H. Upmann Magnum 46 KNA May 2004 Options

[MontrealRon]

Hi, all -

This is my first review for FOH, so please bear with me, and please forgive my unpractised style.

This was my ninth smoke from this box, purchased in Cuba in early 2005.
These were my first experience with 46's, so while my expectations were high, I've had no references except for other's reviews.

I tried the first one after waiting well over a year.
It was painfully strong - rough, bitter, tannic, and utterly overwhelming.
It took a full year to gather the courage to try another!
Every four or five months, whenever I'd feel somewhat masochistic, I'd take another shot.

Tonight's cigar was the first I've smoked with any real pleasure.
These monsters are finally beginning to mellow.

The accompanying drink was cool filtered water.

The appearance was beautiful, with a silky colorado wrapper, and the construction was virtually perfect.
No hard or soft spots, and a good spring to the touch.
Perhaps just a little over humidified; no doubt a couple days of dry-boxing would have helped,
but our weather has been so damp that the ambient humidity would probably have made the effort useless.

Once clipped, the draw was excellent; easy, with a gentle resistance.
After so many tight or even plugged cigars lately, this boded well.
It took to the flame easily, and burned straight as an arrow until the half way point,
when it went crooked for a few minutes, then self-corrected.

The strength, from the first puffs, was medium+, but the body was very rich and deep.
The taste was a very clean and high-class tobacco, with delicate herbal undertones.
No spice or bean tastes, but some rather high-toned elements, and a subtle acidity.
The dominant impression, throughout the cigar, was of enormous depth, increasingly evident as the smoke progressed.
It seemed very bound up and tightly wound, much like a young red Bordeaux of a great vintage, only hinting at what is still to come.

I took it down to about one inch, when the burn went off and there was no point in re-lighting.

The aftertaste was lingering, yet delicate, and rather refreshing.
The enormous body, however, left a feeling in the stomach of having eaten a heavy meal,
an effect that I often notice with young Quintero Brevas, another very heavy-bodied cigar.

The final verdict - a classic, old-style Upmann 46, with enormous potential, but nowhere near ready.
I have no doubt that this cigar will hit its stride in 3 or 4 years, and keep on going.

Score : 89 points now, may ultimately reach the mid 90's.

So, was '04 really such a bad year, or were the cigars simply different from what is being produced these days?

[thechenman]

Thanks for the wonderful reveiw. I have only had Mag 46s from '07 and'08, but both years have been good in my limited experience.