Caldwell The King is Dead

The brand owner and founder of Robert Caldwell Cigars is—who would have thought—the eponymous Robert Caldwell himself. Still, it’s worth mentioning, as cigar brand names don’t always match up like that—there isn’t actually a person named Alec Bradley either… :-)

Robert Caldwell Cigars: The Vision of Uniqueness and Quality

Until 2012, before going independent in 2014, Robert had his cigars produced in Honduras by Christian Eiroa (yes, the one formerly of Camacho Cigars). These were sold exclusively in the USA under the name Wynwood Cigars. Just one year later, the two went their separate ways. Robert initially took a brief strategic or creative break and reappeared in 2014, presenting his own brand at his own booth at the IPCPR that same year.

The Robert Caldwell The King is Dead is rolled in the Dominican Republic by William and Henderson Ventura at their Tabacalera Ventura. The blend is quite distinctive, which is exactly the brand owner’s intention: to always use the finest tobaccos and create rather unconventional blends. The wrapper is a Negrito Dominicano 2008, which, according to him, is very difficult to work with or to blend. However, with the binder Corojo Dominicano 2006 and the filler blend consisting of 30% Corojo Ligero Dominicano 2006, 20% Negrito Viso Dominicano 2008, and 50% HVA 20/20 from 2010, he has achieved a remarkable success.

The King Is Dead by Robert Caldwell: A Masterpiece of Blending

Initially, pepper is dominant, but as the smoke progresses, it is increasingly overlaid and eventually replaced by creamy, chocolatey notes. This series has a very unique and distinctive flavor profile that doesn’t immediately remind us of any other cigar we know; I believe that’s exactly what Robert intended! Of the total five formats, currently only one is imported by Wolfertz. The Torpedo “The Last Payday” was initially the only one in this series. Thorsten Wolfertz first wanted to see how this one format would perform, and then added the Premier. (As of January 2018)

You can find a nice overview of all cigars from Caldwell Cigars Co. distributed in Germany by Wolfertz since September 2016 here. Since 2020, all cigars by Robert have been distributed by Kopp Tobaccos.