Holt’s Cigar Company – Old Henry Gold Label + Giveaway Winner Announced

By Jeremy Hensley | April 22, 2016

First off, I want to say  “THANK YOU” to all who participated in the Old Henry Best in Show sampler Giveaway from our good friends at Holt’s Cigar Company. Without further ado, the winner of the Old Henry Best in Show sampler is LYZA JO! Congratulations!!!

Over the past couple weeks, I have been smoking through the Old Henry sampler myself and have been very pleased with the quality of the cigars contained. This week, I am on to the Old Henry Gold Label and will finish up the assortment with a review of the Pure Breed next Friday. Upon the passing of Holt’s mascot in 2006, a Bulldog named Old Henry, the Old Henry brand was created to remember the company’s best friend. Blended by Jose “Pepin” Garcia, Old Henry cigars have been available for the better part of a decade. The Gold Label features an Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper over Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos. Available vitolas include: Corona (5 1/2 by 44), Robusto (5 by 50), Belicoso (5 1/2 by 52), Toro (6 by 52), and Churchill (7 by 48).

You can find the past reviews here:

• Old Henry
• Old Henry Maduro

You can purchase your own by visiting their site here.

The Facts

Samples Provided by Holt’s Cigar Company
Price: $5.50 per single | $99.95 per box of 25
Vitola: Toro
Size: 6 by 52
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Smoke Time: 1 Hour and 30 Minutes

Pre-light

The Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper matches up to the gold lettering and coins found on the band with its light tan, gold-ish appearance.  The wrapper leaf is scattered with small veins and a couple medium-sized veins, some bumps, stretch marks, and a small wrapper tear about midway down the leaf. However, the leaf is velvety to the touch and the Gold Label is filled rock solid with no soft spots. Bringing the cigar to my nose, I find aromas of sweet tobacco, honey, pecans, and earth. The combination is appetizing.

A caramel sweetness is picked up on from the foot of the cigar, along with wet woodsy notes. Upon clipping the cap, I find a perfect draw. The flavors on the dry draw are mellower than the aroma from the wrapper and foot of the cigar. Bright, rich flavors of cedar and potpourri liven by palate.

First Third

Medium flavors of sweet tobacco and woodsy notes are smooth on the palate as the Old Henry Gold Label opens up.  As the aforementioned notes fade, they are followed by darker flavors of earth and pepper. (Once again, I immediately find some similarities with the Old Henry and the Old Henry Maduro.) An unsweetened bubble-gum flavor lingers on the finish between each draw. Way in the background there is a Connecticut-bitterness that is being countered by the sweetness that is most dominant in the profile. The burn-line is thick as the Gold Label burns evenly as a light gray ash holds well.

Middle Third

The interplay between the creamy sweetness and the darker notes is making me desire a cup of coffee, which I believe would pair great with this cigar. The spicy pepper has stepped up in intensity, and some toasted bread notes begin to peek through. Even as these flavors pick up and new flavors join in, the sweetness holds strong rounding out the profile. Coffee and cocoa, almost mocha like, replace the bubble gum finish. Each draw brings forth a copious amount of smoke that is medium/full in body and flavor and on the lowside of medium in strength up to this point.

Final Third

Becoming caught up in the Old Henry Gold Label, I began to draw too often and too hard resulting in a sharp bitterness. Now pacing myself, allowing the cigar rest between each puff, the earlier more balanced flavors quickly return. As I begin to wind down the Gold Label, sweet cream and baking spices are pairing nicely as the pepper calms.

Wrap-up

I have expressed many times over the last six months or so my liking for Connecticut Shade wrappers over Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos. And the Old Henry Gold Label once again proves that Connecticut Shade wrapped cigars do not have to be mild in nature. The construction and performance of the Gold Label was well above expectations for a $5.50 cigar with its even burn, firm ash, and satisfying smoke production. But it was really the flavors that made this cigar shine. The common earth and pepper that also came across in the Old Henry and Old Henry Maduro was evident, but it was a new take on the flavors as they worked with the more dominant creamy sweetness and lighter woodsy notes. The arrival of the coffee and cocoa on the finish and the baking spices in the final third was a nice touch to an already solid cigar that I would highly recommend. Heck, this may be the best of the bunch.