Cigar Review: All Out Kings Foreverlast

All Out Kings is a collaborative project between Caldwell Cigar Company and Drew Estate. Word of All Out Kings first surfaced early in 2016. The project was first seen at the 2016 IPCPR Trade Show. A very limited release was made in order to meet the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)’s August 8th, 2016 deadline to introduce new product to the market. After some delays, All Out Kings would finally make it to the market in early 2017. While some collaborations are “unlikely” combinations, the one with Caldwell and Drew Estate is logical because both companies have been on the cutting edge in terms of marketing and re-defining the overall cigar experience. Today, we take a closer look at All Out Kings in the Foreverlast (Toro) size.

In terms of the collaboration, the blend was developed by Willy Herrera, Master Blender at Drew Estate and Caldwell Cigar Company owner Robert Caldwell. The cigar is being produced at Drew Estate’s La Gran Fabrica factory in Estelí, Nicaragua. Sales and distribution for the cigar is being handled by Caldwell Cigar.

Collaborations are nothing new for Caldwell. Since the company partners with several factories, much of its portfolio can be considered collaborations. However, in the past 18 months, Caldwell has partnered with several major cigar industry names.

• Ernesto Perez-Carrillo Jr. (Tabacalera Alianza): Anastasia
• Matt Booth: Hit & Run (Tabacalera William Ventura) and The T (Tabacalera Fernandez)
• Willy Herrera, Drew Estate (La Gran Fabrica Drew Estate): All Out Kings.

Without further ado, let’s break down the All Out Kings Forerverlast and see what this cigar brings to the table.

Blend Profile

All Out Kings features a four-country multi-national blend. It is highlighted by Drew Estate’s signature Connecticut Stalk Cut Habano wrapper. This is the wrapper that is best known for being used on the Liga Privada T52.

Wrapper,: Connecticut Stalk Cut and Sun Cured Habano
Binder: Indonesia Sumatra Binder,
Filler: Jalapa Viso, Estelí Viso, Dominican C-98 Seco, and Connecticut Broadleaf Ligero
Country of Origin: Nicaragua (La Gran Fabrica Drew Estate)

Vitolas Available

All Out Kings is available in four sizes. Each packaged in 20-count boxes.

Give Me Your Lunch Money: 5 3/4 x 46
Smash: 5 x 52
The 4th Pose: 6 x 54 (Torpedo)
Foreverlast: 6 1/2 x 54

Appearance

The All Out Kings Foreverlast’s Stalk-Cut Habano wrapper has the signature look that it has become well-known for with the Liga Privada T52. It had a roasted coffee bean color with a slight Colorado tint. There was some mottling that can be seen on the surface. There also was a light coating of oil on the wrapper. The darker color of the wrapper does a good job at hiding the wrapper seams. I also found some visible veins present as well.

The band to All Out Kings is gray in color. At the center of the band is a copper-colored crown with three hands grabbing at it. The left side of the band has the text “ALL OUT KINGS” in a copper font. The right side has three medallions. One medallion has the Drew Estate logo etched on it, one has the Caldwell Cigar Co logo etched on it, and the third has the initials AOK.  There is copper-colored pin-striping trim near the top and bottom of the band. There is also a copper-colored dashed pattern going through the middle of the band.

Preparation for the Cigar Experience

I commenced the smoking experience of the All Out Kings Foreverlast with a straight cut. After removing the cap, I moved on to the pre-light draw experience. On the dry draw,  I detected a mix of coffee, citrus, and cedar. Overall, I considered this to be a satisfactory pre-light draw. At this point, I was ready to light up the All Out Kings Foreverlast and see what the smoking phase would have in store.

Flavor Profile

The All Out Kings Foreverlast continued with notes of coffee and citrus from the pre-light draw. Early on the coffee notes emerged in the forefront with the citrus notes being close secondary notes. There was a creamy texture to the flavors that gave the cigar some smoothness. Meanwhile, I also detected some classic wood and a mix of red and black pepper in the background. The mix of red and black pepper was also present on the retro-hale.

During the second third, there was a slight increase in the coffee notes. There was also a slight increase in the pepper notes. During this phase, the classic wood notes morphed to a cedar sweet-spice. At the same time, the creamy texture slowly diminished.

By the last third of the cigar the coffee notes became more earthy. At times the citrus notes crept into the forefront. The cedar and pepper notes were close secondary notes. There was a slight amount of sourness at the end, but at this point, it was time to put the All Out Kings Foreverlast down. The resulting nub was slightly soft to the touch but cool in temperature.

Burn and Draw

For the most part, I found the draw of the All Out Kings Foreverlast performed quite well. On the whole, the cigar had a slightly jagged burn line, but maintained a straight burn path. The ash wasn’t overly firm, but it wasn’t a loose ash either. There was some mild flaking on this ash. The ash itself was light gray in color. Meanwhile, the cigar maintained an ideal burn rate and ideal burn temperature.

I did find the draw of the All Out Kings Foreverlast to be in my sweet spot. It had a touch of resistance on it – which is something that I like. This was a cigar that produced an abundant layer of smoke from start to finish.

Strength and Body

In terms of strength, the All Out Kings Foreverlast started out with medium strength and medium body. As the cigar experience progressed, both attributes increased in intensity. By the second half, the body of the All Out Kings Forever, the body was in the medium range. As for the strength, while the All Out Kings Foreverlast had more strength at the end as opposed to the beginning, the strength still fell in the medium range.

When it came to strength versus body, I gave a slight edge to the body.

Final Thoughts

Given they use the same wrapper, some of the coffee flavors produced by the All Out Kings Foreverlast are reminiscent of the Liga Privada T52. At the same time, the All Out Kings Forerverlast is going to deliver its own story. While the flavors were good, I was hoping for something a little more robust. There seemed times during the smoking experience where the flavor profile worked well – and other times when it didn’t. It’s still very much a cigar I’d recommend purchasing at your local shop. I’d recommend it to a seasoned cigar enthusiast, but certainly would not discourage a novice from trying. As for myself, I’d smoke this again, but I’m curious to see how this cigar smokes in some of the other formats as I think there is definitely upside potential.

Summary

Key Flavors: Coffee, Citrus, Pepper, Cedar, Wood, Earth
Burn: Very Good
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium Plus
Strength: Medium
Body: Medium (1st Half), Medium to Full (2nd Half)
Finish: Good

Rating

Value: Buy One
Score: 88

References

News: Drew Estate and Caldwell Cigar Company Announce Details of All Out Kings
Price: $14.90
Source: Purchased
Brand Reference: Drew Estate, Caldwell Cigar Co

Photo Credits: Cigar Coop