Smoked: H Upmann Heritage by AJ Fernandez

Smoked at: Sharonville, Ohio

H Upmann Heritage by AJ Fernandez features Nicaraguan tobacco inside a smooth, dark brown Brazilian Mata Fina wrapper with nary a vein. It’s a bold, rich yet smooth medium-full bodied, medium strength bordering on medium-full by the finish

Superb construction: excellent draw, abundant smoke output, dead even burn line. I rested the stick on a cigar port for 5 plus minutes. When I picked it up and puffed, it was still lit. Never needed a touchup. Now THAT’S construction. The roller should be signed to a multi-year, no trade, guaranteed contract.

Dark chocolate, dark roast coffee, mixed nuts, spice, pepper,a slight earthy-leathery note, dried fruit,and a vanilla-ish creaminess/unidentifiable but pleasant sweetness, By the second third, the dark roast coffee is morphing into espresso. There’s a hint of herbs on a few puffs and a peppery, charred wood retrohale. I may be tasting berries – that would be only the third time I have ever tasted that note in a cigar. Man, this thing has a long finish. The flavors are balanced, but more like rebranding each other while building complexity. Even the nuttiness is transitioning to almonds, then to cashew, maybe walnuts.

This is an AJ Fernandez blend at its best. When he really gets it right, it’s unmistakable.