H.Upmann Noella (2009)

[JohnS]

The H.Upmann Noella is one of those cigars that seems to sell out quickly every time it's offered on a 24:24 sale on FoH. It intrigued me why that was the case, and in writing this review, I hope to provide some answers to this question.

The H.Upmann Noella was a standard production cigar, sold in glass jars, up until the early 1980s. In 2009, a limited exclusive run of 5000 jars were made available. In 2013, an unknown number of jars were re-released, whether these were original 2009 Noellas or not is speculation. (My opinion is that the 2013 re-release were a different blend). This information is sourced from Cuban Cigar Website here:

http://www.cubancigarwebsite.com/brand.aspx?brand=H._Upmann#255_LCDH_Exclusivo_Glass_Jar

Of course, I must acknowledge and thank the founder of CCW, Trevor Leask, for providing me this 2009 Noella to sample, which I did so after resting in my humidor for a bit over six months.

This cigar's wrapper was halfway between a Colorado Claro and Claro shade, with a wonderful barnyard aroma. The cold draw was acceptable for my liking. The initial draws on the cigar were smooth and creamy, I was a little surprised.

The first third had a extremely pleasant shortbread and toasted tobacco profile, like you'd expect in an aged H.Upmann cigar. The construction and burn were fine.

The second third saw a complete turnaround in the flavour of the cigar, but this is not a bad thing. It became more medium-mild and now espresso and nut flavours came to the fore.

The final third contained even more surprises, as the Noella settled into a medium-bodied smoke with strong bitter chocolate notes.

Despite the complexity of this cigar, It was a great 'change of pace', and I delighted in nubbing it.

In summary, this is a great option if you like a multi-flavoured, complex 'change-of-pace' cigar, I now understand why these are so popular when put up periodically on 24:24 sales, it's definitely worthy of spending time in your humidor!

Finally, I must also acknowledge maverickdrinker's review of the 2013 Noella on his blog, The 'Dirty' Ashes, here for providing a sound reference for this review.

https://thedirtyashes.wordpress.com/2014/01/03/2013-h-upmann-noella/

[LLC]

Thanks for the review. I've really enjoyed the Noella's as a change of pace cigar and glad I have a couple of jars to enjoy slowly over the next many, many years.

[Lotusguy]

Thanks for the review. I have had only terrible experiences with this cigar and still rank them as one of the worst cigars I have ever smoked. I actually feel bad for the person that bought the remainder of my jar...

[TheMonk]

Thanks for the review, I look forward to trying these!

[squizz]

Nice review, thanks! Love the pictures.

[nonameno]

Hi John,

Very nicely presented review. I enjoyed this very much.

Thank you for sharing,
Curtiss

[Fugu]

Thanks John for sharing!

As mentioned before, your description very closely mirrors my impressions from the few 2013s I've smoked so far. So, despite the suspicion it might be a different blend (certainly a diferent production), they might not be falling too far apart. For me a very enjoyable cigar.

Thanks for the review. I have had only terrible experiences with this cigar and still rank them as one of the worst cigars I have ever smoked. I actually feel bad for the person that bought the remainder of my jar...

When smoking right off the jar, that cigar could prove "difficult". Perhaps a potential cause in yours?

[Lotusguy]

Thanks John for sharing!

As mentioned before, your description very closely mirrors my impressions from the few 2013s I've smoked so far. So, despite the suspicion it might be a different blend (certainly a diferent production), they might not be falling too far apart. For me a very enjoyable cigar.

When smoking right off the jar, that cigar could prove "difficult". Perhaps a potential cause in yours?

I think Shlomo and I had the same experience. Harsh, metallic, bitter. I tried straight from the jar, dry boxed, stored in the humidor. Nothing helped.

But I am very glad that people enjoy these cigars. The jar at least is beautiful

[LGC]

Sounds good. Personally, I've never had one that impressed me.

[Fugu]

I think Shlomo and I had the same experience. Harsh, metallic, bitter. I tried straight from the jar, dry boxed, stored in the humidor. Nothing helped.

But I am very glad that people enjoy these cigars. The jar at least is beautiful

Interesting and quite surprising. Seems inconsistent, at least, it appears. While one can always debate on taste preferences, the ones I had were certainly not unpleasant or harsh. I'm still considering stocking up on them....Hope I will grab a keeper jar!

Don't care much about the jar btw. Would do without if HSA would make the price point slightly more attractive.