Tag Archives: A.J. Fernandez

News: Altadis Celebrates H. Upmann’s 175th Anniversary With Limited Edition Cigar

I think I was just saying a few posts ago how much I liked the A.J. Fernandez H. Hupmann cigar, now Altadis is partnering with A.J. Fernandez again for the 175th Anniversary cigar. I’m looking forward to this one! 

                                                                    

CELEBRATING AN ICONIC BRAND: UPMANN 175thANNIVERSARY LIMITED EDITION

 

A.J. Fernandez uses the rare medio tiempo wrapper  for limited edition H. Upmann 175th Anniversary

 

Altadis U.S.A. is celebrating a special milestone as the H. Upmann cigar brand turns 175 years old. The limited-edition H. Upmann 175th Anniversary will commemorate one of the oldest and most renowned cigars brands. This limited edition will only be expressed in the iconic Churchill size, in 10 count boxes that will number to 14,750. Fifty special-edition humidors containing 50 cigars will also be offered. The story of H. Upmann cigars is one of adventure, family, and passion for tobacco.

 

It all began in 1843, when German banker Herman Upmann took a leap of faith and moved to Havana, Cuba, to open a branch for his family bank. He created a small batch of cigars for his best clients, but quickly became impassioned with tobacco. A passion that led him to found his own cigar brand in 1844, joined by his younger brother August. The brothers purchased a small cigar factory and diligently learned to combine tobacco artistry and German ingenuity. 175 years later, H. Upmann is still known the world over.

For this special project, H. Upmann tapped A.J. Fernandez who brought forward the extremely elusive “Medio Tiempo” wrapper – grown on 1 out of every 12 tobacco plants above the ligero leaves -, to add complexity and flavor as the final dressing of this Nicaraguan puro.  A.J. and his team carefully harvested this special leaf and utilized very intricate fermentation processes for over 3 years which, while extremely time consuming, bring out the very best in the medio tiempo leaf.

The H. Upmann 175th Anniversary boasts unparalleled flavors for a unique sophisticated smoking experience. This medium to full body cigar starts with elements of coffee and some earthiness. As the cigar develops, the flavors intensify with caramel and salt notes together with roasted espresso bean overtones. The spectacular clean finish delivers a creamy and uncommonly velvet smoke with a rich and resonant balance of spices, dark chocolate and nuts.

From Rafael Nodal, Head of Product Capability for Tabacalera USA: “One of the things that I love about creating new blends, is the constant learning about tobacco. Working with AJ Fernández and the rarest wrapper in the world, Medio Tiempo, has definitely been a unique and rewarding experience. There are great cigars and then there is the H. Upmann 175th Anniversary blend. An unforgettable cigar.”.

 

Candela Diaz, Brand Manager for H. Upmann: “H. Upmann is one of the most storied cigar brands. It was impossible to pass up an opportunity to commemorate this brand that embodies brotherhood and love of tobacco. We look forward to unveiling the H. Upmann 175 at the 2019 IPCPR in Las Vegas.”

 

The H. Upmann 175thAnniversary will ship to retailers in July 2019.

 

Vitola: Churchill 50 x 7

MSRP: $18.00 per cigar

MSRP for the 50 count H. Upmann Special Edition Humidor: $1,250.

About Altadis U.S.A.

Altadis U.S.A. has been crafting fine premium cigars since 1918 and is responsible for many of the world’s most renowned brands, including Henry Clay, Montecristo, Romeo y Julieta, H. Upmann and Trinidad. If you have ever enjoyed a premium cigar, there’s a good chance you’ve enjoyed a cigar crafted by Altadis U.S.A. Visit www.altadisusa.com for more information.

 

 

 

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AJ Fernandez Last Call Cigar and a CONTEST!

AJF_Last CallOver the last couple days I’ve been smoking the newest cigar from AJ Fernandez, the Last Call.  The Last Call is 4½ x 48 and was originally made exclusively for Abdel Fernandez in small batches to enjoy at home with guests during the fourth quarter of late night NFL games.  This cigar falls into their new “Portfolio Series”. They will be packaged in a 25-count box and the blend is Habano Rosado wrapper from Ecuador, with a Nicaraguan binder and Nicaraguan fillers grown on AJ’s farms. These will be a brick and mortar exclusive. I smoked the first one on Monday, and I put a second one in my pocket expecting my evening walk to outlast the cigar. I was wrong, the cigar burned for well over an hour. It starts off quite strong, a little powerhouse, but by the midpoint it settled into a smooth, right smoke, with some creaminess and a hint of licorice here and there. Maybe it’s the covered foot that provides that blast of strength, but it takes an inch or so to mellow out, so that theory doesn’t hold water. This is a great little smoke, and the cigar burned perfectly and, as I  mentioned before, burned much longer than I expected.  I suspect these will be released in the next few months, if not at the IPCPR show, but I’m sure they will be on retailers shelves by football season. These are currently appearing on retailers shelves and are priced in the $5 range.

 

AJFPrizeI  found myself overburdened with AJ Fernandez swag and samples, so let’s have a contest!  We’re back to the usual rules, leave a comment here, on this post, for an entry, and I’ll select a winner by random on Sunday, May 8, 2016.  The prize pack will be made up of a 5-pack of the Last Call cigars, an AJ Fernandez cap, and an AJ Fernandez pewter ashtray.  Must be of legal smoking age to win, and the winner must e-mail me with their address or I will hunt them down!

 

That’s it for today, until the next time,

 

CigarCraig

 

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