H Upmann No.2
6.1x52
Box code: LUB ABR 15
This cigar has a just slightly mottled colorado maduro wrapper. Not chocolate brown, but closer to worn copper, like a twenty year old penny. The seams are just ok, and there are a fair amount of veins, but it isn’t lumpy, and it doesn’t quite reach rustic status. It has that slight natural box press from being jammed into a dress box. The cigar feels a little soft, like it is slightly under filled. I cut the last quarter inch off of the tip, and test the draw. The draw is wide open without any resistance. This cigar came from a box that I own, and have smoked more than half of them. As I recall, they have all been this way. Let’s light it up and get into the review.
1st third: After only a couple of puffs, I’m hit with a familiar flavor. Something like a combination of nutmeg and yeasty bread. This is H Upmann to me. Just like there is a flavor that I find only in Por Larranagas, this is the unique flavor that I find in Upmanns. Some have more than others, but I have always found it strongest in No.2s. Partly due to the open draw, the smallest puff brings forth copious amounts of rich, creamy smoke. I’m noticing that the ash on this is very white, and not very dense. Big white flakes fall off of it just sitting on the rest. I don’t really take ash quality into consideration when scoring, it’s just fucking ash. I only found it interesting, and is indicative of being under filled. The nutmeg fades and is replaced by a sweet and spicy flavor like ginger snaps. That fades back to nutmeg and yeast, but then also returns along with some orange peel citrus. A delightful experience so far.
2nd third: As I get into the middle of this cigar, the sweetness really ramps up. I’m getting heavy doses of brown sugar. Next, I start picking up some cinnamon and shortbread flavors which remind me of a snickerdoodle. The smoke coming from this is velvet smooth, even on the retrohale. I own more different varieties of H Upmann than any other marca, and the No.2 was my gateway into Upmann. So far, this cigar reminds me why.
Final third: The final part of this cigar begins, and I notice that even the lingering second hand smoke here in the garage is delicious. The nutmeg & yeast again come to the front and dominate the last third. It starts intense and slowly winds down to tobacco as I take it to the nub.
Smoke time: 1h 17m. This is surprisingly short. I would expect a cigar of this size to push 2 hours, if not more. I believe this is due entirely to how it was filled, causing it to burn hotter and faster. This was the first time I’ve actually documented the length of time to smoke an HU2. Ive noticed it feeling short before, but chalked it up to time flying while having fun.
Final thoughts: This cigar was awesome. Complexity is something we look for in great cigars. You’ll read reviews of cigars that go from pepper, to bubblegum, to earth, to cherries, or whatever. Those cigars will get high marks for being complex. This was just as complex, and was a great example of being complex all within a related range of baked goods flavors. It stayed overall consistent at the kind of cigar it was trying to be, and showed off a fantastic range of flavors within that spectrum to keep it an interesting smoke throughout.
Final score: 95
