H. Upmann Connoisseur No. 1 - BRE Nov 18 (PRRRW)

06Speed6 · June 2, 2019

Hey everybody, first post after about 3 years of stalking the 24:24 threads, decided it was about that time!

I suppose that every review should have a little background on the reviewer:

Prefer dark and very dark beers, think Guinness, more flavor the better

Favorite wine type is unoaked chardonnay

Absolutely hate coffee, but I love the smell of it

Prefer milk chocolate over dark chocolate

Been smoking cigars about three years now, smoke about 2 or 3 a month, never smoked a cigar that wasn't Cuban, gone through around 25 varieties now.

Picked up the Connie 1s on the recent 24:24, PSP grade, according to the President's review: buttered toast, almonds, and coffee - so lets get to it!

Nice sheen, feels tight, smells of tobacco, grass, and light toasted sugar

Straight cut, toast, and light - light was fairly difficult, dry boxing isn't an option on the coast as the humidity is almost always higher outside the humidor than inside

First puffs are dry grass, hazelnut, and unsweetened cream, smoke is heavy and copious. Draw is perfect if not slightly tight.

Through the first third is cashew, unsweetened cream. Burn is uneven due to difficult light, but appears to be evening up a bit. No relights, nice burn, ash doesn't drop off until nearly the end of the third, overall it is mild and pleasant

Second third the coffee comes in like a hammer, mild black pepper, unsweetened cream. The change in flavor profile is quite remarkable. Less smoke, no relights, burn is laughably uneven but amazingly it is burning across the full width of the cigar. Ash is hanging on for dear life

Final third is heavy unsweetened cream, less coffee, black pepper, dry grass, on the front palette there is a flavor that I haven't tasted in a cigar before, reminds me of unsalted black eyed peas - strange but pleasant. More smoke now, first relight after the ash from the second third fell off, burn is much more even now. Draw is still on the tight side, thought it would ease up a bit as I smoked it down, but not the case at all. Smoke is still very heavy, it hangs in the air for a second before the breeze catches it and lifts it to the sky. Total smoke time was almost exactly an hour.