Long Live the Queen Maduro Queen’s Chalice

“Heavy is the head that wears the crown,” yet Caldwell Cigar Co. makes the burden of expectations look effortless. Their latest release, Long Live the Queen Maduro, confidently builds upon their 2023 success by swapping the original Cameroon wrapper for a rich Mexican San Andrés maduro variant.

Caldwell has a reputation for crafting cigars with both elegance and attitude, and this maduro rendition certainly delivers on both fronts. The Long Live the Queen Maduro is rolled at the rebuilt Tabacalera William Ventura facility, which was ravaged by a fire back in 2022. The inner workings remain largely unchanged: an Indonesian binder and a carefully curated mix of Dominican and American fillers (the latter being a change from the Nicaraguan origins of the original). The new wrapper, however, is stated to provide a deeper, darker, more amped-up smoking journey for fans of fuller-bodied, nuanced profiles.

Long Live the Queen Maduro Queen’s Chalice Breakdown

Appearance

The Long Live the Queen Maduro immediately commands attention with its dark and oily San Andrés wrapper. The leaf is slightly rugged, with a fine toothiness that hints at its rich fermentation. It’s nearly black in color, with only a slight reddish brown hue giving variation. The bands are primarily gold and black, and honestly, they seem a bit understated against such a dark cigar.

The toro is well packed—firm and pliable—yet not overly dense. The seams are nearly invisible, and the cap has slightly lifted edges, giving it a bit of a sloppy look. A pre-light inspection brings forth aromas of damp barnyard, dry cocoa powder, and a touch of molasses sweetness from the foot. The cold draw is a very acceptable 8/10, offering notes of prunes, dark-roast coffee, and a light wooodiness with a slight pepper tingle on the lips.

Smoking Experience

Despite the dark and fairly thick maduro wrapper, the cigar takes to the flame easily and springs to life. The first few puffs are filled with flavor, having notes of dark chocolate that have sweetened up slightly from the cold draw. It mixes with bold coffee and finishes with a stronger-than-expected black pepper zing. The draw is an 8/10, delivering ample smoke output with each pull. Flavor is medium/full, body is medium, and strength is medium in intensity.

Moving past first-light impressions, the retrohale intensifies the experience, pushing waves of red pepper flakes along with a burnt toast character. As I settle into the cigar, a caramelized sugar sweetness and subtle saltiness emerge, pairing nicely with each other. The ash falls quickly in a short and tight chunk on my shirt, prompting me to keep a closer eye on the burn.

Approaching the middle of the LLTQ Maduro, the cigar evolves, balancing its initial strength with a creamier, more refined sweetness. The black pepper steps back, making room for notes of raisin, dry cinnamon, and light anise. The dominant flavors remain in the dark-chocolate-and-coffee realm, but they’re now intertwined with a toasted oak backbone.

The smoke itself is thick and chewy, coating the palate with a lingering, almost syrupy texture. The burn is slow and has a slight wave to it. Combine this with the cigar’s inability to hold a long ash, and the result is me making a mess of myself… lol. The draw has continued at an 8/10, and I am not suspecting it to change much at this point. Flavor is medium/full, body is medium-plus, and strength is medium.

Popping the bands on this 6″ x 54 Queen’s Chalice, I am noticing that the profile is becoming drier and distinctively more peppery. The sweetness is falling away, primarily showing toasted bread and burnt coffee elements. Red pepper lingers on my tongue and stings my sinuses on the retrohale. The only other note I can pick up on the retro is dusty walnut. It’s a good component (and I wish I could get more of it), but alas, the pepper is pushing it down. Flavor is medium/full, body is medium/full, and strength is medium-plus.

As I lay the toro in the ashtray, I find that the close is a little lackluster. The sweetness that I enjoyed in the opening half of the stick is a distant memory. Now, a dry and peppery swirl of burnt toast, strong espresso, and dusty wood are all that remain. The cigar slowly gained strength throughout the smoking experience, finishing at a medium/full strength, with the flavor and body aspects moving only slightly up in comparison. I can’t help but think this is why some of the more enjoyable flavors fell off as the smoke progressed.

Would I Smoke This Cigar Again?

In short, yes. I really enjoyed the first half of this cigar. While the second half turned noticeably drier and more peppery, the Long Live the Queen Maduro remained moderately complex and interesting enough to earn a spot in both my humidor and occasional rotation. I would recommend this cigar as a post-meal treat, or at least not an early-in-the-day smoke, as the pepper can be a little much for your palate if you’re not ready for it.

• Currently, the Caldwell Long Live the Queen Maduro ranks on Dojoverse as “89% Smokable,” placing in the bottom 58 percent of cigars on the all-time leaderboard.

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