Earlier this year Smoking Jacket Cigars released an extension to its Henkie line. The Henkie line pays homage to Hendrik “Henke” Kelner, father of KBF Cigar Factory owner Hendrik Kelner Jr. The original blend was released in a 6 x 51 Toro vitola and represented the cigars that Henke used to smoke. This year the 4 x 46 Mini Henke was blended by Henrik (Henke’s grandson) and Hendrik Alexander (one of Henke’s sons) to represent the cigars that Henke currently smokes.
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Factory: KBF Cigar Factory (Kelner Boutique Factory)
Wrapper: Dominican Yamasa
Binder: Dominican Cotui
Filler: Dominican San Vicente & Criollo ‘98, Ecuador HVA
Vitola: 4 x 46 Corona
Price: $8.00 MSRP
Link to Purchase: The Cigar Farm (Use code “Review” to save 10%!)
This little cigar is firmly packed and has a closed foot - something that usually doesn’t add value to me, but I do think it is a neat look on a small vitola. I love the band on these Henkies. The design is simple and the color plays nicely with the wrapper. The cigar smells like syrup and spices. The cold draw is really faint, dare I say nonexistent? First light brings about medium bodied smoke with medium-full flavors of wood, baking spices, black pepper, and some tannins. The retrohale is potent and adds a floral component to the mix while deepening the wood and pepper. About a half inch in the body and flavor are up to full. There is some creamy citrus joining the profile now. Approaching halfway the baking spices are stepping up and becoming the primary component with the wood and pepper rounding out the finish. The creamy citrus has become an accent available to you when you retrohale. This second third has needed a few small touch ups here as I pass halfway. Moving into the final third the profile is shifting towards earthy and peppery. Coming to a close at right about an hour the profile remained earthy and peppery to the end. The performance was great in the final third.
Overall Experience
Overall this blend packs a ton of flavor into a small format. It is a bit more robust than one might expect from the blend details and when compared to its 6 x 51 predecessor. The core of the profile is more savory flavor with the wood and baking spices in the beginning and the earth and pepper at the end. I really recommend retrohaling throughout this cigar as it unlocks another dimension of brighter flavors that round out the savory core. I think this cigar is suited for the smoker that enjoys robust, full, savory flavors but with some nuance that can be found when searched for. I also would recommend this to someone that finds preference in Nicaraguan tobacco but is interested in experimenting with Dominican blends, as I think this would effectively bridge the gap.
Have you smoked this one? Let me know your thoughts!