Initial Smoke

A perfect corojo kickoff, punctuated by spice, citrus, pepper, and sunshine swirl around the senses. Ginger and cinnamon strike next, along with a squeeze of sweet citrus, and that exotic fruit and wood mixture from the Peruvian tobacco inside. A sticky, longish finish, creamy and clean retrohales, and a balanced draw all land this blend a five-star review for initial impressions.

1st Half

Continuously corojo, but a bit more milky and nutty than just tea, citrus, and spice, the first third threads the needle with ease. Traditional red leaf tobacco tastes on the outside, and a far more creamy, nougat and vanilla-filled center underneath, every pull, retrohale, exhale, and aftertaste within the first half hour of this cigar is pure smoking bliss. 

Continuously medium in body, but more medium-full in flavor and strength, the blend slows its roll and begins to focus more on that Peruvian wood note above all else. This is rounded off by rich vanilla and a bit of black tea bitterness for a bit of bite. As the burn on the cigar slows to a crawl, a commanding kick of ligero leaf spiciness and strength lets me know that the king is not messing around.

2nd Half

Full strength, and both fierier and uglier than a barrel of bucktoothed threats thrown in a Jerry Springer chair tossing contest, I find little respite from the barrage of spice and ligero leather slapping my tongue about. The cigar has also gone from a picture-perfect burner to one that belongs on Jerry Springer. One side burning with wild abandon, the other refusing to combust even after two touch-ups, my annoyance with the center of this cigar is only shadowed by disappointment. 

But just as I feel like all is lost, the wrapper and binder begin to burn, and balance is achieved once again. As flavors mellow out once again, cinnamon returns, but this time with all of the spiciness that this form of tree bark has the ability to encapsulate. Heavy on the mineral, and loaded with black, white, and red pepper heat and flavor, things stay intense and bitter tea tasting all the way up until parting puffs.  

Parting Puffs

Somehow, parting puffs manage to coat over some of the damage done during the midsection of this smoke, with doughy rye bread on retrohales, an increase in a molasses-like sweetness, and a dusting of chalky, mineral-heavy soil, earning a pat on the back. Peppery, fiery, leather-bound leaves of ligero intensity still shout from the rooftops, but with all of the flavors and aromas previously mentioned making their voices heard as well, recognition of these more overpowering notes remains muffled.

Ash / Burn / Smoke / Draw

For my review cigar, an excellent first third burned right through the barrel's flat spot without issue, only to stall on one side in the second third, and refuse to rekindle even when touched with a torch multiple times. Somehow, the wrapper did manage to finally catch fire again, and the cigar didn't require further assistance from that point forth. But physical heat quickly became a concern due to this lengthy touch with the torch, and likely led to the fiery flavors that followed. 

Positive points were all associated with the first third, which, on my review cigar was picture perfect, and the ideal draw that returned rich robes of medium-full-bodied cigar smoke fit for a king.

Final Thoughts

Okay, so here is where the big caveat comes into play. Although the stall in the center of this cigar, and the subsequently strong flavors and burn characteristics were pretty damning for my review cigar, my sample sticks burned quite a bit better. They still required touch-ups on occasion, but nothing close to the level that was encountered with the cigar seen here. So, knowing full well that these are hand-rolled, artisanal products, assessing the overall burn of all three cigars smoked landed this blend a bit of a higher score than if it had been a single stick assessment. 

This doesn't excuse the overall spiciness of the cigar, or the sharp bitterness and harshness that were detected at times in all three smokes, though. There's a consistent theme here, where things quickly escalate in the second third, only to simmer down in the final third, but without the ability to regain a full sense of balance. Going from an extreme series of cigar flavor profiles and heat intensity levels to something a bit more mellow is only going to cause the smoker to miss out on what comes next. The senses have been overwhelmed and need time to readjust before they can begin to detect subtler nuances once again.

Now, here comes the good news. This corojo version not only looks splendiferous, with its dope band, perfectly applied, super oily wrapper, and tight pigtail cap, but it also performs extremely well in certain sections.

The corojo version of Long Live the King is also an absolute A-list world leader in every regard in the first third. Every single one of the cigars I have smoked has delivered an absolutely divine deluge of flavors, aromatics, and aftertastes for the first 30–45 minutes of the cigar smoking experience. Burn lines and ash builds are Instagram share-worthy, the draw is spot-on, and all of the sweet, tropical fruitiness and exotic wood notes are second to none. I was also impressed with how the final third in all three cigars managed to resurrect some of the more enjoyable moments found in the first third, allowing the taste buds and smell receptors a final attempt to taste them one more time. That is, at least, if they could still fulfill their duties after all that heavy-handed ligero action midway through this "Petit Double Wide Short Churchill." Talk about one hell of a name for a standard toro...