Caldwell Lost And Found Spam Artist Cigar Review by @CigarKurt.
Today I am excited to smoke and review the Spam Artist from the Lost And Found series from Caldwell.
The Spam Artist I am smoking today is the 6 x 54 Toro Grande size. It is made in the Dominican Republic and it is draped in a nice medium brown Corojo wrapper. A Dominican Binder and Fillers from the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua. Before we get into this Cigar, I think it is important to discuss a little background from Caldwell’s Lost And Found series.
The story behind the Lost And Found series is a little bit of a mystery or confusing based on what you read. Legend has it that pre-pandemic they were said to search factories and aging rooms to find and rebrand or repackage old, aged cigars that were either lost or forgotten, and give them new life. Thus, the Lost and Found series. Since then, in 2022 the Company moved their focus and production to small batch Cigars.
This is where the confusion comes in for me, and poses the question of when I get a Lost And Found Cigar, am I getting a very aged cigar, or a cigar from the newer business model? To me, it is all good as long as I am getting a quality cigar that I enjoy. One of my favorite regular production cigars from Caldwell is the Eastern Standard Cypress Room Toro. So I am excited to dive into this Lost And Found series of cigars. Whether you agree with me or not, one has to admit that the marketing plan for the Lost And Found series was brilliant because it has sold a lot of cigars.
In addition, Caldwell was acquired this year by Landisi Enterprises, a well known Pipe Tobacco Company. Robert Caldwell has agreed to stay on and focus on what he does best, Cigars! At least for a few years anyway. With that said, I am anxious to see what is on the horizon for Caldwell. Now let’s get to the Spam Artist.
I get most of my Lost And Found sticks online from various retailers. This particular Spam Artist was part of a sample pack of 12 Cigars. It was an amazing deal which worked out to $2.75 a stick! At this price point it is unbeatable for a cigar of this caliber.
As I pick up the cigar, I am greeted with my favorite 6 x 54 size which feels good in my hand. It has a beautiful medium brown Corojo wrapper with a small amount of toothiness to it. It has a bright yellow contrasting band with a picture of artist paint brushes sticking out of a jar with the words Spam Artist across the center of it. Initial aromas of dominant hay, leather and cedar pleasantly fill my nasal receptors.
Cold Draw
After carefully removing the cap with a straight guillotine cut using my favorite perfect cut cutter I am greeted with leather and cedar. There are no draw issues and airflow appears to be great.
1st Third
Upon carefully toasting and lighting the cigar, the initial puffs reveal a nice smoothness of leather and cedar. As I progress, the leather and cedar are joined with fresh baked white bread notes and red pepper to balance everything out. Initial impressions are a pleasant medium strength cigar coming in at a 5 out of 10 the flavor strength profile scale.
2nd Third
Continues to burn flawlessly with no touch ups, something that I have grown accustomed to with Caldwell. The intensity has increased slightly as the red pepper taste is a little more spicy. The cedar remains upfront as the leather rides in the back seat. The wonderful fresh baked white bread notes have dissipated. I am enjoying this Spam Artist and I am excited to get into the final third to see where it takes me.
Final Third
The nice red pepper remains upfront and spicy cinnamon emerges that is just delightful and solidifies this cigar for me. The cinnamon remains on a nice long finish. The cedar and leather remain in the background to round everything out.
Final Thoughts
Another wonderful selection from Caldwell’s Lost And Found series. Flavor note highlights for me were the fresh baked white bread in the beginning and the spicy cinnamon to finish it off. A pleasant red pepper, leather and cedar remained constant throughout. I have this cigar as a solid medium with a 5.5 out of 10 on the flavor strength profile. Excellent burn and construction with no touch ups throughout. My overall rating for this cigar is an 88 out of 100.
Is this cigar for the new cigar smoker? I would say yes. It was very pleasant and the red pepper was not overpowering by any means. If you have a chance to get your hands on one of these, I would highly recommend it. Smoking time on this 6 x 54 Toro Grande was 1:10.
If you have enjoyed this review and would like to see the review of me smoking it, I invite you to head on over to YouTube @cigarkurt to see it and all my other reviews.
