2019 Cigar of the Year Countdown: #28: Long Live the King MAD MOFO Corona by Caldwell Cigar Company

“The Caldwell Long Live the King MAD MOFO Corona delivered a very good smoking experience. It’s a cigar that performed well on flavor, complexity, and construction.”

Wrapper: San Andres Mexican
Binder: Indonesian
Filler: Dominican, Nicaraguan, U.S.A Pennsylvania
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Factory: Tabacalera William Ventura
Corona: 5 3/4 x 43
Price: $10.40
Review: Long Live the King MAD MOFO Corona by Caldwell Cigar Company (2/26/19)
Appearances on Countdown (By Year/Brand): 4 (2014, 2016, 2018, 2019)

Coming in at #28 is the Long Live the King MAD MOFO Corona by Caldwell Cigar Company. The MAD MOFO is the third release under the Long Live the King brand (joining the original Long Live the King and limited release Savages). The MAD is short for “Maduro” and that’s because the MAD MOFO is a San Andres Maduro offering under the Long Live the King line. As for the name MOFO, we’ll leave that up to the imagination.

Like the other two releases under Long Live the King, the MAD MOFO is a cigar that is produced out of Caldwell Cigar Company’s long-time manufacturing partner Tabacalera William Ventura in the Dominican Republic. The blend itself features tobaccos from five countries. In addition to a San Andres wrapper, the blend also incorporates an Indonesian binder and tobaccos from the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, and Pennsylvania. MAD MOFO’s Corona viola is a long, slender vitola measuring 5 3/4 x 43.

Long Live the King MAD MOFO marks the fourth year Caldwell Cigar Company has landed on the Countdown. It also is the second time the Long Live the King brand has landed on a Countdown as the original blend placed on the 2014 edition.

This San Andres blend has its own story to tell as the Long Live the King Mad MOFO delivers notes of cocoa, cedar, red pepper, dried fruit, mineral, and musty earth. The mineral and musty earth might not be the most exciting flavors, but they help round out and balance the flavor profile very nicely. This is a cigar that delivers medium-bodied notes countered by medium strength.

The way the flavors transition and interact give this cigar a nice amount of complexity. That combined with the unique character of the flavor profile earns Caldwell Cigar Company’s Long Live the King MAD MOFO a spot on the 2019 Countdown.