The H. Upmann 1844 Reserve was named Cigar Aficionado’s #15 cigar of 2012, and sports an impressive 93 rating.
If you had this one back in the day in the 1990s, you might be surprised to hear that. It was a decent blend, but an award winner? Maybe that seems like a stretch. Well, it’s time to take another puff of this one. It isn’t the blend that you may remember, because it’s been completely reinvented.
The Indonesian TBN wrapper this cigar once had is now a rich Ecuadoran Habano cover leaf. The binder was switched from Dominican tobacco to Nicaraguan. Also, the Brazilian leaf has been traded for all Dominican filler. The result, according to most smokers, has been an increase in strength and complexity. The H. Upmann 1844 Reserve is now a medium-bodied smoke with cedary sweetness, notes of toasted marshmallow and leather, and an earthy finish. It’s more than interesting enough to deserve a high rating, and really bears no resemblance to the blend that once was.
For the curious, the year 1844 refers to the time when H.D. Upmann opened his first cigar factory in Cuba, having arrived on the island only a year before. His operation quickly gained a solid reputation and, although he could not have known it at the time, he wound up building a brand that is rapidly approaching 200 years of success.
We’ll try a blend with a pedigree like that any day of the week.
Please browse our selection of H. Upmann 1844 Reserve cigars at your leisure.
