Pre-light Experience

The wrapper on the 7-20-4 WK Series Churchill is light brown and the network of slightly raised veins carries a lighter color which gives a bit of a turtle shell effect. The seams are smooth, but easily visible due to the color variation of the wrapper. The head is finished off with a well applied triple cap. The band is the traditional design of the brand but has a very reflective gold for the borders. The aroma from the wrapper is a grassy hay and dry earth mixture while the foot brings sweet hay. The pre-light draw brings a mix of hay and wood along with a very mild spice.

Pre-light Experience

The 7-20-4 WK Series Churchill has aromas of sweet hay and light wood on the wrapper. That wrapper is a light tan brown color, and smooth throughout. Nosing the foot there is sweet wood. The band is red on black with gold accents.

Pre-light Experience

The 7-20-4 WK Series Churchill has a golden brown Colorado Claro wrapper shade. Veins are well pressed, seams tight, bunch and roll even with a nice give and head finished off with a well wrapped cap. Aromas from the wrapper give chocolate fudge, barnyard, herbal tea and cedar. Aromas from the foot tell cedar and sweet mixed nuts. Cold draw gives airy cedar and lightly sweetened mixed nuts.

First Third

The cigar begins with hay, wood and a faint creaminess. At a quarter inch in, some black pepper joins the profile. At a half inch in, some dry earth joins in. The retrohale is musty wood with a bit of a pepper zing. At an inch and a quarter, the hay and cream are no longer detectable. As the third comes to a close, the profile is musty wood, dry earth and light black pepper. The strength was at mild-medium.

First Third

My first third experience kicks off with light cedar and hay. Some mid profile sweetness begins moments later. Light biscuit notes join the retrohale as the cigar settles in. Post draw lingering, lighter cedar as the cigar continues to evolve. Light hay shortly after. By the 35 minute mark, drying cedar settles into the post draw, with some chocolate in the middle of the retrohale.

First Third

The first third has a very approachable and balanced flavor profile. Toasted wood, sweet buttered bread that can also be interpreted as dessert, dried nuts and soft cedar. Retrohaling deepens the cedar such that it’s more of a fresh cut raw spicy cedar, and has a high level of sweet and creamy bread. The finish is medium length with soft cedar and a hint of dry red pepper on the back end. Strength and body is medium.

Second Third

The second third begins with a light hay note rejoining the profile. At a half inch in, the black pepper and hay are gone and the profile is musty wood and dry earth. At three quarters of an inch in, a slight creaminess returns to the profile. The retrohale is musty wood and dry earth. At an inch in, the hay returns to the profile. The third wraps up with musty wood, dry earth, hay and light cream. The strength in this third bumped up to slightly below medium.

Second Third

Hay and cedar at a light plus strength, finishing with sharp cedar that has a lingering dryness to it. Post draw bitter cedar comes through as the second third settles in. Some bread and biscuit notes break through on the retrohale as the cigar progresses.

Second Third

The second third continues to be an approachable profile. This time around, there’s more cedar influence, giving the profile more earth and spice influence. But that’s not to say the other flavorful notes of sweet and creamy bread and mixed nuts have dissipated. Strength and body remains medium.

Final Third

The final third begins with the cream dropping from the profile. At a half inch in, the profile is musty wood, hay and light dry earth. The retrohale has the musty wood and dry earth even. At an inch and a quarter, the hay leaves as the musty wood is up front with the dry earth in the background. The strength in this third remained at slightly below medium.

Final Third

Sweet cedar is the primary flavor moving into the last third. Cedar also settles into the middle of the cigar, with dry cedar on the post draw. That dryness moves into the middle as the cigar progresses, around the 2 hour mark. Sweetness joins the middle of the retrohale, but it is still finishing with tannic, dry cedar. Tannins gain in strength on the post draw, raising to medium plus by the halfway point.

Final Third

Continuing the trend of more spice and earth, there’s also baking spices and minerals flowing through the spicier cedar delivery. The sweet and creamy bread and mixed nuts still play a major part in the foundational profile. Strength and body finishes medium.

Burn

The burn was slightly wavy, but never needed any attention. The ash held on in three quarter inch increments.

Burn

The ash held on well, at times up to 2 inches. Some burn issues as the cigar went out at the 1 hour and 10 minute mark, requiring a re-light. A touch-up was required in the second third as the cigar canoed.

Burn

Aside from a quick touch-up and some flaky ashes, the burn performance was very good. Fairly even burn, cool burn and good smoke production.

Draw

The draw was perfect with just the right amount of resistance that I prefer.

Overall

The cigar began with hay, wood and a faint creaminess. Some black pepper and dry earth joined in fairly quickly. The second third saw the pepper leave and the hay and cream go in and out the rest of the way. Construction was great and strength was slightly below medium most of the way. The 7-20-4 WK Series Churchill had a nice start with a good combination of flavors, but the second third saw that combination have a lower quantity and the profile was average from that point on. This is a fairly light strength cigar with some classic Connecticut shade flavors and could be a bit drying. Some sweetness would help this cigar quite a bit. I’d be open to smoking this again, more as a pairing with coffee in the morning, but it’s not something I’d likely come back to very often .

Draw

The draw was well into the open spectrum, approximately 2 to 2-1/2 notches.

Overall

The 7-20-4 WK Series Churchill was a consistently average flavor profile from start to finish. Overall notes were cedar, sweetness, biscuit and hay. Unfortunately, with a cigar that measures 7 inches long, I need more flavor complexity to keep my engaged for a more than 2 hour smoking time. I likely wouldn’t smoke the WK Series Churchill again, given the average flavor profile coupled with the larger format. Total smoking time was 2 hours and 21 minutes.

Draw

The draw was perfect, striking the ideal air flow.

Overall

The 1874 Series being my introduction to the brand showed me a lackluster experience. But the WK Series was an entirely different and good experience. The 7-20-4 WK Series Churchill is a very approachable and flavorful experience with changing complexities. I enjoyed all three thirds equally providing dessert-like sweet buttered bread, dried nuts, soft cedar and varying levels of spice and minerality. This cigar will no doubt go in the rotation.

Aaron Loomis

SCORE

6.00

Cost/Point

$1.67

Scoring System

John McTavish

SCORE

5.25

Cost/Point

$1.90

Scoring System

Jiunn Liu

SCORE

7.07

Cost/Point

$1.42

Scoring System

Team Cigar Review: 7-20-4 WK Series Churchill