Most people have an idea what the word “Warlock” means. In the dictionary I found the common definition being a male equivalent to a witch. However, there is a word in “Old Norse” (of which Icelandic is the closest modern language) varo-lokkur which means “caller of sprits”. I believe the latter definition is a more appropriate term when it comes to the new Warlock cigar from Altadis USA (I will explain later). I first smoked a robusto size Warlock at a cigar event in Albuquerque, New Mexico sponsored by Altadis and the cigar bar “Imbibe”. The cigar was launched last fall and blended by cigar maker Omar Ortez. This cigar has a dark Ecuadorian Cubano wrapper, Nicaraguan binder and a blend of Nicaraguan and Honduran fillers. The robusto is a 4 ¾ x 54 ring gauge cigar.
Taste and Aroma
The aroma of the Warlock cigar's dark wrapper immediately smelled like leather, but not a pair old shoe leather, rather the leather of a fine smooth leather jacket. The flavors were also leathery and bold. The taste built during the smoke and towards the end a rich dark cocoa flavor came through along with strong roasted coffee bean and chicory aroma. This is a cigar for the experienced smoker, not the novice, and I would suggest smoking this one after a good meal. Okay, about the “caller of spirits” term that I found for the “Old Norse” definition. This is a cigar that should be smoked with some spirits, like a good scotch whiskey, and in my first experience with this cigar, a bold dry cabernet. I think without the accompanying beverages this may have been even too full bodied a cigar for me.
Draw and Construction
The cigar wrapper was firm and flawless as I would have expected from Omar Ortez. The draw was easy and a good cap made for an easy cut. The burn was very even and the ash fell off at 2”. I did not have to relight this cigar at any time during the 90 minutes that it lasted, and during that time, I was talking and drinking wine and not always puffing on the cigar. This is really a good quality and shows off the good construction of this cigar
Value
The cigar comes in Churchill, Belicoso, Toro, Corona and Robusto and ranges in price from a single stick for $6.25 to a box of 21 for $111 (bringing the price down to $5.28 a cigar). If you like a full bodied and full flavored cigar this is a good value.