Stogie Guys Free Newsletter

Subscribe today for a chance to win great cigar prizes:


Presented by:

Cigar Review: Old Henry Gold Label Belicoso

29 Oct 2012

A sibling of Holt Cigar Co.’s house brand created by Don Pepin Garcia, the Gold Label takes its name from the light brown Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper. But if it were receiving medals for the taste/price ratio, I think it could be in contention for gold as well.

With the Connecticut wrapper, it is, as you’d expect, a bit milder than the original corojo-wrapped Old Henry. But only a bit, and in some ways the Gold Label blend accentuates the pepper and spice from the Nicaraguan filler. I used a V-cut to slice the pointed head perfectly, and my lips were tingling before I put flame to the foot. To me, it’s a medium strength cigar that’s full of flavor.

The Belicoso is a 5.5-inch stick with a 52-ring gauge. It’s the only one of the line’s five sizes I’ve tried, and each Belicoso was excellently constructed. They burned straight and even, with a draw that was the way I like it, not loose or tight and full of smoke.

I’ve been a fan of the original Old Henry since the first one I smoked. I suggest you check my colleague’s 2008 review for a somewhat different view. One interesting note: The prices seem to have actually gone down since then!

I think they’re pretty darn good cigars, especially considering the price. Holt’s lists the Belicoso at $5.50 for a single, but it’s more than a dollar cheaper than that by the box of 25.

When you consider that the catalog giant often throws in some freebie with an Old Henry box order, it’s nearly unbeatable. (I remember once they threw in a couple of coffee cups, and I was so disappointed when they arrived because they had the Holt’s logo and not the great looking visage of Old Henry I was expecting.)

I usually have Old Henrys on hand, and now I think I’ll alternate the original with the Gold Label. I find it tough to rate. I’d have to say I don’t think it’s complex enough to be a four-stogie smoke, but I think it deserves a good bit better than a fairly routine three stogies. I guess I’ll split the difference and go with three and a half stogies out of five.

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

George

photo credit: Holt’s Cigar Co.

2 Responses to “Cigar Review: Old Henry Gold Label Belicoso”

  1. Anders Monday, October 29, 2012 at 7:59 pm #

    I've never even considered using a V-cutter on a belicoso-shaped smoke. Didn't think it would provide enough air flow through the narrowing cap. Am I missing something?

  2. George E. Saturday, November 3, 2012 at 10:00 pm #

    To be honest, I'd never thought of it either. But I've been using a V-cutter so much lately I thought I'd see how it worked. I figured that it if didn't, I could just clip down a bit more. But it took at good sized piece out and the draw was excellent.