H. Upmann 1844 Añejo Toro

Purchased: Single Toro
Store: West Coast Cigars
Price: $10.99
Buy again? Yes. I’ve bought 4 more over the last couple of weeks.
Box worthy? Yes.

tldr;

I was a little skeptical about this one when I first tried it, but now that I’ve smoked through a few of them, I’m quite clear about it. It’s a great cigar that I will continue to buy. The icing on the cake is that I can get these on CigarPage for about $5/stick. It’s one of those sleepers that punches WAY above its weight. I like it so much that I’m willing to shell out $10.99 for a single every time I go to West Coast Cigars – like I did yesterday.

One of the first things that struck me when I first handled one a couple of weeks ago was how packed it was. It had a heft. I got me thinking that I might have to pull out my PerfecDraw during the smoke. But I never had to use it. There weren’t any plugs or obstructions. On the flip side, it was absolutely generous with smoke production, which was copious, producing thick, opaque clouds of smoke with each puff. The burn throughout the smoke gets occasionally jagged but has always corrected itself. I like to think of this cigar as a bit of a contradiction. It is medium+ to full in strength, but medium- in body, increasing only to medium in the last third. The amount of smoke it produces belies its relatively moderate body. I love that!

On light up, toast and cream dominate the palate. That’s a great start, especially with the cream. Into the first third, I get teak wood, leather, red and green bell pepper and cappuccino on top of the creamy texture. Despite the cream, the mouthfeel is light with only a moderate finish. But the strength comes on fast. I got hit with a nicotine rush that I wasn’t prepared for. And since it only took me 15 minutes to get through the first inch, that was a clear signal from the cigar to slow the fuck down. So, I did. While the strength didn’t necessarily subside because I slowed down, it sure helped my head! Overall, it took me about 25 minutes to get through the first third.

The stick transitioned nicely and slowing down helped flavors emerge that I think I would have missed had I powered through the smoke. By the second third, occasional flashes of lychee fruit sweetness would come out. This was accompanied by toast and espresso that would finish with a green bell pepper. The burn slowed down considerably by this time; a testament to how packed the cigar was. Strength was level at medium+ while body was a solid medium. The finish was still moderate with a “clean” mouthfeel. By the time I hit the second half over an hour into the smoke, the espresso calmed down and a coffee with cream note presented itself along with the other flavors.

Into the final third, I was at the 1:35 mark. This cigar demands taking your time! This is where the cigar hits its sweet spot. Cinnamon spice, toast, cedar, fatty red meat (like beef rib), green bell pepper came back. Black and white pepper on the finish. Wow! And the smoke? Holy shit! I thought it was thick leading up to that point. I literally couldn’t see through the cloud as the smoke exited my mouth!

By the time I hit the nub, I was at the 2-hour mark. Damn! And here, the cigar went through yet another transition. Black pepper spice throughout the palate. Tons of cream with a thick velvety mouthfeel. Cacao beans came out for the first time and amazingly enough, there was a note of cedar underlying all that.

This was such an amazing cigar. I have to thank Kyle over at West Coast for making the suggestion! I’m hooked on these!