H. Upmann Connossieur No.2

Cigar Reviewed: H. Upmann Connossieur No.2 Country of Origin: Cuba Factory: Undisclosed Wrapper: Cuba Binder: Cuba Filler: Cuba Length: 5 1/4 Inches Ring Gauge: 51 Vitola: Robusto Release Date: November 2020 Number of Cigars Released: Regular Production Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3 Visually, the H. Upmann Connossieur No.2 is covered in a golden brown leaf that is extremely smooth to the touch, albeit with a number of very prominent veins. The cigar is just short of rock hard when squeezed and two samples feature soft spots: one located just under the main band and one located halfway between the main band and the foot. Aroma from the wrapper and foot is a combination of strong sweet hay, barnyard, earth, freshly brewed espresso, creamy almonds and dark chocolate, while the cold draw brings flavors of peanut shells, cinnamon, sweet hay, earth, freshly brewed espresso, creamy almonds, and cocoa nibs. Starting out, the first third of the H. Upmann is incredibly sweet and creamy on the palate, with strong caramel and almond flavors easily taking the top spots in the profile, followed by notes of earth, leather tack, oatmeal, cedar and slight floral. There is a touch of spice noticeable on my tongue—albeit not enough to think it is going to stick around very long—and some white pepper on the retrohale, the latter of which combines nicely with the aforementioned caramel sweetness that continues to get stronger as the first third burns down. Construction-wise, the draw is excellent after a straight cut and the burn is wavy but non-problematic so far, while the smoke production is quite thick and plentiful off of the foot. The strength of the cigar starts off fairly mild and while it does increase a bit, it still fails to come anywhere close to medium by the time the first third comes to an end.