H. Upmann by AJ Fernandez

While I do prefer to visit proper tobacconist shops or cigar lounges,  I’m not opposed to visiting the humidors of retail establishments.  While wandering in my local Total Wine, I did step into the humidor there to peruse for cigars that looked interesting.  And boy, does this look interesting. The light blue label was quite eye-catching, so I picked up this pretty H. Upmann by AJ Fernandez and sniffed it.  Even through the cellophane, this cigar smelled creamy.  Yes, creamy.  Something about aroma coupled with the well designed pastel cigar ring appealed to my curiosity so it came home with me.

It sat in my sheltered humidor until a fine day came around for Cigar Thursday-this is not an official event, but a day in which a few of my close friends will gather together for what amounts to a Pre-Friday evening of relaxing from what stresses of the week have brought.  It’s a nice way to round out the week, usually involving a household patio and some method of fire pit.  This particular Thursday smoke involved another cigar as well, but the highlight of the evening was the H. Upmann.  I had a tasty Omission Lager (I am a celiac, so forgive my choice of beer-like beverages. You’ll notice more of a pattern of wine and liquor than beer… but my weird dietary restriction has no bearing on my taste on cigars!) as I decompressed and laughed with my friends.

Lighting up the H. Upmann and taking that first draw was delightful.  This cigar has a sweetness to it that isn’t cloying and doesn’t give a weird coating to the tongue. It smokes cleanly and simply, with an even draw through the entirety of the cigar.  The creaminess I smelled while in the store was coupled now with a light coffee aroma and tasted rather nutty at the beginning of the stick.   This cigar would certainly pair well with coffee, whiskey, or rum, and it was quite tasty with a light beer.  At the mid-point of the cigar, the coffee-ness was more pronounced, and this nutty, coffee flavor with hints of vanilla lasted to the end of the cigar.   While not as peppery as I typically enjoy, this was a lovely cigar for a relaxing evening with friends and was not a heavy smoke at all.  This is a great lighter-body cigar for an evening of light frivolity.