I haven't had one of these sticks in a while and was looking forward to it. This one was one of the re-releases from 2008. I've kept it hidden in the back of my humidor but it was time to smoke it.
The wrapper was a dark Cafe Latte colour, a little bumpy, with no visible veins and slightly oily. This cigar was firm to the touch but once lit had a perfect draw and stayed that way to the end. The burn started perfectly even and it had a mild-medium body flavour. I picked up hints of wood and toffee and after the first inch the burn was still even. As it approached the halfway mark it got a little stronger and peppery with hints of tea. Close to 1/3 to the end it began to burn uneven but I touched it up with my torch. At this point it started to pick up strength and kept getting stronger and stronger. At about 1/4 to the end the cigar blew up on me, that is it expanded and the flavour turned bad on me so I put it down with the intent not to smoke any more. Anyone who knows me knows I have no patience with cigars when that happens. Being near the end I had no issues, the cigar had been great. After a few minutes I couldn't resist so I relit it. To my surprise, the harshness I had tasted previously was gone and although it looked terrible and was a bit strong, it actually tasted fine and burned well. I smoked it nearly down to the end.
This smoke was as good as I remembered it and it had matured quite nicely. I would recommend this cigar to anyone who asks and I'm glad Upmann added it to their line-up. However, from what I remember, when buying a current box, they will need a bit of age. Any current releases will not taste exactly like the one I just smoked and will need a few years to mature. The one I smoked had 4 years of age.
The wrapper was a dark Cafe Latte colour, a little bumpy, with no visible veins and slightly oily. This cigar was firm to the touch but once lit had a perfect draw and stayed that way to the end. The burn started perfectly even and it had a mild-medium body flavour. I picked up hints of wood and toffee and after the first inch the burn was still even. As it approached the halfway mark it got a little stronger and peppery with hints of tea. Close to 1/3 to the end it began to burn uneven but I touched it up with my torch. At this point it started to pick up strength and kept getting stronger and stronger. At about 1/4 to the end the cigar blew up on me, that is it expanded and the flavour turned bad on me so I put it down with the intent not to smoke any more. Anyone who knows me knows I have no patience with cigars when that happens. Being near the end I had no issues, the cigar had been great. After a few minutes I couldn't resist so I relit it. To my surprise, the harshness I had tasted previously was gone and although it looked terrible and was a bit strong, it actually tasted fine and burned well. I smoked it nearly down to the end.
This smoke was as good as I remembered it and it had matured quite nicely. I would recommend this cigar to anyone who asks and I'm glad Upmann added it to their line-up. However, from what I remember, when buying a current box, they will need a bit of age. Any current releases will not taste exactly like the one I just smoked and will need a few years to mature. The one I smoked had 4 years of age.
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