CA Review Panel: H. Upmann 180th Anniversary
Video: H. Upmann 180th Anniversary—full Cigar Advisor panel review.
H. Upmann 180th Anniversary Backstory
Just twenty years shy of their bicentennial, H. Upmann celebrates 180 years in the premium cigar business. There’s no questioning their position among the oldest and most influential brands to survive the Cuban Revolution.
It should come as no surprise that the folks behind Upmann spared no expense to mark the occasion. They tapped AJ Fernandez to craft the cigars at his Esteli, Nicaragua-based factory, went with an all-Nicaraguan blend, and even topped it with an uber-rare Medio Tiempo wrapper. Which brings us to the price: you’ll have to shell out a smidge north of $200 for a box of 10, putting the cigar above the $20 threshold.
Because it’s a lot to ask someone to spend that much dough on a cigar, we’re here to give it a try before you buy. Check out our detailed video and written reviews below to find out if H. Upmann 180th Anniversary is worth the price of admission.
Cigar Details:
Factory: Tabacalera AJ Fernandez Cigars de Nicaragua
Sizes Reviewed: 7” x 50 Churchill
Strength: Medium
Wrapper: Nicaragua Medio Tiempo
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Construction: Firm, yet squeezy. Slightly toothy, seamless, and enabled a good draw.
Cold Draw: Raisin, cinnamon, and sweet tobacco.
Base flavors: Oak, coffee, leather, cinnamon, nuts, and sweet spices.
Aroma: Warm, sweet, and a bit toasty.
Burn & Ash: Ash was a little flaky but held mostly firm. Burn was flawless.
Presented in boxes of 10
WATCH THE FULL-LENGTH REVIEW HERE!
H. Upmann 180th Anniversary Cigar Reviews
John’s Tasting Notes…
Summary: I see we’ve revived our streak of smoking $20 cigars…but to be fair, H. Upmann is not a “budget” brand – so that’s an appropriate price for something on their top shelf.
For a cigar with what seemed to be a low-volume draw, it doesn’t take much – or long – for this H. Upmann 180th to start churning out lots of smoke. The first few draws are marked by big oaky flavors, more spice, and a molasses sweetness. It’s medium-bodied from the start, as the profile rolls over to leather and earth; the molasses becomes more of a generic underlying sweetness. The finish is super-long, with a sort of subdued spice that goes the distance. This is my kind of cigar: a thick, full-bodied, lump-in-your-throat kind of smoke.
The second third adds more spice and introduces a heavy coffee note. Peak sweetness arrives in the form of caramel, but it’s brief. Nearing the nub, the defining characteristic is earth, almost mineral. It’s less sweet – and somehow, still medium (maybe medium-plus) through the end.
I think the story here is the Medio Tiempo wrapper – the rarity, the flavor, the volume of smoke. This Upmann Anniversary cigar is very refined, but for $20 a stick I suppose it better be. It’s a certain type of person who buys a box of these, probably with the intent of sitting on them for a long time. If you’re not that person, then I suggest you split a box with some friends in the case of a special occasion – if anything, this cigar will make your event one for the books.
Gary’s Tasting Notes…
Summary: The H. Upmann 180th Anniversary Churchill opened beautifully with a honeyed tobacco sweetness right off the bat. Creamy on the palate, it didn't take long before a surge of cinnamon spice showed up and the cigar settled into a sweet, medium-bodied smoke with a lingering black pepper finish.
Notes of nuts and leather followed as the honeyed tobacco layer dominated. Nuanced oak wood flavors eventually arose with an occasional drive-by note of nutmeg. Judging by the first two inches, I put the flavor profile at medium strength with sweet, nutty, and spicy character complemented by a sweet aroma.
Halfway in, the smoke volume thickened considerably. From there, the cigar transitioned from a fairly sweet profile to an earthy, woody, and nutty smoke that maintained both its smoothness and spicy finish to the nub.
For the most part, the H. Upmann 180th Anniversary Churchill delivered everything I like in a cigar, and I would tag it as an after-dinner cigar or special occasion smoke. The medio tiempo wrapper is tremendous, too, so kudos to AJ and Rafael for that one. Plus, the strength is in the zone where just about any cigar smoker can get a good grasp of its flavor profile. It’s one of the more complex H. Upmanns I’ve had, too, and it demands to be savored slowly. Sure, it's a little pricier than your average H. Upmann, but this limited-edition Churchill is a no-brainer for avid smokers and collectors, not to mention an excellent gift idea. After all, for a premium cigar brand to remain relevant after 180 years is something worth celebrating.
Jared’s Tasting Notes…
Summary: As you can see in the video review, Pullo and I sparred a bit on the flavor. I got what I could only identify as a taste of ‘sweet lettuce’ in the earlier stages that I think may have been influenced by the tea I was drinking…or maybe even my interpretation of the Medio Tiempo wrapper. Hard to say. Additionally, I thought the 180th was punchier in the nicotine department—especially up front.
Our session certainly wasn’t a cage match, though. I agreed with my buddies on the notes of oak, nuts, coffee, and cinnamon they identified. And about the smoke output. This thing was a chimney, particularly in its later stages. Finally, we all agreed that the cigar was an excellent, mostly medium-bodied blend, despite one notable hurdle: its price.
The bottom line is, sticker shock is the only thing that’s going to hold you back from enjoying Upmann 180th. A cigar north of a twenty spot is a hard pill for many to swallow, especially in this age of unprecedented inflation. We get that. But honestly, you’re going to kick yourself if you skip out on a box. This certainly isn’t going to be your daily cigar without a Bezos-sized bank account, but that doesn’t mean you can’t splurge on one box, smoke it slow, and enjoy it.
It’s about time you rewarded yourself, eh?