The Caldwell The King Is Dead Manzanita is a little cigar built from some remarkably serious tobacco. The King Is Dead was one of the blends that defined Robert Caldwell's early portfolio, and Caldwell says it took five years of development to get right. Unlike the multi-country recipes found in many Caldwell cigars, this one stays entirely in the Dominican Republic. A beautifully aged 2008 Dominican Negrito wrapper covers a 2006 Dominican Corojo binder, with Dominican Corojo Ligero, Negrito Viso and **HVA 20/20—a Cuban hybrid grown in the Dominican Republic—**completing the filler. Negrito isn't a wrapper leaf you encounter every day, and its dark, earthy character is a big part of what makes The King Is Dead taste unlike much else in the Caldwell humidor.
The 4" x 42 Manzanita is an especially compelling way to smoke it. That slender ring gauge puts plenty of the aged Negrito wrapper into every puff, producing a concentrated combination of earth, cedar and warm spice against a softer, almost milk-chocolate sweetness. As it develops, look for roasted coffee, darker wood and a touch of maple-like sweetness, with the Corojo Ligero supplying backbone without turning the cigar into a pepper bomb. Caldwell considers The King Is Dead one of its most distinctive blends, and the Manzanita's traditional proportions make that unusual tobacco recipe particularly easy to appreciate.
If you're drawn to smaller-ring cigars because you actually want to taste the wrapper, this is one I'd strongly recommend adding to the humidor. The Manzanita isn't simply The King Is Dead shortened for convenience—the 4 x 42 proportions concentrate what is already a very distinctive blend, and the aged Negrito wrapper gets a chance to take center stage. If you've never smoked The King Is Dead, start with the Manzanita; if you already know the blend, this is a size worth keeping by the box.
