H. Upmann is one of the oldest, and one of my personal favorite Cuban marcas. It was founded by H. Upmann, a German banker and cigar Connoisseur who moved to Cuba to get into the cigar business. This blend was introduced in 2013 in the Genios vitola. As with all Cubans, there’s virtually no information on the blend, but we do know it’s comprised entirely of Cuban tobacco from the Vuelta Abajo zone in Pinar del Rio. Let’s see if I can get through this review without misspelling Connossieur.
Really good looking wrapper on this stick darker coffee with cream. The draw is a touch tighter than I like, but nothing worth complaining about. First light on the Connossieur A is showing classic H. Upmann cereal flavors, sweet brioche, baking spice, and corn flakes on the finish. The retrohale has a lot of bright stone fruit. Lighter pulls are bright and fresh, deeper pulls are more confectionary. That stone fruit flavor is really special it’s almost like a fresh peach brightness. Some white pepper, coffee and floral spice are entering the mix here. The brightness is still there in spades. Less than stellar construction. Uneven burn that needed a touch-up before the first third. Smoke is pretty wispy, but I’m here for the flavors.
Vanilla, and oak are introduced at the beginning of the second third. The main profile is that oakey vanilla, with coffee, corn flakes, and brioche on the background of the palate. Citrus and floral spice in the retro. Deeper pulls are leaning heavily into the corn flakes and coffee. The floral spice is taking over the stone fruit flavor on the retro, but the core of the cigar is going strong. Corn flakes, wheat crackers, vanilla and oak. Needed another touch up right before the ash flaked off.
Going into the final third on the Connie A. Oak is getting into the charred territory, almost peat. Vanilla and sweet bready notes are still present. But the brightness is almost entirely gone. The retrohale is predominantly floral spice and vanilla sweetness. I decided to put this one down with about 1.5″ left.
When this cigar is on it’s one of my all time favorite blends. Unfortunately it wasn’t showing it’s best with this example. I have a box with a March 2023 date and a PTE factory code, so this box isn’t quite 1 year old yet. I believe it still needs a bit more time to rest, but I have had some really good fresh examples. I’m looking forward to dipping into this box again in 6 months and seeing what the differences are. As it stands, that bright stone fruit flavor is something I keep coming back to, and the classic Upmann cereal flavors at it’s core were stellar. The construction was the only thing really holding this cigar back. I’d recommend getting a cab of these if you can, but do your best to practice a bit more patience than I did.
