H. Upmann Royal Robusto Prelight
H. Upmann is one of the oldest and one of my favorite Cuban marcas. It was founded by Mr. H. Upmann, a German banker and cigar Connoisseur who moved to Cuba in 1844 to enter the cigar business. The Upmann bank eventually closed, but the cigars have lived on.
The Royal Robusto was released in 2011 as a limited LCDH exclusive. Its vitola is the Edmundo at 5 3/8″ x 52, like Montecristo Edmundo. It’s packaged in 10-count dress boxes and gets the H. Upmann standard band with the additional LCDH exclusive band. Funnily enough, the Royal Robusto is not a Robusto.
The wrapper is a deep cinnamon brown with an oily sheen and thin veins. The cigar is slightly under-packed at the foot but seems to be rolled well. The aromas on the foot and wrapper are muted cinnamon with some cedar. A cut shows an open draw with more notes of cedar and cinnamon.
H. Upmann Royal Robusto First Third
The first few puffs are surprisingly mild. On the palate, I’m getting toasted cedar, mineral-forward earth, and a touch of cashew butter. The retrohale shows light honey sweetness, dried flowers, and a touch of cinnamon and clove. Smoke output so far is medium. The burn, ash, and construction seem great so far. The finish is mostly cedar with a nutty undertone and is medium as well. Overall, the flavor profile is very mild. I’m finding myself waiting for the blend to kick in.
H. Upmann Royal Robusto Second Third
The palate is picking up on toasted cedar, raw cashew, dry mineral earth, and some bitter cocoa. I’m getting faint honey sweetness, white tea, and dry flowers on the retrohale. The smoke output is still at medium. The burn line is getting wavy but seems to be correcting. There’s a long finish of toasted cedar and a bitter vegetal note after licking your lips.
H. Upmann Royal Robusto Final Third
The blend seems to be finding its footing here in the final third.
Mixed toasted nuts, cedar, rich mineral earth, and some honey on the palate. The retrohale shows white tea, honey, cinnamon, clove, and dried flowers. The flavors are coming together much better here. The burn line is wavy but serviceable. Smoke output is medium. There’s a long finish of mixed nuts and cedar. Past the band, the flavors stayed consistent with the sweetness falling off first. I put this one down just after the band.
H. Upmann Royal Robusto Conclusions
The H. Upmann Royal Robusto left me feeling confused. The blend struggled to come together harmoniously in the first two-thirds and only found its footing in the final. At times the cigar tasted like two different blends slapped together, and the flavors were all too mild. The cigar was well rolled, if slightly underpacked, and burned well for most of the experience. The Royal Robusto can be had for $25-$30 per stick online, so not wildly expensive compared to modern Cuban pricing. H. Upmann has an exemplary catalog full of fantastic blends. I would recommend any of the Magnum, or Connoisseur lines before the Royal Robusto.
