Box open, Upmann Royal Coronas JM AUG 1989 SSR

[99call]

So I nearly always sell the vintage stuff I get, but I'm a big fan of 'self marinated' Upmann tubos, so after a bit of head scratching, and with this weekend review coming up, I just thought bugger it, I know I want this box. SO here we go. 

Rough looking little bugger, but the aroma at cold is lovely funky light leather 

1st 3rd------ Zero negative mustiness, full rounded retro, classic melded funk of a well aged cigar 'choked' cigar.

Fizziness, like a strong 46, but with the poise of a 50. Shortbread, but strong, dancing between a heavy woodiness and tannic almond skin. a true delight! Strong, but with buttery roundedness. touch of nigella seed..... super glad i decided not to sell.  Strong salty, savoury dulce de leche. oodles of smoke, streaming blue smoke off the foot. inch in.

2nd 3rd------- Light milk chocolate, but the fizziness and strength is sitting behind everything perfectly,  more tannic almond skin, a really nice like of fresh rye bread character. Such an addictive retro, still with a slight pinch on the nose. Slow burning, still a nice pliable texture on the cigar. nice light leather taste on the lips. 

Something tells me i could leave this cigar an it would slowly nub itself. the combustion is slow but on autopilot. 

Little waft of chlorine off the foot you can definitely see with this cigar, that Upmann's used to be quite a bit stronger.  Bit more of a sweet phase, straight almond nuttiness milk chocolate, bit of that Rafael Gonzales chestnut funkiness to this. mouth is full of oils. 

3rd 3rd------- Bit of toasty caraway seed that i get a lot with fresh Upmann 2s..... 5mins of a soft rye breadiness, lots of Rafael Gonzales elements going on with this.  Searing fizziness still present. final third is putting on the afterburners, like the smell of a coal shed, with caraway and a burnt caramel sweetness. Nicotine buzz starting to soar, lots of mongrel DNA taking over, massive salty cowpat to finish, real funky manure, lovely stuff. 

Sit the cigar on the peak of dirty tobacco mountain, to die a noble death.   Lovely strong, but poised old school smoke, legs for another 25yrs

97 points, not 98, as no real creaminess

 

[Derboesekoenig]

Very cool. Do you know if these are the machine mades or the hand mades? I understand they made both versions around this time period. Hand mades were discontinued in the late '90's and the machine mades were discontinued in 2002.

[99call]

31 minutes ago, Derboesekoenig said:

Very cool. Do you know if these are the machine mades or the hand mades? I understand they made both versions around this time period. Hand mades were discontinued in the late '90's and the machine mades were discontinued in 2002.

Ha, if they were handmade, they didn't have any thumbs!.   No i'm pretty certain they're machine made. Don't hold it against them though, they are magic

[Derboesekoenig]

Oh of course! I've heard great things about the older machine mades. It's still Cuban tobacco after all. I've never tried anything before 1999. I need to find some tubos. Those seem to age best

[Stump89]

Very cool, nice review!

[Habana Mike]

Great review! Love the Upmann Tubos, this one sounds fantastic!

[leafdream54]

Great review!  

[Raskol]

Nice review. Thanks!

[Optic101]

Great Review, nice pictures, Sounds like a fantastic cigar.

Agreed on the machine made cigars, some of the old once age extremely well and turn out fantastic.

[nKostyan]

Great review, thank you!

What was their humidity? Did you acclimatize them to the humidor before Smoking? Usually (unless stored in a professional) vintage tubos cigars has a low humidity and requires a delicate recovery by a special method...

[M777]

Awesome review!

[99call]

58 minutes ago, nKostyan said:

(unless stored in a professional) vintage tubos cigars has a low humidity and requires a delicate recovery by a special method

Sorry to disagree. But I've never found this to be true. As soon as the cigar was lit, and warmed up. It became supple and pliable. Sometimes I think we overcomplicate things just because we can. Every aged tubo I've smoked has smoked wonderfully well with no need for rehydration.   I try to avoid opened boxes, as the tubes will likely have been opened at numerous times in the past.  Just my opinion

[nKostyan]

Sorry to disagree. But I've never found this to be true. As soon as the cigar was lit, and warmed up. It became supple and pliable. Sometimes I think we overcomplicate things just because we can. Every aged tubo I've smoked has smoked wonderfully well with no need for rehydration.   I try to avoid opened boxes, as the tubes will likely have been opened at numerous times in the past.  Just my opinion

This is my experience, perhaps it is associated with the natural humidity of the region and the culture of storage of cigars

[99call]

1 hour ago, nKostyan said:

This is my experience, perhaps it is associated with the natural humidity of the region and the culture of storage of cigars

Yep I agree. Here in the UK our fairly even cool wet climate means conditions never really get too out of hand.  I have opened some open box turbos in the past, and you know emediately that there is no point, that the cigars are a spent force. Thanks for your thoughts, reaclimatisation of tubos is definitely something many seem to disagree on.

[Guantanamera]

Fun to read. Thanks!

[joeypots]

Great review. Thanks. The few aged tubos I've had have been outstanding. Ordinary cigars like MC#4, Petit Tubos, were outstanding at ten years. I'm holding a few now but I doubt I'll be able to wait 30 years to smoke them.

[99call]

13 minutes ago, joeypots said:

Great review. Thanks. The few aged tubos I've had have been outstanding. Ordinary cigars like MC#4, Petit Tubos, were outstanding at ten years. I'm holding a few now but I doubt I'll be able to wait 30 years to smoke them.

Cheers dude, 

Do you rehydrate your tubos?  or just smoke out of the tube? I can't put my finger on it, but these cigars, which effectively fester in their own juices, seem to have a certain quality to them, that dress or SBN boxes don't.   I'm not suggesting better, just different. 

[joeypots]

 

1 hour ago, 99call said:

Cheers dude, 

Do you rehydrate your tubos?  or just smoke out of the tube? I can't put my finger on it, but these cigars, which effectively fester in their own juices, seem to have a certain quality to them, that dress or SBN boxes don't.   I'm not suggesting better, just different. 

I haven't had too many. There is something to aging in tubes. MRN said it was more graceful, think. I just keep them in the drawer in my cabinet. I sometimes put a cigar from a good box in a tube. I have a few marinating.  I had a San Cristobel El Morro last spring that had been in a tube, I think an Avo #3, for a long time. Damn good cigar. 

 

 

[99call]

2 minutes ago, joeypots said:

I sometimes put a cigar from a good box in a tube. I have a few marinating

I cant believe I've never thought of doing this, Hats off!

I have a stunning box of RGPC, that I recon would respond well to being choked of oxygen for a good 6yrs. 

[cigaraholic]

Thanks for the memories!!

Upmann used to be the beautiful earthy tobacco on the planet...like having a beautiful forest after a rain in your mouth ?

[Chellams]

I’m definitely going to have to try aging a few of my cigars in the empty tubes I have laying around


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[nKostyan]

The maturation of the Cigar in the tube improves, not all cigars, some Cigars taste better from the wooden box. But the cigar must be placed in a tube in the factory, then it Matures with limited access to oxygen and it affects the taste. To pass Cigars out of the box in the tube for extended aging, perhaps it makes no sense.

[99call]

7 hours ago, nKostyan said:

But the cigar must be placed in a tube in the factory

Hhhhmm?  I would have to disagree here.

Effectively as a natural product, a cigar is constantly in a process of 'off gassing' moisture and natural oils. Obviously to have the cigar in the tube at point of production is ideal (to really experience what can happen when you stifle a cigar of oxygen and moisture) but, to suggest taking a fresh wet, 2018 cigar boxed and placing it in a tube for 6yrs with have no effect, just because its already been exposed to the outside atmosphere is............without wanting to be rude,  fuzzy logic. 

I agree its not exactly the same, as tubing at point of production, but the only difference is, is that that boxed cigar has had a couple of months 'off gassing'. 

[nKostyan]

I usually do it differently so that cigars do not lose flavor and do not have access to oxygen for oxidation - there is another known packaging - Jar.

 

[unclepauly25]

On 10/28/2018 at 11:14 AM, 99call said:

So I nearly always sell the vintage stuff I get, but I'm a big fan of 'self marinated' Upmann tubos, so after a bit of head scratching, and with this weekend review coming up, I just thought bugger it, I know I want this box. SO here we go. 

Rough looking little bugger, but the aroma at cold is lovely funky light leather 

1st 3rd------ Zero negative mustiness, full rounded retro, classic melded funk of a well aged cigar 'choked' cigar.

Fizziness, like a strong 46, but with the poise of a 50. Shortbread, but strong, dancing between a heavy woodiness and tannic almond skin. a true delight! Strong, but with buttery roundedness. touch of nigella seed..... super glad i decided not to sell.  Strong salty, savoury dulce de leche. oodles of smoke, streaming blue smoke off the foot. inch in.

2nd 3rd------- Light milk chocolate, but the fizziness and strength is sitting behind everything perfectly,  more tannic almond skin, a really nice like of fresh rye bread character. Such an addictive retro, still with a slight pinch on the nose. Slow burning, still a nice pliable texture on the cigar. nice light leather taste on the lips. 

Something tells me i could leave this cigar an it would slowly nub itself. the combustion is slow but on autopilot. 

Little waft of chlorine off the foot you can definitely see with this cigar, that Upmann's used to be quite a bit stronger.  Bit more of a sweet phase, straight almond nuttiness milk chocolate, bit of that Rafael Gonzales chestnut funkiness to this. mouth is full of oils. 

3rd 3rd------- Bit of toasty caraway seed that i get a lot with fresh Upmann 2s..... 5mins of a soft rye breadiness, lots of Rafael Gonzales elements going on with this.  Searing fizziness still present. final third is putting on the afterburners, like the smell of a coal shed, with caraway and a burnt caramel sweetness. Nicotine buzz starting to soar, lots of mongrel DNA taking over, massive salty cowpat to finish, real funky manure, lovely stuff. 

Sit the cigar on the peak of dirty tobacco mountain, to die a noble death.   Lovely strong, but poised old school smoke, legs for another 25yrs

97 points, not 98, as no real creaminess

 

That was a great review, I remember smoking one in the 90’s. I really enjoyed it. That’s what made me fall in love with h Upmann. Then I had a h.u.#2 and I was hooked! I wish I can get my hands on one of those old royal Coronas!