Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra (Oscuro Grade)
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Size: 5 x 54 “Robusto”
Body: Medium/Full
Price: $4.75 by 20 Count Box/$5.75 by the Single/$4.16 using “6 Packs to Go”

Today we take a look at Holt’s Old Henry Pure Breed. This is the fourth edition to the series. The other blends are the original OH, OH Maduro, and the OH Gold Label.

This blend is meant to kick the hinges off the door.

It’s a shame that very few people have chosen to review this or the previous blends. I did review the Maduro but that was it.

It is a good solid cigar blended by Pepin Garcia. The Holt’s web site proclaims a “Picasso-like assemblage of well-aged vintage Nicaraguan fillers” but does not disclose what those are. So we are stuck with the generic description of “Nicaraguan.”

Construction is solid. Two snaps up. A dark oily wrapper that is smooth as silk. Seams are tight. And while each stick has a couple long veins it is devoid of small veins. The triple cap is expertly applied. And this cigar is going to take a while to smoke. It is jam packed to the gills with tobacco without a single soft spot.
Yesterday, I reviewed the Alec Bradley Coyol and was disappointed at how airy it was and reduced a 90 minute robusto to around 50 minutes.

Won’t happen here.

The double cigar bands are striking. The face only a mother and a bull dog lover could love surrounded by gold coins and a secondary band in bright red merely speaking the name of the blend.

I clip the cap and find aromas of gingersnaps, red pepper, chocolate, barnyard, hay, honeysuckle, and cedar.
Time to light up.

The draw is a bit tight but I expected that based on how packed it is.

I gently massage the cigar and it opens up nicely. In cold weather, I stop using a cigar awl to drive down the middle of the cigar to create a passageway. Cigars, regardless of what your hygrometer says, are a bit dry.

And I’ve learned the hard way that a pointy instrument being carefully inserted down the shaft of a cigar will cause cracks. Sounds like Rice Krispies when you pour milk on them.

The blast of pepper is not the typical Garcia Blast. It is more subtle but still the most prevalent flavor to start.

I’ve had these cigars for a month. Holt’s allows you to buy singles and I bought four of them. And then buyer’s remorse set in. A few days later, I noticed in their catalog that this exact stick is part of their “6 Packs to Go” promotion and I could have gotten 6 for the price I paid for 4. Who said Jews were smart businessmen? Not me. I’m a schmuck.

The char line is nearly dead nuts.

Cocoa falls into line. So does a creamy sweetness…similar to whipped cream.

The spiciness does an Evel Kneivel and jumps the buses. NOW it is providing the Garcia Blast. I guess it needed a jump start.

Honey lines up next but with a floral element.

The flavor profile is a slow starter. Yet with each puff, the intricacies of the flavors begin to emerge…like playing hide and seek.

The strength hits medium/full from the start and I expect an “Uh-oh” by the halfway point. I place my crash helmet next to me on one side and my dog on the other to cushion my fall. (PETA-No animals were harmed or killed in the making of this review.)

There are some interesting flavors lying just below the surface: black cherry, cedar, rich earthiness, raisins, espresso, and leather. They just don’t want to come out to play.

This is a typical Pepin Garcia cigar made inexpensively and as a house brand. He reverts to old school blending techniques. What does this mean? It means that a month is probably not enough humidor time. The cigar is running on potential. And may blossom any day now but not today.

Most of Garcia’s blends have that fresh rolled taste after just a few days and are good to go within two weeks. He must have a trick up his sleeve he uses with the blends that have his name on them.

Don’t get me wrong. The Holt’s Old Henry Pure Breed is a very good cigar. But the flavors need coaxing.

The second third begins.

There is a licorice root component now. And the strength remains at medium/full.

Exotic spices show themselves: Cumin, turmeric, clove, and coriander. I feel like a nice spicy curry now.

As the Holt’s Old Henry Pure Breed burns its way to the halfway point, the flavor profile is zapped into high gear. Now we’re talkin’.

This is, by no means, your typical Garcia blend. He made sure it had its own signature. As the flavors wash over my palate I begin to see the real difference between the original, maduro and the Pure Breed.

In an effort to be too hip for the room, Holt’s has come up with a powerhouse cigar to meet the current demands of stronger and stronger cigars. Good for them. Because most of their house blends tend to be on the mild/medium body side of things. They needed a kick in the pants for experienced cigar smokers. Not just smokers who like Ashton and Fuente.

I allowed the ash to hang tough. I will regret it. But this is a stout, hearty stick and I plan to see how long it lasts without lying on my back to smoke it.

I am at the halfway point and the cigar is what I had hoped.

Here are the flavors: Creaminess, spice, honeysuckle, exotic spices, coffee, licorice, cedar, black cherry, raisins, leather, and that rich earthiness.

The strength has reached full body

The Holt’s Old Henry Pure Breed is on the verge of flavor bomb status but not quite there yet. There is not a lot of complexity or balance. I do believe the Holt’s Old Henry Pure Breed needs a few more humidor weeks. But if I only taste potential, then I am willing to wait on the other 3 cigars I bought. This is a good cigar and its potential is impressive.

And just as I am blabbering away disclosing the secrets of the universe and my extended knowledge of it, the flavor profile explodes like the big bang. We have flavor bomb status.

In the explosion, flavors are now jumbled up. Totally different line up now.

Ladies and Germs, I give you the Holt’s Old Henry Pure Breed: Black cherry, creaminess, honey, pancakes with maple syrup, raisins, espresso, cocoa, cedar, licorice, and leather.

That’s right. Pancakes. I can taste them and it is making me hungry. I haven’t had pancakes in ages. Maybe I shall stray from my diet and make some this morning.

I am ½” away from the beginning of the second third. I’ve invested over an hour in my smoking experience.

So the sweet spot on a not ready for prime time Holt’s Old Henry Pure Breed is the last third. I imagine with another month of humidor time, the sweet spot will hit at the very beginning of the cigar with a much more potent spicy element.

The price point. Less than $5 a stick. If you buy them in 6 packs, the price drops down to $4.00 a stick and you can get a box worth of cigars for less than what Holt’s is selling the box for. Did that make any sense? A box goes for $95.00 for 20 cigars. Using the 6 Packs to Go method, you get 18 cigars for $75.00.

I used to think that Holt’s shipping was extreme at $8 no matter how little you bought. These days, it is the norm unless you spend over $125.00.

I am very impressed with the construction. The char line has required only two minor touch ups. The cap has needed only one clip to hide the Katman drool. The wrapper is rock steady. And the ash is a thing to behold.
I’ve had to knock it off around the 1+” point to avoid hot ashes landing on my boxers.

The last third begins.

Wisconsin is now entering the shitty season. Cold, windy, wet, no sunshine, and snow. I’ve found that using the flash attachment is about as close as I’m going to get to exposing the oils in the cigars. The sun should come out sometime in June. But I will have my new camera in February. Woo Hoo.

The Holt’s Old Henry Pure Breed is blasting away with wonderful flavors. The creaminess is spilling over and getting the carpet soggy.

The exotic spice element has disappeared; leaving everything else intact.

Ten days from now, I am having back surgery and will be taking a couple days off. Just a heads up. The worst part? Having a 2pm surgery time and not being able to drink or eat anything. But then they shoot you up with that cocktail of “Oooh…that feels great….drool, drool.”

The Holt’s Old Henry Pure Breed is finishing up. This was a really nice experience and can’t wait to dig in once more in about a month. This is a quality cigar and a killer deal for something in the $4.00 range.

Good ol’ Pepin.

And we end this review with “Ramble On” by Zep in the background. How fitting for my reviews.

Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS

Tags: cigar review, cigar reviews by the katman, cigars, holt's cigars, Holt’s Old Henry Pure Breed Cigar Review