THE CIGAR:
H. Upmann Connoisseur Cabinet 01-40
Origin: Dominican Republic
Size: Robusto (5" by 50 Ring Gauge)
Strength: Medium
Wrapper: EMS shade of Connecticut
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican
Price Paid: N/A (Gift)
Buy Online: $16.50 for a 5-pack from JR Cigars
My folks came up to school for a visit, and after I greeted my Dad, he handed me a box and said "This is from your uncle!" It was an H. Upmann Cigar Lover's Diary-Robusto Selection. I don't know if you've seen these before, but they look like a hard-back book, stamped with the name of the collection on the "cover" and "spine". When you open this little book, your prize is 6 top-notch stogies. Pretty clever packaging! The lid of the book/box has magnets in it, so you can use it to store lighters, cutters, etc. Maybe it could also be a legitimate hidden storage device as well, as it actually is quite convincing when shelved between other books. I am thankful to my generous uncle (well....they're all pretty generous actually) for this lovely gift; I am a big Upmann fan! I smoked a few before creating this blog, so I can't recall exactly what was in it, but they were all good, especially the Vintage Cameroon. I came home from a mid-term one day and fired up this particular smoke.
SOUNDTRACK FOR THIS CIGAR: Philip Glass' rescoring of the 1931 movie "Dracula"
THE REVIEW:
The cigar looked typical of H. Upmann's usual offerings. Not pretentiously perfect, but not rustically ugly either. I'm not one to dwell on the appearance of a cigar too much, but this one looked alright. It had a few minor places with the wrapper was flaking just a bit; it probably dried out a little before it made it's way to my humidor.
It snipped open pretty cleanly (I almost always use a double guillotine cutter). The aroma it gave off, pre-light, reminded me of milk chocolate. Pre-light draw was a little snug, but I figured it would open up once it got going.
This cigar toasted and lit easily, and I took a few initial puffs. I hate to say it, but the first half-inch or so was harsh. The flavor that was detectable was a little chocolatey as I thought it might be, but the harshness overpowered the flavor. The draw was not impressive either.
About an inch down the cigar, things got much better. The draw was decent, not great, but decent. Every Upmann I smoked before this one have had a fantastic draw, so I think this was probably a fluke. The flavor was good; very milk chocolate but not too sweet. As far as strength goes, I would call this a "heavier" medium. It was pretty full-flavored, but not enough to bump it into the "medium-full" category.
I kept waiting for this stogie to open up even more, but as the experience went on, nothing changed. The flavor was still there; pleasant to the palate and nose, but I never picked up on anything new. In other words, this cigar was a little bland. The flavor was blunt and to-the-point, but no hint of spice or smooth, woody notes typical of other Upmann concoctions. I'm also a fan of a cigar that brings something new to the palate as it is smoked, but this was not that cigar. If you are a fan of a straight-forward, richer-than usual dominican smoke without the spice, this is a good cigar to try. But If you are like me in your preferences, keep walking; there's nothing to see here:
3 out of 5
Until next time, keep your music playing and your ashes long,
The Calmed Musician
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