H.Upmann No.2 LUB May 2014 Weekend Review Competition

[JohnS]

If you put up a poll on our forum here at Friends of Habanos, asking which is the best piramides cigar, there would be no surprises that it would be the Montecristo No.2, and by a long way.

http://www.friendsofhabanos.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=112702

Why not, you may say, after all the Montecristo No.2 is the second most popular Cuban cigar, in term of sales, behind the Montecristo No.4 (apparently). And, you may not even be aware of other piramides-shaped cigars out there. Knowing that Piramides cigars are 52 ring gauge and mostly 156 mm in length, if you were to add the Belicosos cigars (140 mm in length) and the Cohiba Piramides Extra (at 160 mm in length), out of the current 181 standard production cigars, only 10 would be Piramides, right? And how many can you name other than the well known Montecristo No.2, the Partagas Serie P No.2, the H.Upmann No.2, the FoH forum favourite BBF (Bolivar Belicosos Finos) and perhaps the Diplomatico No.2? (Okay, well I did mention the recent standard production Cohiba Piramides Extra so that would make 6) The Romeo y Julieta Belicosos, San Cristobal La Punta, Sancho Panza Belicosos and Vegas Robaina Unicos might not come immediately to mind, but then again the H.Upmann No.2 might not either. By the way, if you believe there are 10 current pyramid-shape common name standard production cigars, then you would be correct.

http://www.cubancigarwebsite.com/list.aspx?&specialtype=Current_Production;&commonname=;Pyramid;Pyramid_Extra;&includeimages=True&sortorder=noorder

So, going back to the beginning of this review, if you now had a poll and added the Belicosos cigars, would the H.Upmann No.2 do better? Well no, a little worse actually behind the Monte 2 and the BBF, but about equal in popularity to the Partagas P2 and Cohiba PE.

http://www.friendsofhabanos.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=115834

So why does the H.Upmann No.2 not stand out in comparison to its peers? And does it need to?

Cigar enthusiasts commonly compare the H.Upmann No.2 to the Montecristo No.2. Is it stronger or milder than a Monte 2? More complex or muted? I decided that I would investigate this for myself this weekend. My H.Upmann No.2 had a LUB May 2014 boxcode, which has been noted as been of excellent quality for this cigar. The main reason is due to the fact that these can be savoured earlier, but more on this later.

My H.Upmann No.2 had a colorado wrapper, a cocoa aroma and was well-constructed, no soft spots. I used a v-cut to open the cap and immediately knew that I was revisiting an old friend, for the classic H.Upmann tobacco profile was abundant in spades. Upon lighting I was surprised to get a pepper hit, but soon the toasted tobacco flavour started to take over.

During the first third, I found the toasted tobacco flavour quite enjoyable. The pepper notes faded as now I was savouring some shortbread throughout. Even though this was a medium-bodied cigar, I did not get more than average viscosity of smoke per draw. Nevertheless, this did not dilute the flavours.

For the second third, the pepper notes were more evident, but these became secondary to the toasted tobacco and shortbread combination of flavours, with a little mix of cedar, cocoa and leather. I found the cigar really settled nicely in the middle third.

The last third saw a great increase in the strength of the cigar, and this geniunely surprised me. The toasted tobacco dominated the other flavours.

Overall, I took my time with this cigar as it had a few uneven burns, which I allowed to self-correct. I only re-lit once (in the last third) during my 125 minute smoke.

In conclusion, the H.Upmann No.2 is noted as being a cigar which greatly benefits from aging. The main reason for this is that the intensity of its tobacco flavour profile increases with age. Despite the fact that it may not be as complex as a Montecristo No.2, which is noted for more flavours (cocoa, leather, espresso, cream, vanilla etc.), the H.Upmann No.2 is the kind of cigar that appeals to experienced enthusiasts who have been known to gravitate towards its tobacco taste. I appreciated the fact that this cigar was less than two years old, and I know it will develop further, as I anticipate with more age the final third will be more mellow in other cigars from this box. I look forward to finding out.

In the meantime, if you haven't tried this piramide, give it a go, especially if you've sampled a few marcas, you never know. And compare notes with Rob and Ken while you're at it.

[Optic101]

Great read as always John !

[skalls]

Got a box of these in my OHS. Reading that is going to make it harder and harder to not have it shipped early next year

[treberty]

Nice review. Haven't had one in a long time and makes me want revisit this vitola.

Thanks!

[smokeyjoe01]

Good read. I am a fan of the piramide vitola. I usually chop a 1/3" & wouldn't think to v cut one. I'll have to try that next time. Cheers John

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[ElPuro]

I have had two from my April LUB box and both had a metallic aftertaste. I am hoping that goes away or is not present with the others!

[HarveyBoulevard]

I have had two from my April LUB box and both had a metallic aftertaste. I am hoping that goes away or is not present with the others!

I am having that same problem! LUB box but May or June. I had one ROTT and it was TERRIBLE. Like licking metal shavings. I let them rest a few weeks and had one last night. Much less metallic taste but it was still there and the cigar was VERY bland.

I haven't put down a cigar in probably over a year but I put that one down last night after the first 3rd and fired up an LGC #2. It was not my taste buds.

I am hoping time will fix it but we shall see.

[luv2fly]

Great read as usual John!

[ElPuro]

I am having that same problem! LUB box but May or June. I had one ROTT and it was TERRIBLE. Like licking metal shavings. I let them rest a few weeks and had one last night. Much less metallic taste but it was still there and the cigar was VERY bland.

I haven't put down a cigar in probably over a year but I put that one down last night after the first 3rd and fired up an LGC #2. It was not my taste buds.

I am hoping time will fix it but we shall see.

I am going to wait until spring and recheck. Going to try and dry box extensively at that point, too. Haven't heard of many others with this issue, so hoping it is isolated. I am tempted to keep trying them to see if it was just a few sticks.

[glassbase]

Great review John, I bought 2 boxes of LUB MAY14, one to rest longer term and one to enjoy over the next year or two. So far I have been really impressed with the flavours and taste these provide. I have one JUN13 HU2 that I find is doesnt have those harsh edges so my hope for the LUB boxes are going to be phenomenal by next summer and beyond.

[dtrott]

Great job John !!!. I also have a box of the LUB MAY-14. It is currently unopened but after this review that won't be for long!!

[JohnS]

I have had two from my April LUB box and both had a metallic aftertaste. I am hoping that goes away or is not present with the others!

I am having that same problem! LUB box but May or June. I had one ROTT and it was TERRIBLE. Like licking metal shavings. I let them rest a few weeks and had one last night. Much less metallic taste but it was still there and the cigar was VERY bland.

I haven't put down a cigar in probably over a year but I put that one down last night after the first 3rd and fired up an LGC #2. It was not my taste buds.

I am hoping time will fix it but we shall see.

I experienced the very same thing a few months ago with some MAE Oct 2014 Montecristo No.4 cigars. The first few out of the box were metallic, especially in the middle and latter third. I found that another month or two in my humidor has settled them greatly. My recent cigars from this box have been quite pleasant, in contrast.

Thank you all for you kind sentiments. I am thinking of taking one or two of these to enjoy next week during the Havanathon weekend. We'll see!

[ElPuro]

Thanks for the reassuring words JohnS! We are certainly hoping to experience a similar rebound. I am sure they will turn around here at some point. May just take some time.