The H. Upmann Signature cigar is a bit of an anomaly because it was not released by Altadis. In Gary Manelski’s Cigar Blog of January 2007, Cuban Imports announced this new blend, which was the first H. Upmann extension in several years. The cigar has San Andres Valley Maduro wrapper, Nicaraguan binder, and filler blended from Honduras, Nicaragua and of all places Peru. There is more Peruvian tobacco being used in cigars today. The size is a 5 5/8” x 45, which for me is perfect since I prefer a smaller ring gauge.
Flavor and Aroma
The wrapper on this cigar has a wonderful nutty flavor and aroma, and starts out as a medium cigar in all aspects. The more you smoke it, the earthier it gets. At about the mid-point, it turns slightly bold with nice bit of spice. The heaviness only lasts a short time, and the cigar calms down to a smooth finish. The aroma is closer to a Cuban type stick than other H. Upmann’s I have smoked. In my opinion, the spiciness comes from the Peruvian tobacco in the filler, which I have noticed in other cigars that blend in this region’s tobacco.
Draw and Construction
This cigar has a very nice looking dark wrapper with some visible veins. The cut is easy, the draw is easy and the burn fairly even. The ash is light gray which matches the smoke, not volumes of it but enough. The ash fell off after 25 minutes at the 1 1/2” mark. A well constructed stick that never went out and smoked well for 1 hr and 35 minutes down to 1” left. It also remained cool until it got down to the 1” mark.
Value
This H. Upmann Signature sells for around $6.50/stick depending on which part of the country you are in, and for my money, it is a very good value.
