Cigar Weekly

Black Plague · 12-30-2006, 10:28 PM

I've been working second shift this whole week. Coming back at 12:00 AM, I was suddenly struck with the desire to have a little midnight breakfast. So I whipped a quick batch of little silver dollar pancakes, a few slices of bacon, both topped with some honey maple syrup, and a piping hot cup of good coffee. After enjoying my late night breakfast, it was time to lay back on the couch with my coffee and light up a nice cigar to top the night off.

H. Upmann
Belvedere
5 x 39 Belvedere

Prelight: This cigar possessed the old school Cuban mechanizado look. A roughly-applied conical cap, a mottled and wrinkly colorado maduro wrapper, stained with oil, having an ever so slight taper towards the foot. Box-pressed. This cigar must've been especially oil younger in life, owing to the dark stains on the wrapper and on the gold and red H. Upmann band. The cigar cut very nicely and felt firm. Prelight draws hinted at toasted tobacco, peppery spice, and a slight minty sensation.

Beverage: Medium-roasted Ethiopian Harrar coffee

Flavor: The flavor profile was pretty consistent from light to the final draw. Starting off, the flavor was a medley of exotic wood, dry toasted tobacco, bitter sensations on the throat of cocoa and coffee, spicy peppers on the tongue, a very earthy finish and a strong mid-palate flavor like ripe black olives.

The aroma was warm and spicy, hinting at the olives also present in the taste. At one-third, the finish grew increasingly woody, black pepper came forward, a sweet and spicy flavor developed on the tongue, a very subtle saltiness at times, crowned off by nuances of the defining H. Upmann "musty" flavor, but this was not nearly as dominant a dimension as in other H. Upmann models. The smoke left a very long, lingering spice on the finish, with a tinge of bitter herbs.

In the final third, the smoke grew increasingly spicier. The finish developed nuances of cinnamon powder and dark espresso. Never grew hot, bitter, or tarry.

Construction: The ash was an eye-pleasing powdery white, streaked with dark stripes of black. The burn started off a bad runner on one side, but behaved itself after a corrective touch from the lighter. The draw started a tad on the tight side, but gradually loosened to more acceptable resistance level.

Summary: Certainly better than my last experience with this vitola (link) , and I'm not even sure it was a Belvedere I had last time, since I seem to remember the previous one being much smaller than this one and the fact that only the Belvederes of the Upmann marque have that very slight perfecto taper. Either way, a nice little cigar to relax to. I have no idea what the age of this one was, but I'd venture to guess it must have a few years on it, judging by the oil stains on the band and the complexity of flavor. Not really a great cigar, but a good one for the purpose I chose it for: just a short smoke to relax to while watching TV. Have a Happy New Year, guys, and a good cigar!

12-30-2006, 10:28 PM	#1
Black Plague Herf Meister Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Southern Indiana Posts: 7,650	H. Upmann Belvedere I've been working second shift this whole week. Coming back at 12:00 AM, I was suddenly struck with the desire to have a little midnight breakfast. So I whipped a quick batch of little silver dollar pancakes, a few slices of bacon, both topped with some honey maple syrup, and a piping hot cup of good coffee. After enjoying my late night breakfast, it was time to lay back on the couch with my coffee and light up a nice cigar to top the night off. H. Upmann Belvedere 5 x 39 Belvedere Prelight: This cigar possessed the old school Cuban mechanizado look. A roughly-applied conical cap, a mottled and wrinkly colorado maduro wrapper, stained with oil, having an ever so slight taper towards the foot. Box-pressed. This cigar must've been especially oil younger in life, owing to the dark stains on the wrapper and on the gold and red H. Upmann band. The cigar cut very nicely and felt firm. Prelight draws hinted at toasted tobacco, peppery spice, and a slight minty sensation. Beverage: Medium-roasted Ethiopian Harrar coffee Flavor: The flavor profile was pretty consistent from light to the final draw. Starting off, the flavor was a medley of exotic wood, dry toasted tobacco, bitter sensations on the throat of cocoa and coffee, spicy peppers on the tongue, a very earthy finish and a strong mid-palate flavor like ripe black olives. The aroma was warm and spicy, hinting at the olives also present in the taste. At one-third, the finish grew increasingly woody, black pepper came forward, a sweet and spicy flavor developed on the tongue, a very subtle saltiness at times, crowned off by nuances of the defining H. Upmann "musty" flavor, but this was not nearly as dominant a dimension as in other H. Upmann models. The smoke left a very long, lingering spice on the finish, with a tinge of bitter herbs. In the final third, the smoke grew increasingly spicier. The finish developed nuances of cinnamon powder and dark espresso. Never grew hot, bitter, or tarry. Construction: The ash was an eye-pleasing powdery white, streaked with dark stripes of black. The burn started off a bad runner on one side, but behaved itself after a corrective touch from the lighter. The draw started a tad on the tight side, but gradually loosened to more acceptable resistance level. Summary: Certainly better than my last experience with this vitola (link) , and I'm not even sure it was a Belvedere I had last time, since I seem to remember the previous one being much smaller than this one and the fact that only the Belvederes of the Upmann marque have that very slight perfecto taper. Either way, a nice little cigar to relax to. I have no idea what the age of this one was, but I'd venture to guess it must have a few years on it, judging by the oil stains on the band and the complexity of flavor. Not really a great cigar, but a good one for the purpose I chose it for: just a short smoke to relax to while watching TV. Have a Happy New Year, guys, and a good cigar!