Stogie Guys Free Newsletter

Subscribe today for a chance to win great cigar prizes:


Presented by:

Cigar Review: Warlock Robusto

28 Feb 2012

Sending cigars out for review can pay off for manufacturers. At least in this case it did. Had I not received a couple of Warlock cigars from Altadis, I doubt I’d have ever tried one.

I rarely receive cigars from manufacturers. Lately, though, Altadis has been promoting new smokes, such as the Montecristo New York, by sending them to internet reviewers, including me.

There are several cigar makers whose products I rarely smoke, the two giants (Altadis and General Cigar) among them. It’s not that I think they make bad smokes; it’s just that when I want to try something new I’m much more inclined to explore sticks from other brands. That’s especially true of a cigar with somewhat silly ads and a name that conjures up visions of Darrin, Samantha, and a wiggling nose.

I don’t know why I picked a Warlock from my humidor the other day, though I think remembering that it ranked in Cigar Aficionado’s top 10 list for 2011 probably played a part.

This robusto isn’t a conventional size. It weighs in at 4.75 inches with a 54 ring gauge. Looking online, it seems to run about $6. The blend is a multi-country mix, with the wrapper a not overly attractive Ecuadorian Cubano, the binder from Nicaragua, and the filler from Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic.

The combination results in a fairly powerful smoke that begins with strong spice, a draw that’s a bit too tight, and what may be the slowest burn I’ve ever experienced. I’ve smoked many a toro that didn’t last nearly as long as this short robusto.

The Warlock isn’t a particularly complex smoke, but it does develop throughout. At the halfway point, for example, a dark, syrupy sweetness overtakes the spice. There are also flavors of wood and leather in spots. If you haven’t tried this cigar for whatever reason, I suggest you give it a chance. This one earns four stogies out of five.

[To read more StogieGuys.com cigar reviews, please click here.]

George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys

8 Responses to “Cigar Review: Warlock Robusto”

  1. Ashburn Dave Tuesday, February 28, 2012 at 10:41 am #

    I too shy away from Altadis and General – carryover from my beer snob days. I was talking about the big companies with the owner of my B&M the other day. He's going to start carrying more of them and less of the boutique and new brands. The people who buy the latter tend to buy individual sticks while the former buy boxes, regularly. The ironic takeaway is that for those of us who keep up with what's new,our purchasing habits are limiting our options. D'oh!

  2. Rogers71 Tuesday, February 28, 2012 at 10:47 am #

    Thanks for the review. I'm not a big fan of powerful smokes that aren't terribly complex, so I'll likely stay away from this one.

    Funny, though. I hadn't even heard about Warlock until this review…

  3. Tom Tuesday, February 28, 2012 at 12:01 pm #

    I also skip past Altadis and General as well. The ad campaign for this cigar has always made me laugh. Who could they possibly be trying to reach – the 16yr old girl "Twilight" cigar enthusiast? I’m guessing that’s not a big market. Great example of giving some marketing firm too much control. I will have to give this a try.

  4. Swede214 Tuesday, February 28, 2012 at 9:50 pm #

    I have smoked the Warlock, by sure luck got it from Mike,[Mikesstogies.com], it was a little strong for me, but I did enjoy it after I got done. I smoked it, almost to the end.

  5. Heavy Wednesday, February 29, 2012 at 12:55 am #

    Tried 2 and they were ok prob won't buy again.

  6. Will Wednesday, February 29, 2012 at 2:23 pm #

    Thanks for the review. I've seen these before, but never even considered buying one. They just seemed to gimmicky and cheesy. But now I'll defiantly give one a try next time see them. The flavor profile seems right up my ally, though I'm not big fan of a tight draw.

  7. Bruce Williams Friday, January 18, 2013 at 7:12 pm #

    I have smoked the Warlock on a few occasions and have really enjoyed them! I tend to favor medium to full flavored cigars. At the moment, the Brick House robusto is my "go-to" smoke. Even though the Warlock is not very complex, I thought the flavors in the cigar to be quite tasty!

  8. Big Daddy Monday, August 19, 2013 at 2:50 pm #

    Had one with my son-in-law the other day (or yesterday if you prefer.) This is a great cigar! The aroma and taste (described as "medium-flavored") was very pleasing!