Stogie Reviews: Old Henry Corona
12 Jan 2009
For about a year I’ve been dipping periodically into a colorful box of Old Henry Coronas. I liked them from the start, performing something like a Pepin light with less spice than his powerhouse blends and a little more leather.
It’s been several months since I lit one up, though, and when I did I got a surprise. A pleasant surprise. A year of aging has rounded the edges of this Nicaraguan puro and turned a good smoke into a considerably better one.
That shouldn’t be surprising. When Patrick A gave the Old Henry Robusto three stogies in an October review, he commented that it seemed like a stick that would benefit from some age. I believe he was correct.
On the other hand, even though a year isn’t very long to age a cigar, I’m wondering whether these aren’t near their peak. My reasoning: If they mellow noticeably in a year, will they go too far in another 12 months or so?
Maybe not, but I don’t think I’ll wait to find out, at least for all of them. I probably have ten or so left, and I plan to smoke them a little more rapidly in 2009 than I did in 2008. Of course, who knows whether my good intentions will hold up.
I’ve also tried the Robusto and prefer the somewhat longer (5.5 inches) and thinner (44 ring gauge) Corona. For my taste, it’s a bit smoother and more satisfying. When Patrick S did a Quick Smoke on the Robusto he rated it a “Buy.â€
If you keep your eyes open, Old Henry can also be a pretty good buy. As a Holt’s house brand, it’s often specially priced and offered with some bonus or other. The latest catalog lists 25 Coronas at $99.95 with a five-pack of other Pepin cigars. I believe I paid about $10 less and got a five-pack and a couple of coffee mugs.
Right now, I give this cigar four out of five stogies. And I’m wondering what I’ll think as the year progresses. Will they continue to improve, stay about the same, or begin to slide? I’ll let you know.
[To read more StogieGuys.com cigar reviews, please click here.]
photo credit: Wikipedia
Patrick Ashby
Co-Founder & Editor in Chief
Patrick Semmens
Co-Founder & Publisher
George Edmonson
Tampa Bureau Chief
Those are very good cigars! I enjoy those too. There is another cigar with a dog and a couple of guns on the label I really enjoyed, can't recall the name something like Doublegun Cigars. Great review stogie guys! Pete Rogers, Ph. D.
Pete – I have seen that stick in a magazine but not on a store shelf. And you're right, it's got a pretty nifty looking band! Maybe you could do a Quick Smoke on it for us.
Can't recall the source of the stogie so I did a search on the interweb, and it appears they do have a website http://www.doubleguncigar.com , they list a few stores – called one of them Jack Schwartz in Chicago, ordered a box of robustos – will advise. Pete Rogers, Ph. D.