Smoked: H Upmann by AJ Fernandez

Smoked at: Fairfield, Ohio

H Upmann by AJ Fernandez features Nicaraguan-Dominican filler and Nicaraguan binder and a not too oily, not too toothy chocolate brown Ecuador Sumatra wrapper with veins to spare. Not too oily or toothy doesn’t make it a Goldilocks wrapper but the cigar band is striking – light blue and gold. That gets the cigar’s appearance closer to “just right.”

I don’t think this stick was rolled and packed properly. There is a soft spot and a serious plug in this thing. Very tight draw, needed Perfect Draw to get anything going. And then when the draw did open up… Well, to paraphrase a 1980s Wendy’s TV commercial campaign: Where’s The Smoke? A thin wisp of smoke is all the output this stick could produce. Wrapper issues ensued plus a seriously wavy burn line that required numerous touchups. All of this impeded tasting the flavors. I expect better from the names Upmann and AJ Fernandez.

Here’s what I could taste: Cedar, walnuts, some pepper, coffee, chocolate, and a dollop of cream – something with creamy vanilla sweetness like candy. Despite the lack of smoke, the retrohale is hot peppery. Did someone stuff a jalapeno in the filler? Man. This will open up your sinuses. The cigar is medium bodied with medium strength – from what I could experience given the lack of smoke on most puffs.

In summation, I was disappointed. I may have stumbled into a bad stick that doesn’t represent the true experience of this cigar. I’m not opposed to giving the Upmann-Fernandez another go. I may do just that in a few months.