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: Adam (BewareDaPenguin)

85
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 Water

Pre-Light: 9 Points of 10 Possible

Cigar looked great! Well rolled, dry, smooth, no prominent veins. Cap applied nicely, cut super clean with a with a straight cut. Band was nice, had a nice gold foot band designating it was an LE. Prelight pull gave off a tad bitter hay & cedar taste, but smelled of sweet tobacco.

Lighting and Burn: 13 Points of 15 Possible

Cigar lit up no issues. Burned super sharp with only 1 small touch up. Didn't cause any issues. Again cigar was well rolled, firm but not tight, I thought it might be loose, but it produced plenty of smoke volume with minimal effort.

Construction: 25 Points of 30 Possible

Wrapper was selected nicely. It was a very nice looking stick, it was more of a milk chocolate color, and had a smooth leather feel. Per mentioned the cap was cleanly applied and cut clean with a straight cut, my preferred cut. The stick was firm, felt solid and smoked with no issues. I thought it might be loosely packed in the 1st 3rd but it was well rolled and smoked clean. The ash was a nice grey and held on every 1" or so. Nicely rolled, happy no burn or construction issues as it's become a pet-peeve of mine

Flavor and Aroma: 38 Points of 45 Possible

This sat right in the medium category for me, it started out a little tart so I thought it was possibly not aged well, but once past the foot it turned more into a anise flavor that had a sweetness to it. The retrohale had a light hay taste. The strength stayed pretty consistent for me but the 2nd and 3rd of the cigar brought in a nuttiness as the sweetness dropped off. The stick produced some good flavors, not some of my personal favorites but it was a good stick that smoked smooth and never got hot. I'm typically a fast smoker and had this down on about an hour, but stick never got hot or bitter. Again I was a little nervous after the light up, but the cigar settled in nicely. It had an earthy taste that stayed throughout but it did transition from the 1st third into the 2nd and 3rd for me. Stayed more light and didn't have any bite to it, just fairly smooth and full medium.

Summary

I'd like to thank Klamm and geeks for giving me the opportunity to do this critique. Personally not something I would buy, but turned out to be an enjoyable stick. It nice to step out of your comfort zone sometimes and try new things. Overall was a very good stick, I'd recommend giving it a shot if you see any you can pick up. I've noticed a lot of construction issues the past few years and this was well rolled and smoked perfect. Wasn't over-powering and produced some interesting flavors that I typically don't go for. Thanks again really enjoyed it!