Cigar Geeks - Henry Clay War Hawk Rebellious LE Toro

Cigar Geeks Geek Critique

Henry Clay War Hawk Rebellious LE Toro
Written by Cigar Geeks Member: nirab

86
Cigar Geeks Rating

Welcome to another Member sponsored Geek Critique. This one has been generously sponsored by our member klamm143 (Kevin). The cigar provided for this round is the http://www.cigargeeks.com/cigardb/default.asp?action=showcig&cigar_id=192083">Henry Clay War Hawk Rebellious LE Toro. The Henry Clay War Hawk Rebellious seeks to turn the attention back towards its namesake, honoring the fighting spirit that the former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives became known. (Henry Clay was a staunch U.S. nationalist that became a leading voice among a faction of Congress known as "War Hawks," signifying their desire for war with the United Kingdom (War of 1812) as an ultimate resolution of conflict.) This cigar is aptly named, as it is a bit rebellious in going against its own tradition by not using a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper – as do most other Henry Clay brands. The Rebellious LE is the second release in the Warhawk series and is expertly rolled at AJ's prestigious Tabacalera Fernandez factory in Nicaragua with a rare vintage 12-year old Nicaraguan Habano wrapper paired with the finest aged Nicaraguan binder and long filler tobaccos. Limited release of a single size in 1,200 boxes.

Henry Clay War Hawk Rebellious LE Toro

Brand:: Henry Clay
Name:: War Hawk Rebellious LE Toro
Length:: 6
Ring Gauge:: 54
Country of Origin:: Nicaragua
Filler:: Nicaragua
Binder:: Nicaragua
Wrapper:: Habano
Nicaragua
Color:: Colorado
Shape:: Toro
Notes:: https://www.cigaraficionado.com/article/limited-henry-clay-war-hawk-rebellious-debuting-in-july

This cigar was enjoyed with Lagunitas Hoppy Water

Pre-Light: 8 Points of 10 Possible

Semi-dry wrapper, with a small vein in the center of the cigar, but the rest is very smooth. The cap is well applied and stayed intact after cutting. The cigar is packed well, with little give when pinched. The aroma off the foot is clean tobacco and a slight hay smell.

Lighting and Burn: 12 Points of 15 Possible

The burn was pretty even most of the way, until the last third, where it got a bit uneven, but nothing major. There were two different small tunnels that appeared during the smoke, but these did not affect the draw or the flavor. The ash held solid in 1/2" chunks. The color was a nice white n black striping. This was a slow burner and required no re-lights. The smoke volume was in the medium range.

Construction: 27 Points of 30 Possible

The draw was nice, but had a touch too much resistance. The wrapper was well applied. I did have one small section that split during the middle third, but this did not affect the performance of the cigar. The cap was solid, and stayed intact after applying a v-cut.

Flavor and Aroma: 39 Points of 45 Possible

The cigar started off very strongly for me. There was a slight bitterness, along with strong wood notes. Shortly after, about a half inch in, the bitterness disappeared. From here, the flavors were cedar, strong black pepper and an underlying faint sweetness. The cigar stayed this way into the last third. This was the best part of the cigar. I got some hints of graham cracker that mixed well with the cedar notes, which in turn muted the pepper to a very enjoyable level. There was also a touch of creaminess to the finish. The aftertaste was nice, with faint bitterness. The retrohale was strong in the first 2/3 of the cigar, so I did not do this much. The last third is where the retrohale really shined. It was fantastic, and brought all the flavor notes together.

Summary

I was surprised at how strong this cigar began, and how quickly it settled down. I honestly did not think I was going to enjoy this cigar based on the start, but it shifted gears into a very nice cigar. The cedar was a bit strong in the first third, which is not something I prefer in my cigars, but this also changed, and became part of a wonderful flavor profile. I look forward to trying this cigar again. Thank you to Kevin for including me in this GC!