H. Upmann Majestic

In a bar, the term “top shelf” is reserved for that pricey, not often drunk liquor. In the world of cigars, top shelf means something different. For cigar lovers, the top shelf is reserved for those cigars you don’t mind parting with to non cigar lovers, but you would smoke them as well. My top shelf cigar is the H. Upmann.

H. Upmann, was originally started by a Swiss banker named Hermann Upmann. His attempt at starting his own cigar factory failed. It only succeeded after it was taken over by Menendez y Garcia, who already owned Montecristo.

The cigar I am smoking for this review is a H. Upmann Majestic. When you open the box, or hold the cigar up to your nose, you are greeted by a familiar scent. That is if you went to church. I get a really big smell that reminds me of church. It’s the incense that comes from the thurible that is usually hung up in the air. Back to the cigar, it's from a box from December 2014. The cigars have aged quite well in my humidor, it has a fine dusting of plume or bloom. Plume/bloom looks like a white powder on your cigars. It’s a good sign that you have a well aged cigar.

As I smoke the cigar, I’ll break it up into thirds. In the first third, I was able to pick up a nutty note, slight spice like black pepper, but not overpowering. It has an earthy taste that you get with most Cubans.

In the second third, the flavour profile changes slightly. I pickup a bit of sweetness, a bit more pepper, and a woody cedar flavour. Also that church smell I mentioned earlier, I can taste it. The H should stand for Holy because the cigar has that church smell, and it is also in the flavor profile of the cigar. I guess smoking cigars can be a religious experience, but this is taking it to another level.

In the final third of the cigar, I started to pick up some sour notes along with something that seems to remind me of a nice pasta.

Although this isn’t my go-to cigar, it's a shame that I am using it as my top shelf cigar. I am on the hunt for another cigar to replace it as my top shelf. But until then, it’s a nice affordable cigar that packs a lot of flavour to enjoy.