Factory: Tabacalera de Garcia, Dominican Republic
Size: 6 ⅛” x 52 Belicoso
Strength: Mellow
Wrapper: Ecuador Connecticut and Ecuador Sumatra
Binder: Indonesia
Filler: Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Broadleaf (undisclosed origin)
Presented in boxes of 25
The H. Upmann 1844 Special Edition Barbier pays subtle homage to the brand’s founder by using the German word for barber—Barbier. And being a barber pole cigar, it makes perfect sense.
As a refresher, Heinrich Upmann was a German businessman who moved to Havana, Cuba in 1843 to work in importing and exporting. However, by 1844 Upmann—seeing untapped potential in the Cuban cigar industry—opened a factory producing his own brand of cigars.
Here’s an interesting bit of cigar trivia—did you know H. Upmann invented and pioneered the use of aluminum cigar tubes?
H. Upmann 1844 Special Edition Barbier uses Ecuadorian Connecticut and Ecuadorian Sumatra wrappers over an Indonesian binder and long fillers from the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, and Broadleaf from parts unknown.
The Upmann Barbier is a Belicoso measuring 6⅛” x 52 and is well packed with a tapered head.
I sparked up the H. Upmann 1844 Special Edition Barbier Belicoso, curiosity mingling with the thick smoke that wafted through the air. The first draw met me with a trifecta of sensations: a gentle tingle of mild pepper, a creamy embrace, and a touch of firewood.
An elusive peanut butter nuttiness made a cameo, slipping through the cracks of fading pepper and woodiness. A foundation of earthiness began to take shape, mingling with freshly ground coffee beans, lending both substance and dimension to the smoke. A surge of black pepper closed out the first third. Construction isn’t an issue, and the burn holds true with a hearty ash. Strength at this point is mellow-plus.
The second act surprised me by opening with a reprise of the creaminess—both in flavor and texture. In these moments, the creaminess sang a sweet serenade amidst the swirling haze of tobacco. Black pepper, earth, creamy peanut butter, a dusting of firewood, and fresh ground coffee performed like the fabled Wrecking Crew (a formidable back-up band of session musicians) adding all the right notes in the right places.
I sensed a shift—a marked transition in the last portion of the H. Upmann 1844 Special Edition Barbier—towards a heartier, more robust profile. A subtle strength began to course through the blend, and earthiness returned to the foreground accompanied by fleeting echoes of coffee grounds. Pepper lingered, leaving behind a tantalizing tingle and as I reduced the H. Upmann Barbier to ash, it culminated in a medium-bodied crescendo.
While it’s not going to bowl you over with strength, there’s plenty in H. Upmann Barbier to keep those who trend towards full-bodied powerhouses interested. Enthusiasts who like rich, mellow, and interesting blends, look no further.
The blend of mellow Connecticut and hearty Sumatra wrappers brings flavor components together that aren’t normally experienced side-by side. Not only that, but everything works in a perfect ensemble—balance, complexity, rich flavors, and construction (a hard feat with 2 wrappers due to their different combustion rates). Try the H. Upmann Barbier for an unapologetically vivid and memorable smoke.
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Paul first fell in love with the leaf back in college, where he majored in Philosophy (yes, seriously). Upon graduating, Paul stared into the abyss and unemployment stared back. He responded by founding the ‘Pounding Fathers,’ a traveling Beer Pong team with the other Philosophy grad at UMass. Aspiring to subsist on more than Ramen Noodles and Natural Ice, Paul put down his ping pong balls and picked up a pen - and a cigar - and began working in the premium cigar industry in 2013.
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