H Upmann Propios

[joshhooper7]

First quarter of 2019 is in the books and we’ve seen so much excellent Bolívar Soberanos and Romeo Y Julieta Tacos, but where is the last EL, the H Upmann Propios hiding out? Do any regions have them yet or is Habanos SA holding them from everyone?

 

Thanks for a response from anybody in the know, I appreciate it. 

 

Cheers!

[Beer Belly]

Soberanos are also low in number. Tacos more of them around. But Propios? Not even a stick has emerged on the scene....

[El Presidente]

17 hours ago, joshhooper7 said:

First quarter of 2019 is in the books and we’ve seen so much excellent Bolívar Soberanos and Romeo Y Julieta Tacos, but where is the last EL, the H Upmann Propios hiding out? Do any regions have them yet or is Habanos SA holding them from everyone?

 

Thanks for a response from anybody in the know, I appreciate it. 

 

Cheers!

Not a hint as yet mate. 

[Derboesekoenig]

4 hours ago, mtapia3 said:

Why would HSA bother with the Upmanns when they are still producing the way more profitable 2017 Talismans? 

Are there any boxes with 2019 date codes?

[El Presidente]

1 hour ago, Derboesekoenig said:

Are there any boxes with 2019 date codes?

I haven't seen one as yet. 

[Derboesekoenig]

That's a relief. I'm 50/50 on the Talisman as I've not had enough to deem a worthy opinion on them. That being said, it's a '17 EL. They need to have killed it 6 months ago.

[Kaptain Karl]

8 hours ago, Derboesekoenig said:

That's a relief. I'm 50/50 on the Talisman as I've not had enough to deem a worthy opinion on them. That being said, it's a '17 EL. They need to have killed it 6 months ago.

*rolling eyes in communism* 

[rckymtn22]

10 hours ago, Derboesekoenig said:

That's a relief. I'm 50/50 on the Talisman as I've not had enough to deem a worthy opinion on them. That being said, it's a '17 EL. They need to have killed it 6 months ago.

No point killing the cash cows.

[NSXCIGAR]

I will say HSA's been doing a pretty good job getting the ELs out at Q1 the following year. I guess we'll have to give them a break on this one, although Q2 of the following year is still about the worst even for HSA standards. 

10 hours ago, rckymtn22 said:

No point killing the cash cows.

Nope. I guess if it's selling keep making them, although these are still widely available at the same prices as last year. This will undoubtedly be the worst performing Cohiba EL in the secondary market which is perplexing as quite a bit of the demand for Cohiba ELs is driven by investors. It's got to be obvious by now that this release will not do well yet they're still making them and the demand is still there. If the cigar was fantastic I could also understand but the feedback on Talisman has been consistently good but not great. Definitely the worst-received Cohiba EL since the Double Coronas. 

[Derboesekoenig]

Well they might as well take off the second band and make it a regular then

[NSXCIGAR]

Well, Q3 of the following year is a new record for delay. Will they actually going to release a 2019 EL before the Propios? 

Anyways. this is not a cigar I'm rushing to buy. Plenty of great options from HU and similar in size. I'll be waiting for the reviews on these and they had better be really something special before I plunk down $20 for a Gran Corona.

[Lotusguy]

Well, Q3 of the following year is a new record for delay. Will they actually going to release a 2019 EL before the Propios? 
Anyways. this is not a cigar I'm rushing to buy. Plenty of great options from HU and similar in size. I'll be waiting for the reviews on these and they had better be really something special before I plunk down $20 for a Gran Corona.

Looks like the Montecristo Supremos (yay - another Montesco format) will launch in Italy next week, so I think it’s happening LOL

[SignalJoe]

On 4/4/2019 at 1:59 AM, Derboesekoenig said:

Are there any boxes with 2019 date codes?

Yes, Talisman with 2019 box codes and 17 EL bands have been seen.  

[NSXCIGAR]

1 hour ago, SignalJoe said:

Yes, Talisman with 2019 box codes and 17 EL bands have been seen.  

That's been confirmed. Talisman production has been continuous since release. Reports were they were being rolled at EL during the Festival in late Feb 19.

As I noted in another thread I have no idea what the market is for the Talisman at this point. The cigars aren't that good and the price is absurd. Investors have typically driven much of EL Cohiba sales but with seemingly endless production what investor would touch it?

11 hours ago, Lotusguy said:

Looks like the Montecristo Supremos (yay - another Montesco format) will launch in Italy next week, so I think it’s happening LOL

Well, they've officially reached a new low then. Still producing 17s and releasing 19s before all the 18s. 

No wonder Imperial is kicking them to the curb.

[nKostyan]

Good news, the boxes have arrived at the factories. They say the problem was only in the package.

 

[NSXCIGAR]

Maybe they should find out if they can get the packaging on time before choosing said packaging. A standard dress box or cab is fine. And preferred. The Propios doesn't purport to be anything deserving of fancy packaging. So we have to wait and pay more for an EL. 

Silver lining--the cigars will have some built in age before the box date. 

[nKostyan]

If the problem with the varnished boxes causes a delay in the release of the limitada for a year, I'm afraid we will not soon see the limitadas 2019 in the boxes of the new design ‍

 

[nKostyan]

Cigars Packed and shipped to Habanos SA

[Eric05]

On 7/14/2019 at 5:52 AM, nKostyan said:

If the problem with the varnished boxes causes a delay in the release of the limitada for a year, I'm afraid we will not soon see the limitadas 2019 in the boxes of the new design ‍

 

isn't it mostly the boxes which causes delays? I mean I know they are coming out with these beautiful boxes for the new 2019 but why go through the extra work if its going to be a problem 

[Notsocleaver]

On one hand, it does seem to be way easier to get Esplendidos in cardboard packs than the varnished boxes.

But surely the Behike shortages haven't been because they can't source black lacquer for the boxes...

[Corylax18]

Most of the fancier/higher end boxes aren't produced in Cuba. Just like the bands for all import grade Cigars are printed in Europe. 

The most likely scenario is that there is a lack of hard currency available to pay for and import these fancier boxes or the raw materials needed to produce the boxes in Cuba. The government doesn't have enough money to import basic food stuff and medicines. Cigar boxes are (or should be) lower on the priority list than the basics needed to sustain human life. 

NC companies don't seem to struggle sourcing their, often much fancier, boxes. I would be very surprised if the issues were coming from the supply side. 

[Notsocleaver]

@Corylax18, I think you are 100% right. This kinda puts new light on the "EL custom rolls" that have been floating into the secondary market. I was skeptical of the idea that all of this supposedly premium, high demand tobacco was slipping out the door, but if its getting rolled constantly and just back logged because there are no boxes to put it in, it seems a lot more believable that some is wandering out the door.

[joshhooper7]

11 hours ago, nKostyan said:

Cigars Packed and shipped to Habanos SA

Finally! Can’t wait to get my hands on a box. 

[NSXCIGAR]

I may be dreaming but I have a Propios in my possession. Yes, the impossible has happened.

I'll be smoking it tomorrow and posting my thoughts, but wow--these are small cigars. Like almost Secretos small. What a bizarre vitola. Another half inch would have been nice. Were they feeling guilty about the last HU EL being the Mag 56? I'm usually not one to complain about smaller cigars but I'm fascinated to see how they justify the premium on these.

[NSXCIGAR]

So this cigar is listed as a 46 RG and I'm sorry, but it's nowhere near that. 44 at the most. Here it is next to a BCJ:

1st half: holy ligero Batman! Blast of strength. Can't detect any flavors yet but maybe a little twinge of shortbread? 

After the first 3/4 inch the strength has settled a bit. There's more ligero, but the profile I'm getting is more in line with a VR than an HU. I'm getting some dried prune/raisin, or maybe it's that licorice that's present in Mag 46. 

2nd half:

Strength hasn't diminished at all. The flavor has definitely transitioned to the Mag 46 licorice. Ligero and licorice is pretty much all I'm getting. Not bad, but not complex. I would say it's rich. I think a larger RG for this blend would have rounded it a bit. Possibly the strongest HU I've ever had. The strength will turn a lot of people off to this cigar. It's very intense and isn't letting up at all after the first slight drop.

Getting into the final inch the richness is still there. The licorice is kind of transitioning back to more of the prune/raisin flavor. Maybe a little earthiness in there? Kind of like a ligero-infused BCJ. There's no harshness--not what I'd call rough edges. It's just strong. Punchy. Definitely what I'd call a firecracker cigar. Right to the nub, not much if any harshness or hotness. In fact the dried fruitiness keeps building.

The verdict: I actually like this cigar very much. If you don't like very strong and punchy cigars this will not be for you. If you like HU, this is an outlier cigar. 

I would score it a 92-93 with the caveat that many people won't like this cigar. It's like Islay Scotch. If you can handle it you'll appreciate it. This is not a Half Coronas or Connie.