H. Upmann by AJ Fernandez Churchill – tasting notes.

H. Upmann AJ Fernadez Churchill

Rob 87 – This is a Churchill size maduro cigar; very sizable in both volume and weight. Some visible tiny veins with visible but tight seams. Kind of a sloppy double cap. The body of the stick is quite firm and solid. The foot ignited very easily and the first 1/2 inch yielded a charred tobacco flavor. This charred flavor faded quite quickly into a vegetal taste which faded quite quickly. It provided a very reasonable volume of smoke and was a solid medium body. The burn was razor sharp. With the final third an over-baked chocolate chip cookie flavor came over the stick. The smoke volume and razor sharp burn continued throughout the entire smoke. The cigar mellowed toward the nub.

Paul 84 – Dark brown wrapper with some mottling, small veining, no soft spots, light tobacco aroma on the wrapper, excellent cold draw with dark fruit. 1st 1/3: Leather and oak, even burn line, medium gray ash, mild retrohale, medium strength and body, short finish. 2nd 1/3: Oak fades, some leather, but nothing else. Last 1/3: more of the same. No changes. Very boring, made more so by its size.

Will 87 – Big double corona with a colorado wrapper. This cigar had been patched in 3 small spots with a lighter colored wrapper, the patches were the size of a pin head but clearly patched. Any body else get one of these? The cigar was well filled and had a spicy fruit nose before lit. The cold draw was white pepper and Medaglia D’oro coffee. Upon ignition I got earthy roasted game, like elk. The initial draw was a bit tight but opened up nicely about 5 minutes in. Roasted salted cashews added to the flavor about 10 minutes in and the roasted meat and nuts was consistent throughout. A short malty finish was always present as well. I found this smoke medium body and strength, good for an early morning round of golf. Solid smoke but no wow factor.

Artie 92 – This is a big cigar…a super toro if-you-will. Its wrapper is a beauty; dark brown and smooth. There is only a slight aroma to the cold nose. The cap is well formed and cuts easily; the foot shows nice dark tobacco with few stems. Upon lighting the initial flavors are mild, with little spice. This may foreshadow a mild smoking experience. An inch into the stick, flavors of milk chocolate emerge, with a nice nutty character. At the halfway point, this cigar is burning perfectly, with a great draw. Well made stick. The spice starts to pick up a bit at this point, and the flavors get more intense. I like the complexity and the strength has increased as well. It’s not a creamy cigar, but it’s smooth. Smoke is abundant. Nubbing this cigar was easy. It gradually built in strength but never got overpowering. Nice solid cigar. Very satisfying.

Jim 89 – There is a nice appearance to this large 50 x almost 7 inch cigar. Looks very well constructed with a cleanly applied wrapper with no seams. Good draw and ample amounts of smoke. As it just starts to heat up, I’m initially picking up some cedar flavor. I am getting a slight white peppery spice on the finish. As I progress, the flavors come together and get in balance. I now detect sweetness of dried fruit, notes of almond and a bread similar to that of a soft pretzel. Burn is wavy but relatively straight. Lots of transitions going on. Over a third in and the spice has totally dropped off. To me this is now taking more of a Cuban cigar style, medium strength but favorable with a little bit of sweetness. It stayed consistent for the remainder of the cigar until the last few inches where it started to sour. I thought this was a very good cigar until the end but well worth the journey.

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