PCA 2023: Caldwell Cigar Co.
For several years Caldwell Cigar Co. had the same large booth, with wall and display structures built to look like stacks of crates, even a couple of years using crates as the booth’s seating. Then sometime between 2019 and the return in 2021, the decision was made to pull it back to the bare minimum needed to meet with retailers.
That meant folding tables and chairs, a stand-up banner, and… that’s about it. This year was no different, and having done this for three years it seems to be a point of pride with a self-proclaiming award on the sparse booth wall saying World Champion – Worst Exhibit Ever – ‘Tornado of Hell.’
As is evident by the above booth walkthrough video, or as one YouTube commenter aptly put “more like walk by” video, there is not much there. Despite the sparseness, plenty of retailers stopped by to talk to the reps and Robert Caldwell about the brand and the new releases that were coming from it.
Blind Mans Bluff Toro Deluxe – Chico White Edition
Earlier this year, Caldwell released the Blind Mans Bluff Toro Deluxe, which were rolled at Tabacalera William Ventura before the catastrophic fire that destroyed the factory. That was the first of a three-part series, with the next two rolled at Manufactura Rivas, a Dominican factory owned by Francisco “Chico” Rivas. Taking the same types of tobacco that made up the blend of the first Toro Deluxe but using tobacco from different sources and having been processed differently, these two “Chico” editions will taste completely different. At first glance, the three 100-count boxes look identical, however the Chico White Edition and Chico Gold Edition have a distinctive seal on the side of the box.
- Wrapper: Ecuador (Habano)
- Binder: Dominican Republic
- Filler: Dominican Republic
- Blind Mans Bluff Toro Deluxe – Chico White Edition (6 x 54) — $10.40 (Box of 100, $1,040)
Production: 165 Boxes of 100 Cigars (16,500 Total Cigars)
Release Date: July 2023
Blind Mans Bluff Toro Deluxe – Chico Gold Edition
- Wrapper: Ecuador (Habano)
- Binder: Dominican Republic
- Filler: Dominican Republic
- Blind Mans Bluff Toro Deluxe – Chico Gold Edition (6 x 54) — $10.40 (Box of 100, $1,040)
Production: 165 Boxes of 100 Cigars (16,500 Total Cigars)
Release Date: July 2023
As the saying goes necessity is the mother of invention, a fire that destroys the factory that produces most of your cigars necessitates finding another factory that can produce cigars for your company. In this case, the invention is a limited edition Dominican puro that is also produced at Manufactura Rivas.
- Wrapper: Dominican Republic (Corojo)
- Binder: Dominican Republic (Corojo)
- Filler: Dominican Republic
- Long Live The King BAR-NONE Robusto (5 x 50) — $13.50 (Box of 20, $270)
- Long Live The King BAR-NONE Toro (6 x 52) — $15 (Box of 20, $300)
Production: 500 Boxes of 20 Cigars (10,000 Total Cigars) Per Vitola
Release Date: July 2023
Brian Burt
I have been smoking cigars since 2005 and reviewing them as a hobby since 2010. Initially, I started out small with a 50-count humidor and only smoking one or two cigars a month. Not knowing anybody else that smoked cigars, it was only an occasional hobby that I took part in. In March of 2010, I joined Nublive and Cigar Asylum, connecting me with many people who also shared an interest in cigars. Reading what they had to say about brands I had never heard of, I quickly immersed myself in the boutique brands of the industry and it was then that cigars transformed from a hobby into a passion.
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