H. Upmann Royal Robusto LCDH MGB GT LUB OCT 14 (CCCCRW)

[PointFivePast]

Classic cars and cigars... this should make for an interesting review! Best way to tackle it is probably review the cigar and then find the parallel so here we go! Picked out an H. Upmann Royal Robusto LCDH from October 2014 since I can’t remember the last time I had one of these. Figured I would have the time to finish it before needing to head to dinner with the girlfriend’s boss... oh was I mistaken ? 

 

Pre-Light:

Aroma at cold is a tangy sort of sweet cream mixed with maple syrup, just the most divine sort of dessert! Some floral tones and a bit of cedar (probably from storing in the box) round it out. Cold draw is musty leather and barnyard with a bit of a cocoa undertone. Intriguing to say the least.

 

 

1st Third:

Right off the line this Royal Robusto is pedal to the metal! Bold flavor of plain doughnut holes are present from the first puff. No sugar, no glaze mind you... just fresh out of the fryer donut holes. Loving the intensity of flavor here! Within an inch that sweet creaminess comes in as though a dollop of buttercream was plopped on top of each doughnut hole. I’m tempted to call it a dessert cigar but just before I’m about to exclaim this, the sweetness of doughnuts turns to sweet cedar and the creaminess morphs in to a lanolin soaked pile of wet wool. More barnyard and wood marks the switch to the next third.

 

 

2nd Third:

No letting up off the pedal, the HURR maintains intensity but switches in a burly stick full of baking spices, woods, and leather. The wood is dominated by strong cedar almost like fresh cedar sawdust. Sweetness is gone and replaced by a dry, tannic mouthfeel befitting these new flavors but a 180 from where we started. Twenty minutes in to this third and I finally get a reprieve in the form of nuts; walnut and almond to be specific. The almond has a soft note that is a welcome break from the assault of spice and wood. Coffee notes appear like those of a medium roast drip coffee that’s a touch too watery. Spices soften in to some nutmeg like that found in pumpkin pie and a hint of buttercream returns! Finally, an interlude of hay and unmistakeable Cuban twang signal the transition to the final third.

 

 

Final Third:

Not done with the surprises, the HURR hits me with the biggest blast of pure salt I’ve ever received from a cigar! Driftwood appears which makes sense but its joined by an herbal note like dried sage. Not unpleasant but unexpected for sure. Darker coffee notes coming in now with some heavy tannic mouthfeel again. Suddenly the girlfriend calls and reminds me I should be ready to get in the car for dinner right about now; where has the time gone?!? I give a few quick puffs to conclude, noting a sensation like roasting chestnuts. 
 

What a ride this cigar was! Starting out sweet before turning in to a powerhouse and then dropping me somewhere in the middle. 91/100 point cigar for me but room to improve if those transitions smooth a bit. Five years seems to have brought out the dessert qualities nicely but these sticks definitely have some aging left in them. Glad I still have eight more left.

 

The Car: 

Not having the funds to afford collecting both cigars and classic cars, I don’t get the chance to drive many so I may have to reach here. The one that keeps coming to mind though is an old 1970-something MGB GT I used to walk by back in my university days. It was parked outside this auto shop and set up for the track for sure. V8 model, roll cage, five point harness, and down between the seats someone had installed a bottle of NOS. Never did see the engine but from the faded exterior along with the subtle additions of gauges and safety features (oh and the NOS!) I got the impression this was someone’s weekend track car. The sort of car you could drive up to the track on the weekend and, once there, unleash hell. 

 

The HURR was much the same as this little MGB GT. The sweet dessert upfront appearing charming and even a bit dainty, much the same as a classic British roadster like the MGB. Once on a track or in the right twisties, I have to believe this tastefully modded little GT would open up and growl just as the HURR did when it shed it bakery sweets facade. Snarling, leaking oil, electrical systems threatening to fail, reliving every ounce of power you could coax from it somehow, someway. Right through the corners, open up on the straightaway. Both a tracked MGB GT and the HURR would understand what to do. Finally, cruising back home you’re left with a curious sort of confusion. What did you experience? Is this car the same adorable roadster you left with or some strange new beast? It drives the same but you’re now aware of its growl and mild scent of burning oil from somewhere in the engine bay. Now you’re not sure what to think the next time you start the engine... much the same as I feel about these Royal Robustos now. Thrilled. Terrified. Seduced. But I will forget. The next time I open that box I know I’ll pick one up and think “Hmmm. Lovely aroma of sweet cream and maple...”

 

Forgive my borrowed image of the car but one day I’d like to have one of my own! ?

 

 

Thanks for reading! Was a fun review to write, hope you enjoyed!