Vitola: Churchill- 7” x 50 ring gauge
- MSRP $18
- Purchased at Burns Tobacconist
Background
Cigar makers love to celebrate anniversaries and since 2019 is a big one for H. Upmann, it seems pretty natural that Altidas U.S.A. elected to release a big, expensive celebration cigar. The H. Upmann 175th Anniversary debuted at the 2019 IPCPR trade show, but the brand itself has roots in Cuba. German bander Herman Upmann opened a brand of his family’s bank in Havana and then worked on making cigars for clients. IN 1844, he started his own brand and the rest of cigar history.
This 175th Anniversary version is made by A.J. Fernandez, who has been making quite a few cigars for Altadis lately, including another H. Upmann release and at least a couple Montecristo releases. Fernandez crafted a Nicaraguan puro using a Medio Tiempo wrapper. It is available in a single Churchill vitola at $18 MSRP per cigar. 14,750 ten-count boxes are being made and another 50 fifty-count humidors will be available. That makes a total of 150,000 cigars; although this is technically a “limited edition” that is still a very large number of cigars. Combined with the high price tag, I would expect to have these readily available for several years to come.
I bought a single H. Upmann 175th Anniversary at Burns Tobacconist where I work. That’s what I’m smoking for this review. I’ve explained it before…at a certain point, there is no real reason for massive amounts of variation between samples of cigars. For me that point is about the $15 price point (at $25 or more I would say the demand for consistency is even higher). If someone smokes one of these at $18-20 per stick and doesn’t like it (for whatever reason), it’s unlikely they will ever buy it again. See h news article on this release for more information.
image courtesy Altadis
Prelight
The box is pretty nice on this release and honestly so is the banding. It’s rich and special looking without trying too hard and being over-the-top and expensive-looking. H Upmann 175 Anniversary is rendered in white type on gold folk in the main part of the band with dark brown and cream-colored accent pieces on both the main band and foot band. The foot band has a cover over the foot of the cigar, which is different.
The wrapper leaf was dark chocolate brown in color with some small veins and very little variation in color. The wrapper was oily to the touch and smelled of cedar and anise and earth. The foot was earthy with notes of coffee bean and cocoa powder.
I got a good draw after clipping with my Xikar Xi and the flavor profile was heavy on cocoa powder, with lesser notes of hay, wood, and earth.
Flavor
Firing up the H Upmann 175 brought immediate flavors of cinnamon, earth, and cocoa powder up front, along with a bit of sweetness as a secondary note, and a peppery finish. The retrohale was very peppery right from the start, along with having lesser notes of wood and nuts. As the first third progressed, I got increasing sweetness—almost a butterscotch note—along with plenty of cedar and hay, while the cinnamon spiciness took a back seat.
Progressing through the second third, earthiness rose up in prominence while cedar and cinnamon notes fell back, along with the butterscotch sweetness. There was a continued pepper on the finish and nose.
The last third was smooth with sweetness coming back into the mix in the form of chocolate. There was still cinnamon on the finish while the retrohale was nutty and slightly peppery.
Construction
I had a very good draw, even-enough burn line and solid ash up to about three-quarters of an inch.
Value
Very good cigar, but honestly not as good as several others made my AJ Fernandez which retail for a lot less, so it loses half a point of value.
Conclusions
The H Upmann 175th Anniversary was definitely a very good cigar and probably the best cigar I’ve had with that label on it, but it just really didn’t stand up to an $18 price tag. As I stated, very good cigar that was complex, medium-bodied and tasty from end to end, but lacking any real “wow” factor that higher-end sticks command.
By-The-Numbers
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4/5
Value: .5/1
Total: 8.5/10
