CW Review: Thomas Hinds Honduran Short Churchill
The Thomas Hinds Honduran Selection Short Churchill is a medium bodied cigar with a hint of a spice. The filler and binder are from Honduras. The wrapper is shade grown from Ecuador. The Thomas Hinds Honduran Selection comes in eight sizes: Presidente (8.5 x 52); Churchill (7 x 49); Torpedo (6 x 52); Supremos (7 x 43); Short Churchill (6 x 50); Royal Corona (6 x 43); Robusto (5 x 50) and Corona (5.5 x 42). The cigars are manufactured in the company's factory in Cofradia, Honduras. The suggested prices range from $3.10 to $5.50.
Cigar Weekly reviews are blind taste tests conducted by our readers. Reviewers are sent three samples with all identifying marks removed. Reviewers are chosen randomly from the list of everyone that has signed the Cigar Weekly Guest Book. Their comments are below.
Pre-Smoke Comments
Bill Orlando (Shadow): Overall color on all samples were even with a few small spots and veiny. The cap on all were quite rough with one sample coming completely off halfway through. The cigars were hard to the touch and stayed so throughout. One sample had a bulge approximately 3/4" from the head. The burn on all three stayed even with a gray, flaky ash. Draw was easy with lots of smoke. Aroma was light except for one that was very overpowering and harsh.
Bruce Wolfson: This cigar is nicely made. It's a well rolled, evidently long filler toro style smoke with a smooth wrapper, and nicely applied caps. The wrapper is of a nice, even color. This would lead me to anticipate a milder smoke, based on the wrapper, and a good draw, based on the good construction.
John Ferrero: I was immediately impressed by the construction of this cigar. All three samples were velvety Smooth and had a very nice appearance. The aroma was inviting although some what mild.
Ken McAdams: A well made, good looking cigar. Out of the three samples I received none had imperfections in the wrapper or their over-all construction.
Kirk Stout: Appearance and construction seem to be consistant. All three had a firm bunch with medium rough texture. Burn was a little uneven with all three with one having a unraveling problem.
Lonnie Gustin: The appearance of the cigar was beautiful. A light brown with a green cast. The texture had character, fine with a veiny wrap. The cigar had a very mild and pleasant aroma. The head was smooth and the bunch was firm. All three cigars had a uneven burn, getting a runner every now and then. The coal was a cone shape that produced a light gray ash. All three of the cigars had a perfect draw, only one of the cigars tried to unravel. There was no burn in the throat and no aftertaste left on the pallet.
Risa Hanley: The first thing I did when I received the cigars was to open up the package and smell them. They smelled delicious! The cigars were firm. There were a few small dark spots on the wrapper, and the cap was a bit rough on one of them. However, the bunch was firm and I found no lumps. I found the draw to be good on all of the samples. The aroma was subtle.
Scott Stockton: The 3 cigars appeared to be 3 different wrappers in regard to color. One tan, one natural and one a reddish leaf. All three has some rough and veiny wrappers. The cap appearance was ok. The bunch appeared loose but smoked ok. The cigars were not top quality in appearance
Wayne Brimhall: Loose wrapper on all three samples. First sample a little dry.
Smoke Comments
Bill Orlando: Taste was mild with very little flavor and aftertaste, except for the one previously mentioned. I got through about two inches before I had to give up on it because of the bitterness and smell.
Bruce Wolfson: The cigar burns evenly, and produces a moderate amount of smoke. Unfortunately (for me), it is mild to the point of being almost tasteless. After smoking all three samples, I find that they are exactly the same, which speaks highly of their construction quality-obviously VERY consistent, but as a smoker looking for a stronger cigar, the flavor is disappointing. This would be a good smoke for a beginner-but they should graduate from it soon to avoid being locked in. A nice step up from this would be a Macanudo Hampton Court. Similar mildness, but a bit more body.
John Ferrero: Over all I found this to be a very pleasant smoking cigar, although it was a bit mild for my taste. The first sample I tried was a little on the lack luster side but the remaining two were well balanced with a mild finish and no bite at all. All three samples burned perfectly, producing a solid gray/white ash. The draw was excellent, as good as any I have had.
Ken McAdams: A relatively mild smoke with a perfect balance. A pleasant woody taste with absolutely no bad aftertaste. Very nice.
Kirk Stout: Had a mild flavor starting out but quickly became sharp to the taste. Had some bitterness and burn on the tongue most of the smoke, and an unpleasant aftertaste.
Lonnie Gustin: The smoke had medium richness with a modest flavor. The body of the smoke was mild. I enjoyed the smoke very much.
Risa Hanley: This is a very mild cigar. However, it had a pleasant, creamy, earthy flavor. It stayed mild throughout the cigar. There was little burn on the tongue (and only near the end of the cigar). They all burned well. The few times one got a bit uneven, it was able to correct itself before things got out of hand.
Scott Stockton: There was no real complexity of flavors. Just straight forward tobacco taste. The first 1/2 of the cigars were to mild and grassy. There was no flavor to speak of. The body was very thin. The last 1/2 was somewhat harsh. Perhaps a few months in the humidor would help. The ash was gray and did stay solid to a good 3/4 of an inch. There were no runs. The aroma was very average, nothing special.
Wayne Brimhall: A leathery, earthy taste. Harsher taste near the end.
Summary Comments
Bill Orlando: The cigars that I was able to finish were fine for a mild cigar, but they were too mild for me. I would not purchase any in the future.
Bruce Wolfson: Again, this is a very well made, even burning cigar. But to me, it's just totally lacking in flavor. This may just be because I am so used to at least medium body smokes, that something this mild holds no attraction for me. I would give it very high marks as far as construction. Maybe a year or so's aging in a good humidor will impart a bit more character. It would be a good choice for a beginning smoker, as long as it is not too expensive, say under five dollars.
John Ferrero: If you enjoy a mild bodied cigar this could be the cigar for you. The construction on it is as good as any I have seen. I am really looking forward to finding out the name of this cigar, and hope that they make a maduro with a fuller body.
Ken McAdams: This is, while not what I would call a great cigar, a VERY good one. I would smoke it on a regular basis and recommend it to others. This is my idea of a good after dinner smoke. Very enjoyable.
Kirk Stout:
Lonnie Gustin: Cigar #44 had a very agreeable character with a mild body. The appearance of the cigar was great. I would recommend this cigar to anyone that enjoys a mild smoke.
Risa Hanley: This is a good after-dinner or early-in-the-day cigar. It's a cigar for when you don't want anything too strong, but you want a good smoke. After smoking the first one, I definitely looked forward to smoking the other two. I found them all to be enjoyable. I would purchase a few of these cigars for when I'm wanting something on the mild side and would recommend them as such.
Scott Stockton: These would not be something I would buy even if they were under $1. There were not enough flavors and tastes for me.
Wayne Brimhall: Wife stated cigar had mild semi-sweet aroma.
Scores
| Reviewer | Appearance (0-5) | Burn (0-5) | Draw (0-5) | Aroma (0-5) | Flavor (0-10) | Taste (0-10) | Overall (0-10) | Total (0-50) |
| Bill Orlando | 3.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 25.0 |
| Bruce Wolfson | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 4.0 | 20.0 |
| John Ferrero | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 4.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 40.0 |
| Ken McAdams | 5.0 | 4.0 | 5.0 | 3.0 | 6.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 37.0 |
| Kirk Stout | 3.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 22.0 |
| Lonnie Gustin | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 3.5 | 9.5 | 9.5 | 9.0 | 43.5 |
| Risa Hanley | 3.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 7.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 38.0 |
| Scott Stockton | 3.0 | 4.0 | 3.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.5 | 18.5 |
| Wayne Brimhall | 3.0 | 4.0 | 5.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 2.0 | 4.0 | 23.0 |
| Averages | 3.7 | 3.9 | 4.2 | 2.8 | 4.7 | 4.8 | 5.5 | 29.3 |
| To achieve the final score below, we throw
out the high and low total scores then average the remaining scores. For more information see the link for Review Methods below. | ||||||||
Review Results
Final Score: 29.3 out of 50
3 stars - Average
I don't normally equate Honduran cigars with the term "mild" but this cigar was definitely on the mild side. It received good scores for construction, burn and draw, but some reviewers thought it lacking in flavor. Others thought the Thomas Hinds Honduran Short Churchill was perfect with a cup of coffee, early in the day.