Cigar Review Henry Clay War Hawk
When Smoked: February 2024
Obtained from: 5-pack purchased from Cigar Page
Size: Double Toro (6 inches x 50)
Approximate cost: US$9
See ratings below
Henry Clay was Secretary of State and Congressman, best known for his strong support of the War of 1812, so hence the nickname “War Hawk.” Hence the name of this cigar.
As an aside, wouldn’t history class have been a lot easier to pass if all the wars were named after the year it was fought?
The Henry Clay War Hawk is made by the US arm of Altadis, a large worldwide tobacco conglomerate. They are best known in the US market for their “Parallel to Cuban” brands like Montecristo. The Henry Clay line is pretty small potatoes for Altadis and has gotten lost in the shuffle a bit.
So - this is a review of a relatively obscure cigar named for a relatively obscure US politician.
Having said that, the Henry Clay War Hawk actually garnered the #10 spot in the Cigar Aficionado Top 25 cigars of 2020.
Personally, I think this cigar deserves more love than it has gotten. It’s an Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper over a Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro binder. Filler is some pretty peppy Nicaraguan leaves. The combination results in a unique and very good flavor profile.
If you look at the smooth blonde wrapper, you may be fooled into thinking this is going to be a creamy, mild Connecticut Shade. Not so! The War Hawk starts with a spicy kick, which doesn’t let up too much for the first two-thirds. It gets a little smoother then, but the damage is already done at that point.
Flavor profile is what I would call “light & bright,” a bit of citrus with light nutmeg. Pretty unique in my opinion.
Burn, draw, and construction all very good. I mention in the video, I’ve smoked a number of these and every one of them has had perfect construction.
All said, the overall smoking enjoyment is a 9.0/10 -a very good cigar that is easy to overlook. I wouldn’t go out and buy a box on my say-so, but I think it’s very worthy of a 5-pack. At US$9 per stick this cigar is definitely worth it, and you should do even better on a 5-pack.
Some cigars don’t make the video cut. I have a growing catalog of written-only reviews that you can find at cigarscigarscigars.com
14 фев 2024
