Upmann Connie 1 OER OCT 21 – ROTT Review (FRCSW3)

[Mhansen85]

 

Maybe the youngest Cuban i have ever smoked but just wanted to try it. A recent 24:24 clearance box box.

 

Last time i had cubans less than 1 year old was bolivar PC, and they were dreadful. Ammoniac and bitter leafs.

 

Paired with taiwnaese Oolong tea – Oriental beauty

 

Opening is very pleasant. It is very balanced, and while not creamy, not rough either. Flavors are toasted Tobacco, White pepper, clove, nutmeg. Construstion seems very good, draw a bit easy but perfectly manageable. It burns fast.

 

1/3 Cedar joins the spice and Tobacco mix. Cardem0m comes now in spades. Very peppery on the retro, almost NC style.

 

I would not have thought it was 4 months. While it is Young it is not bad at all and very balanved. Is cubans like good reds from bdx? They sometime very approachable very Young but then close Down for a period of years. I havent experienced this but being a natural product that needs to settle and undergoes fermentation, it could be. Please enlighten me.

 

2/3 smoke is pouring out like a chimney. Flavors settle around gentle spice and a bit og dried grass and some honeycake

 

3/3 brace for the hotness and bitterness i thought. Didnt happen much, though flavors did mute and mostly toasted Tobacco and leafy notes remain

 

Interesting to try. Hard to score. I would say 88-89 right now but if flavors remained from the first half it would already have been a 90-91 point stick to me

[NSXCIGAR]

I smoke a lot of these and as much as I don't really care how young cigars are I find that these really need about 6 months from box date to meld a bit. I'm smoking out of a SEP 21 box now and I can tell the difference between the SOU MAY 21 and OER JUL 21 boxes I just finished up. Oddly, I haven't been seeing a lot of HU factory boxes (GEM) since early 21. Most of the Q2+ 21 boxes have been non-HU factory which is fairly unusual for Connie 1. 

Not that anyone would really be surprised at that--I know, 6 mos from box date is really nothing. Not that I wouldn't smoke the Connie 1 ROTT--I love them. In fact one of the best ones I've ever had was one handed out at the 2017 Partagas Festival dinner, ostensibly ROTT. 

I would slow down on that box until March. I think you'll be surprised how much better they are. 

[Mhansen85]

5 hours ago, NSXCIGAR said:

I smoke a lot of these and as much as I don't really care how young cigars are I find that these really need about 6 months from box date to meld a bit. I'm smoking out of a SEP 21 box now and I can tell the difference between the SOU MAY 21 and OER JUL 21 boxes I just finished up. Oddly, I haven't been seeing a lot of HU factory boxes (GEM) since early 21. Most of the Q2+ 21 boxes have been non-HU factory which is fairly unusual for Connie 1. 

Not that anyone would really be surprised at that--I know, 6 mos from box date is really nothing. Not that I wouldn't smoke the Connie 1 ROTT--I love them. In fact one of the best ones I've ever had was one handed out at the 2017 Partagas Festival dinner, ostensibly ROTT. 

I would slow down on that box until March. I think you'll be surprised how much better they are. 

Thanks for the insight . I plan to not smoke anymore for a while, but might try one in a few months based on your inout

[Kaptain Karl]

10 hours ago, NSXCIGAR said:

I smoke a lot of these and as much as I don't really care how young cigars are I find that these really need about 6 months from box date to meld a bit. I'm smoking out of a SEP 21 box now and I can tell the difference between the SOU MAY 21 and OER JUL 21 boxes I just finished up. Oddly, I haven't been seeing a lot of HU factory boxes (GEM) since early 21. Most of the Q2+ 21 boxes have been non-HU factory which is fairly unusual for Connie 1. 

Not that anyone would really be surprised at that--I know, 6 mos from box date is really nothing. Not that I wouldn't smoke the Connie 1 ROTT--I love them. In fact one of the best ones I've ever had was one handed out at the 2017 Partagas Festival dinner, ostensibly ROTT. 

I would slow down on that box until March. I think you'll be surprised how much better they are. 

This made me light up the first from my June '21 box...you're right, they're ready to rock! I'm ashamed I only have 1 full box of these, I'm going to have to swap some of my monte's out for more 1's! 

[tom153]

13 hours ago, Mhansen85 said:

I would not have thought it was 4 months. While it is Young it is not bad at all and very balanved. Is cubans like good reds from bdx? They sometime very approachable very Young but then close Down for a period of years. I havent experienced this but being a natural product that needs to settle and undergoes fermentation, it could be. Please enlighten me.

Absolutely! The most apparent of these changes for me was with RA Extras and RA Superiores back in 2012. Especially the Superiores were ok right after arrival, but within a month or two became absolutely awful; about a year later they were divine! The most spectacular turn around that I've experienced...

[Juliano88]

Ya my JUL 21 box needs some time. The first half of the cigar I sampled was tannic and bitter. The second half showcased the core upmann pastry/bakery flavors. Will revisit in 6 months. Upmann is my second favorite Cuban brand behind Partagas. 

[NSXCIGAR]

4 hours ago, Juliano88 said:

Ya my JUL 21 box needs some time. The first half of the cigar I sampled was tannic and bitter. The second half showcased the core upmann pastry/bakery flavors. Will revisit in 6 months.

Coming across a Connie 1 that's a little tannic can happen if less than a year old. That's usually an outlier stick. I don't think you'll need to wait that long to try another. 

On another note, Connie 1 is not a cigar that I worry too much about rH with. It performs fine from 62-68 and I've never felt the need to drybox. 

[Juliano88]

I’ll definitely take your advice and try one here pretty soon. My palate may have been a little off that day. Happens from time to time.