H.Upmann Magnum 50 Serie Sevilla - circa 2013 (SELRW)*

[shippers]

This Jar has been resting untouched since I got back from Seville in August last year and the review weekend seemed a good occasion to try one out. Despite enjoying Upmann blends generally the Magnum series had never made it to my humidor.

A little more about the jar nicked borrowed from another site:

Quote

This H. Upmann Magnum 50 Serie Sevilla Jar was made for the Spanish market. The 21 cigars including in this jar have been aged 5 years by Habanos to assure you only smoke the best, without having to wait for it! This collectible item is very limited in quantity as only 2000 of them were produced.

The cigar has been resting in my humidor at 65%rh for about a month as the seal on this jar is not quite perfect. It seals but the Bovedas work a lot harder than expected so I wanted to give this one a fair chance before review. Wrapper is spot on without any visible imperfections although the foot band fights back as I try to take it off. The pre light aroma is full of honey and the draw is good. To pair up with the honey aroma I go for Whisky Spirit Drink Compass Box Affinity. It too is full of honey on the nose - thanks in part to being a blend of Malt and Calvados - a French Apple Brandy. But the Malt backbone will hopefully bring some more savoury notes to add a bit of contrast. So pen and paper in hand I start making notes.

(Mrs Shippers to be made this selfie thing much easier ?)

I ended up with a lot of notes! Always a good sign. The first third starts off with a little cream and some floral almost herbal character. Like a light Mezcal note. As it continues a citrus element adds to it. The cigar isn't as sweet at the start as the pre light aroma would have suggested. I am surprised to get any decent flavour at all. Wind picked up part way through lighting which meant I did a bit of a hackjob...

No matter it seems to not be affecting things much and the wind (eventually) settles down.

The second third and the herbal floral note has gone but the citrus has developed into a full blown Orange peel. It is a little tangy but clearly Orange. It combines with some warm spice which is starting to creep in. The spice develops as the third continues. It is somewhere between Cinnamon or perhaps Nutmeg I am not sure but it is a rich warming spice. As the second third comes to a close a little Vanilla adds a creamy/buttery finish. I cannot decide if it is closer to a Citrus Sponge or Shortbread flavour as the butter and cream fight each other for dominance.

Now the final third. What started off as quite a light strength cigar has picked up a little towards the end and now is a solid medium. All the lovely Citrus Sponge (I think I am settling on Sponge) is still in place along with the floral notes. Added to it is some Almonds, and the Honey shows itself at last! So now the cake recipe is complete ?. If it wasn't cold out I would have nubbed it.

The Affinity in the end worked well with the cigar just not for the reasons I expected. The Apple Citrus zing played off the Citrus in the cigar perfectly.

The cigar. 95 points for me. I was a little worried that the age would have caused the flavours to become dull. Instead this cigar is bursting with them. It is complex and very enjoyable. So much so I think a box purchase to tuck away will happen soon. 

To close another "selfie" - thanks for reading my ramblings!

 

 

[Ryan]

Very nice review, thanks for posting. The Magnum 50 is a great cigar, often overlooked these days because of the Magnum 54 and 56.

Those Serie Sevilla jars are lovely, right down to the crazing in the glaze. Still made in Talavera de la Reina as far as I remember. 

There are some nice jars made in Cuba over the last 10 years or so, but if you ever see and hold two of them together you can feel the difference right away.  

[shippers]

Thank you  - yeah I haven't really thought about getting one before. It was really the jar that sold it - it is really nice for sure and I think you are right still made in Spain. Overall I thought it was worth the risk as I got to buy it at retail price in Seville (which was a nice touch). So glad I went ahead if others age like this I can definitely see myself investing in a few more.

[Puros Y Vino]

Excellent review. The Mag 50 was my "first love"  grabbed two cabs in 2009.  I also bought this jar (empty) and put my remaining 09's in it. The jar is beautiful.  

[Bigfatpuff]

Beautiful review and beautiful city.
After reading your review, one moment, I was dying for a Mug 50. I never tried one before.
Besides, I wish I can have a balcony like yours to smoke freely.


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[shippers]

21 minutes ago, Bigfatpuff said:

Beautiful review and beautiful city.
After reading your review, one moment, I was dying for a Mug 50. I never tried one before.
Besides, I wish I can have a balcony like yours to smoke freely.


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Thanks - I recently moved back down from London while I do miss some things I do like Liverpool. But during the move a balcony was top of my priority list!

Hope you get a chance to try a Mag 50 soon ? - big surprise for me.

[Tstew75]

Killer cigars from jar. Nice review