H. Upmann No.2 possible 2006-7

Had this for awhile, it was given to me by a great brother, so great in fact that I have completely forgotten who.  When I originally cut it 2 years or so ago, it was way too tight to draw air through.  So I put it in my humidor and forgot about it.  I  found it one day with a cracked and spreading foot, so I thought I'd put it away in a cedar box along with some other gifted smokes and really forget about it.

 I took it to Charlotte NC with me over Christmas, and found an occasion to drop a little Christmas love on some firemen hammering each other with snowballs on Christmas morning.  The snow was absolutely perfect for snowballs, and they were in waders, or whatever they call the bottom halves of their outfit, and T-shirts and caps.  They were not shy and pretty much emptied my travelling box, but I warned them that only two smokes were off limits, the HU2 and a Romeo y Julieta Short Churchill.  And I travel with some pretty good smokes, lol.   So here I was tonight, thinking about a smoke, and it has been so long...a week.  But this blog ain't gonna write itself, and I can't make things up.  It lit right up, and after all, it was already cut.  The No.2 offered up a RUSH of mouth-coating chocolate and leather, with what I guess must be the "olive" flavor.  It was just something I couln't place, and I am not much of an olive eater, so there you go.  Who knows what it was.  The flavor did not change much for the first half, but it sure was a fantastic cigar.  It was not much of a smoke-producer, but it was no disappointment.

You can see there is no ash, because the first inch and a quarter self-ashed as they say, right on the floor.  Somehow it didn't matter.  Scooped it up with a little bill envelope and moved right on.  The second half was where the strength came on from medium to nearly full, with no chocolate, but the leather stayed on with just toasted tobacco for accents and body.  It did develop some sweetness that made the experience very worthwhile, with some coffee for effect.   Not one to nub any cigar, I smoked it down to about a half inch below the band and let it go after that.  It was a great cigar, with a stellar first half and a reasonably satisfying second act and a uneventful denoument.  Yet another cigar that was a tale of two halves.  She was headed for a 94 rating, and fell off a bit, still coming out a respectable 90.

I understand these are a great box purchase, but I am not in the market for anything these days, so I will have to satisfy my Upmann cravings with the spectacular Coronas Major en tubos.  For you however, it might be worth tracking some of these down.  They are no slouch and can be more consistent than the Legend, the Montecristo No.2.  Personally, I will stick to the Monte 2 unless someone just up and gives me a bunch of these.  Let's not do that, though, shall we.  I am having a hell of a time smoking what I have.