This cigar was enjoyed with Iced Green Tea
Pre-Light: 9 Points of 10 Possible
Very appealing stick. First off, I dig the upgraded Henry Clay band. The matte gold and red foil comes off as premium, and is a classic look that never goes out of favor. I could take or leave the foot band, just something I have to remove before lighting. The leaf is not very oily, but not dry. There are some noticeable veins, and the wrapper leaf is a bit splotchy, kind of a leather look. But you can tell the cigar is well rolled, even with no hard spots and just enough give when pinched. Not a ton of smell coming from it pre-light, general tobacco and a little cedar.
Lighting and Burn: 13 Points of 15 Possible
This cigar had no problem in the burn department. Took the flame easily and evenly from the beginning. The burn was almost perfect the entire smoke, only requiring a couple of minor touch-ups after tapping the ash to remain straight. Streaked in gray, black and white, the ash was a tad flaky, tending to leave a little on my shirt even when I wasn't stretching the length of the ash. But the ash itself held well, I felt like it would have held as long as I would let it but I was giving it about an inch and half at a time. I would say average-plus on smoke volume as it produced plenty of smoke, but wasn't particularly thick or lingering.
Construction: 30 Points of 30 Possible
Hard to find any faults in construction. Burned almost perfectly, ash held nicely. Draw we spot on throughout the smoke. As I said in the initial impression, you can tell this is a well-made stick. Even fill, attractive wrapper and properly applied cap. Well done.
Flavor and Aroma: 36 Points of 45 Possible
I'll start with I am a big fan of the War Hawk line. I keep the core line around all the time as it is one of my favorite morning smokes so I hope the expectations from that didn't influence my perception of this cigar. It started with a pretty general profile, some oak, cedar and a little black pepper. A bit of tannic finish on the tongue. Moving through there is a little bit more woodiness, and a start of some creaminess I was hoping for from the original line. Unfortunately, that never really takes hold, and the majority of the cigar is mostly woody, with pretty mild but noticeable pepper notes, and that tannic bit of dryness throughout. Not unpleasant at all, actually pretty nice. The flavors do intensify and back off individually throughout the smoke, so while I didn't notice a ton of different things going on, the intensities and combinations of what was there kept it interesting. Smooth and cool smoke. Definitely needed hydration with this one, that tannic, dry finish would have been too much without frequent sips of tea. Iced green tea did pair quite nicely with this stick though. And in fairness, I smoked this stick within a couple days of it arriving, so a little rest may have a very positive effect on this cigar. I have smoked at least one, maybe two before this and certainly enjoyed them. While I think just a touch more creaminess and/or a little more variety would have benefited this one, it was a very good cigar that I would smoke again.
Summary
Overall, this is a good addition to the Henry Clay portfolio. I personally prefer the original War Hawk myself, but this one has its place. The construction was impeccable, and flavor profile was pretty darn good. For those that don't like Connecticut profiles, this would be a good one to try the War Hawk profile. Thanks for the opportunity to review this one, very much appreciated.
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