Cigar Review: Henry Clay Stalk Cut

This was supposed to appear yesterday…schedule was set, button was pressed, and…technical problems.

• Vitola: Toro
• 6” x 54 ring gauge
• MSRP $8.50
• Provided by Altadis

Background

Altadis seems to be on the way to rehabilitating the Henry Clay brand. The brand never went away, although the perception of the brand took a beating during the years after the cigar boom and over the last decade with the rise of the boutique cigar brands. One of the owners of those (former) boutique brands had kind words to say about Henry Clay cigars…and last year Pete Johnson put his money where his mouth is, lending his name and “Tattoo” brand to a special release of HC. Following up on that success is the new Henry Clay Stalk Cut.

This newest creation was blended by the Grupo de Maestros, the Altadis group that gave us such premium smokes as the Montecristo EPIC, Montecristo Espada, and Romeo by Romeo y Julieta, among others. It combines 2013 Nicaraguan Criollo and 2012 Dominican Piloto and Olor fillers, with a 2010 Dominican Piloto binder, and a 2012 Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper. The “Stalk Cut” appellation is in reference to the harvesting method used for the wrapper leaves, in which the entire stalk of the plant is cut and hung to cure in the tobacco barns. This yields “richer, more flavorful leaves.” (In truth, according to the research I found “all” Connecticut Broadleaf is stalk cut and cured…which would mean the wrappers on the regular HC release are also stalk cut…I guess the real point with this release is to have a new name and marketing technique for a different HC blend and to use that to reinvigorate the brand.)

The appearance of the HC Stalk Cut is similar to what was done for the HC Tattoo, though there is no indication in the Altadis press release that this is to be a limited edition or limited production cigar. It’s being made in 3 vitolas for a relatively low price of $8 to $8.50 per stick. I was sent 3 sample sticks by Altadis for this review and this review is based on the last of them.

Prelight

As noted, the marketing of the Henry Clay Stalk Cut adheres closely to the precedent set by the HC Tattoo that came out in mid-2015. The dual bands are the same size and shape, trimmed here with silver instead of the gold foil used on the Tattoo version. The Tattoo box was black while this one is silver/gray, but it’s essentially the same artwork. Even the packaging of the cigars in two 10-count wheels inside the box is identical to what was done in the Tattoo release. I like this kind of branding…it gives an immediately recognizable quality while differentiating it just enough that they shouldn’t be confused with each other.

The wrapper leaf was a milk chocolate brown color with a lesser amount of oiliness than I expected. The only other cigar that advertises itself as having a “stalk cut” wrapper is the Liga Privada T52, and that wrapper leaf is excessively oily. This had more to the touch than to the eye and had an aroma of earth and manure. The closed foot gave more of the earthy aromas with just a touch of grassiness coming through from the bunch.

The cold draw was very good and had a nice sweetness to it, along with a bit of Dominican earthiness and grassiness.

Flavor

The Henry Clay Stalk Cut started off with a sweet earthiness and dash of black pepper as I burned through the closed foot. This was soon joined by cedar and graham notes, with an additional roasted nut note on the retrohale. As I continued through the first third, the flavors of musty Olor mixed with the earthy Piloto and Nicaraguan, which were then accented by the sweetness of the Broadleaf. All in all it was a pretty complex and tasty flavor profile.

Earthiness came to the fore during the second third, while the cedar and musty notes played just below the surface and the sweetness was more evident on the finish. The retrohale continued to have a fair amount of pepper.

I continued to get a lot of earthiness as I got deep into the final third. The sweetness was a nice counterpoint and I started to get a distinct black coffee note from time to time, as well.

Construction

As is typical with Broadleaf, I had to touch it up a couple times, but the draw was great and the ash was solid.

Value

This is a solidly good cigar and the price tag is very reasonable, so I award full marks for value.

Conclusions

After the Henry Clay Tattoo, I expected (and heard other people with the same thought) that this would be similar. Really, though, it’s not. I liked the Tattoo better overall, but I did enjoy this HC Stalk Cut as a very good expansion of the regular line. I did smoke a standard HC a week or so ago and found it very enjoyable. I would mark this one slightly better and quite a bit more complex. This is definitely a good way to update the line, bringing it to the attention of many “boutique smokers” who would otherwise ignore the name. This one deserves to be on your “must try” list and because of availability and price it could end up becoming a regular smoke for me.

By-The-Numbers

Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9/10