Henry Clay Stalk Cut Cigar Review

Last week the PR firm for Altadis USA reached out to us with the press release for the new Henry Clay Stalk Cut; ironically this was the same day at Altadis sales rep John Traiano stopped by for a visit. Literally hours before the press release arrived in my box, I was handed the new stalk cut by John. While in the past we might have gotten off on the wrong foot, John has turned out to be a gentleman of the highest regards.

Henry Clay is a brand that seems to be in the process of attempting to become younger which is no small order considering it started in the 1840s. Last year, they teamed up with Pete Johnson of Tatuaje for the Henry Clay Tattoo and this year they release a blend that is very similar calling it the Henry Clay Stalk Cut.

Cigar Review: Henry Clay Stalk Cut
Size: 6 x 54 (Toro)
Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf (2012 Vintage)
Binder: Dominican Republic Piloto (2010 Vintage)
Filler: Dominican Republic Olor (Vintage 2012), Piloto (Vintage 2012), Nicaragua Criollo (Vintage 2013)
Strength: Medium-Full

The Look: While the size of the cigar is listed as 6 x 54 it feels and looks bigger. The primary band of red, black and silver denotes Henry Clay and still has the look of an older brand. The secondary band of gray, red and silver denotes Stalk Cut. As far the cigar the roll is adequate with the seams visible and the wrapper feels coarse under the fingers with some oils present. The foot of the cigar is closed and there are no soft spots (voids of tobacco) on the stick. In the hand, the cigar is heavier than one would expect for the size.

The Notes: Once the cigar is clipped with an S Cut from Colibri the initial draw reminds me of butter cookies with a hint of caramel in the background. Being on a diet, I am enjoying the cold draw immensely. The aroma off the closed foot and wrapper of the cigar is that of generic tobacco.

After the cigar is properly lit there are dominant notes of leather and a hint of ginger. There is also some continued elements of butter cookies that were experienced on the cold draw, but they are over powered by the leather profile. Through the nose the leather components are amplified and there is some spice on the aroma.

In the second third of the cigar the aroma begins to stand out which reminds me of hot sauce. It has caused me to sneeze a few times which I always find amusing. The leather notes have toned down a few notches and some elements of dark chocolate begin to develop.

The last third of the Henry Clay Stalk Cut develops some floral notes on the aroma and the leather returns to the palate.   Some some is also present on the retrohale for the first time and the finish is reminiscent of dark chocolate.

The Burn: The enjoyable flavor profiles were over shadowed by a tough draw on the samples from Mr. Troiano as well as those sent to me by Altadis. The cigar also tended to feel bulbous in the middle third as the smoke and heat built up during the smoking process. As a result the smoke production was minimal. The combustion line of the cigar was thin, and the burn line was wavy but even. The medium gray ash had ridges in it and I chose to ash at 25% increments. It is interesting to note that I had draw issues on the Pete Johnson version as well. It needed two relights, one at the half point and one more time in the last third.

The Finish: It’s a shame the cigar had draw issues, because I was enjoying the flavor profile but not how much work I had to put in the cigar. Henry Clay seems to be trying to reinvent itself among the social media generation of cigar smokers with its affiliation to Pete Johnson and now the similarities to that of the Liga Privada T-52 which uses stalk cut tobacco as well. I’m torn because of the draw issues, so I’ll have to know a few points off the final score.

Score: 89
Price: $8.50