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?

[shrink]

I have been smoking from a late 2004 cab of Mag 46's, and I find them to be perfectly mature and enjoyable. These were never that strong, but they were quite flavorful when young (that's why I got a couple of cabs). Smooth and sweet, these are showing a light-medium bodied smoke with a classic Upmann toasty and herbal profile. I know from experience that these will continue to mellow and sweeten, but they are ready to rock n' roll now.

Comparing the recent '08 Mags to these 2004's, based on my memory, I am quite certain that the '08s have both more strength and greater latent complexity, and so I expect them to age well.

Thanks for your thoughtful and detailed review.

[Ken Gargett]

good review and confirms that as much as any, the mag 46 needs at least 18 months, more if you can give it, to settle. then whacko!

[Mr Peales]

In response to your question:

I think '04 like any other year is a mixed bag. It's always
a gamble when buying. I have a box of Upmann 46s
(AIS Jun 04) that have always been shockingly weak,
almost unsmokable. I get bored just thinking about that box.
I have a box of '05s that are amazing. Just smoked the first
RASS out of an '05 box expecting the worst(based on the
reputation of the 05/RASS) and they are great!

I'm glad to hear you got a good box.

[MontrealRon]

In response to your question:

I think '04 like any other year is a mixed bag. It's always
a gamble when buying. I have a box of Upmann 46s
(AIS Jun 04) that have always been shockingly weak,
almost unsmokable. I get bored just thinking about that box.
I have a box of '05s that are amazing. Just smoked the first
RASS out of an '05 box expecting the worst(based on the
reputation of the 05/RASS) and they are great!

I'm glad to hear you got a good box.

Thanks for your considerate reply, Mr. Peales.

I believe that you've hit the nail on the head.
Even two boxes with the same factory and date codes can be wildly different,
not to mention often considerable variation within any box.
I recently finished a box of '00 D4's that were ridiculously inconsistant.
A few were rich and tasty, most hopelesly bland, and the draws went from wind tunnels to total plugs!
It seems that the more we smoke, the less we know;
or perhaps we learn enough to begin to understand how difficult it is to get a grasp on something that never stands still.
I guess that part of the fun is in trying to stay at least one step ahead.

I also have a box of '05 46's, not yet opened.
Perhaps it is time to crack it, and then do a comparative review.

[Colt45]

Thanks for the review - I love the 46. I've been smoking from an '05 box that took over three years to come around - though my experience
was at the other end of the spectrum. They started out rather bland, and have steadily become fuller and richer.

[Mr Peales]

It seems that the more we smoke, the less we know;

YOU hit the nail on the head!

They started out rather bland, and have steadily become fuller and richer.

Colt; did they seem like they had potential? Was there 'something/anything' in the cigar that told you to hold on to them? I swear some of these cigars are just wasting space –I wouldn't even give these away to friends. With no change in the initial 2-5 year period, how long do you give them?
-P

[Colt45]

Colt; did they seem like they had potential? Was there 'something/anything' in the cigar that told you to hold on to them? I swear some of these cigars are just wasting space –I wouldn't even give these away to friends. With no change in the initial 2-5 year period, how long do you give them?
-P

Mr P, to be honest, with these I wasn't sure how or if they would evolve. They had some body and a bit of sharpness perhaps, but really
weren't very flavorful in any way. I didn't really expect that they would come on as they have. As KG has mentioned a number of times,
this particular cigar (at least mid 2000s and prior) seems to need a few years to even begin to show what they're made of.

In contrast, over a period of three years or so, I'd smoked a number of Partagas SD4 and Ramon Allones Specially Selected which were
insipid early and never improved - especially the PSD4. The SD4 showed nothing - air with a slight hint of tobacco, so I never expected
much and that's what I got

So generally speaking, I feel that if a cigar shoes something - body, harshness, depth on the palate - something, I usually will
expect some kind of development. But you never know what that development might be, and I've all but given up trying to guess.
Using the new RACF as an example, given some of the early reviews, it seems to show that it has the stuffing to develop over time. But
I think anybody would be hard pressed to guarantee what it will develop into.

[Mr Peales]

"air with a slight hint of tobacco"

That's a perfect description to the "waste of space" cigars I am speaking of.
If there is something beyond that, I believe there is hope.
-P

..."air with a slight hint of tobacco"... that's funny...

[tigger]

Nice review!

Mag 46s are wonderful cigars when they're at their best.

[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.