 2008 vintage

The wrapper on this “super robusto” was medium brown with small veins on the surface, but a very large one could be felt under the wrapper. It was light in both the tooth and oil department, and smelled mainly of hay and tobacco. The foot reminded me of fresh baked Hawaiian sweet rolls. I punched the large triple cap to reveal a fairly loose draw that tasted of hay with the faintest amount of cinnamon.

First 1/3: The beginning of the cigar had a very pleasant woodiness that was more oak than cedar, as it was absent of any strong spice. There was a unique nutmeg not in the retrohale early on. The burn was razor sharp and the ash hung tight with sturdy layers. There were flirting spells of nuttiness that reminded me of pecans.

The Middle: The next stage of the cigar continued with the woody notes, but picked up leather and some earthiness along the way. The cigar began to canoe some at this point, but it wasn’t unbearable. As it approached the final third some slight pepper and faint mint came through on my tongue. I toughed up the canoe before rounding the cigar out.

The Nub: The nub of this cigar was very interesting. It reminded me a bowl of quality, a straight Virginia pipe blend. Very “bright” flavor with faint sweetness in the retrohale that finally introduced a bit more spice to ensure you it was still a cigar you were enjoying. Nothing overly fancy, just good tobacco.

Overall: This was the most dynamic of the three BCS offerings I smoked-changing more between the thirds than the others. I wasn’t a huge fan of the vitola but at the same time I bought three varieties of Caldwells in the 60rg “magnum” size, which is larger than this one. I liked the progression and the creamier nature of the smoke as well. The canoe seemed to line up with the large vein that I felt under the wrapper before lighting. Overall: 9/10

IV. Bellatto/Caldwell/Sears the Pepper Creme Soda: A Review
Robusto 5x50
HVA/Piloto Cubano/Habano/Arapiraca 2006 vintage
2,500 made

Another review shoutout to Shemp

The wrapper was medium brown in color- faint, petite veins, not much tooth, and a small amount of oily sheen. Construction was solid with a nice triple cap. It smelled very unassuming, mainly just of slightly sweet tobacco. The foot was a little more odiferous and had a pleasant hay note. The draw was pretty tight and tasted like almonds, grass, and honey.

First 1/3: This cigar began on the milder side of medium with barnyard notes and a bit of woodiness. A spot of toasted walnut was mixed in for good measure. It had a perfect burn and was making out to be a good stick.

The Middle: A little of the cedar spice began to emerge and the nuttiness kicked it up a notch. The wood notes reminded me of woodshop shavings- sweet and pungent in the retrohale. As I approached the nub the flavors became less distinct and more blended.

The Nub: I finally began to get a little white pepper note- but nothing like a pepper bomb. The smoke was a little on the creamy side. The cedar took front and center position and the profile ramped up to the higher end of the medium spectrum as the cigar rounded out. The spice tingled a bit on my tongue, so I knew it was working

Overall: Not a bad smoke. Compared to the Backdoor Bambi it was almost one-dimensional, but then again, the nicotine in this one didn’t make the room spin. Overall- 8.9/10

continued in next post...

V. Bellatto, Caldwell, & Sears Back Door Bambi: A Review

So I have to thank (I think) Shemp for turning me on to some smaller boutique brands a few months ago. I picked up one of his righteous samplers in the WTS and then went on a bit of a buying spree to explore this realm of the cigar world that was so new to me. This stick was from the first sampler and has been resting around ~63rh since March.

Facts:
2008 Vintage
5 ½” / 46rg
3,500 cigars made
Corojo/Habano/Negrito (The first Negrito grown in the DR)

This cigar came rolled in goldenrod (yeah- I said goldenrod) tissue paper. It was a very well constructed cigar with a somewhat variegated wrapper that was primarily medium brown with wisps of darker tones. The veins were fairly minimal and very petite, there was a good bit of tooth, and a nice, uniform oily sheen. The cap was finished with a very tight pigtail and the cigar itself was rolled extremely firm. I didn’t get a whole lot of scent from the wrapper outside of good ole’ fashioned earthy tobacco leaf. The foot offered just a bit more with hints of leather. I elected to use a punch when the pigtail left only the slightest opening. The draw was firm, but not overly tight and tasted like sweet hay, and I picked up the faintest note of pepper.

First 1/3:
The first several pulls deliver a pretty potent cedar spice right out of the gate. After about a half an inch those notes settled down some and I began picking up on coffee flavors in the retrohale. I can only describe them as being less of the sensation of tasting coffee, and more of walking into a kitchen where a pot was just brewed. The profile was medium and the burn was sharp as a razor.

The Middle:
The coffee faded in the middle of the cigar, while the cedar and its notes of spice stayed consistent. A new, both sweet and savory, taste emerged that remind me of mesquite. As it approached the nub some of the spice subsided and the cedar took on more of an aged wood flavor- maybe something like oak?

The Nub:
A little bit of pepper came out in the beginning of the nub, along with a bitter baker’s chocolate flavor. The profile stayed medium, but became a bit bolder. The tastes stayed along the same lines, but continued to intensify until the spice was strong on my tongue and my lips as the cigar finished out.

Overall: This was an interesting stick that definitely reflected the special selection of leaf and quality construction that went into it. The nicotine level was a little too high for my tastes, giving me a slight buzz, even though I ate a full lunch of gnocchi prior to smoking. I have one more of these and am interested to see how it smokes with a few more months of rest. Rating 8.8/10