Founded in 1844 by German banker, Herman Upmann, the Upmann brand was originally rolled in Cuba and distributed to only his best customers as a promotion item. The brand later became one of the more popular Cuban brands in the world! Upmann's Dominican line featured this month was first available in the U.S. in 1975. It was originally developed with a Dominican filler and binder and Cameroon wrapper. Over the years, the blend has been modified substantially and is now wrapped in Indonesian shade grown tobacco and blended with Cuban seed Dominican Olor and Seca tobaccos.

Panel Notes:
Note an oily wrapper, that although it is a bit grainy to the touch, still has a rustic, ruddy appeal. We found it to be a medium bodied smoke offering big flavor and a cool mellow smoke. You might note a hint of sweetness on the lips and in the aroma. A great after dinner smoke to pair with a dessert wine or cognac.

Panel Notes:
Note very solid construction. It's substantial in the hand and offers a perfect draw. La Perla's toro has an easy draw and consistent burn. You're going to love the smoke volume and pleasant heady aroma. Look for a sweet woodiness with hints of pepper. We found it to be a very complex flavor profile. Overall, a great cigar all the way around. Try pairing it with a well-aged Cabernet.

The E. Trinidad Churchill by Sosa is handmade in "Little Havana" in Miami, FL. This line is the product of over 180 years of combined cigar-making experience by both the Trinidad and Sosa families. Juan Sosa, master blender, heads up production distribution through the Antillian Cigar Corporation. Antillian sells just 5 brands; 3 from the Dominican, Sosa, Sosa Family Selection, and Macabi. The Churchill featured this month is rolled with a blend of with Dominican fillers and Indonesian binder tobaccos and encased in an Ecuadorian-grown Sumatran wrapper.

Panel Notes:
You're in for a treat. We found Sosa's E. Trinidad to be medium-to-full bodied and expertly constructed. Look for a smooth oily wrapper, easy draw, and even burn. Note a rich, delicious, and complex flavor. Some panel members picked up hints of leather and roasted coffee bean undertones. Overall, solid construction and a complex, full flavor that delivers. It would pair nicely with a clean, bitter Czechoslovakian Pilsner.

The St. Charles brand, produced by Carlos Torano, was originally crafted as a high end super premium smoke at around the tail end of the cigar boom. Over time, it gradually dropped off the market due to an overwhelming influx of newly introduced brands. Although you'd be hard pressed to find this smoke in your local retail shop, we were able to secure enough to feature in the club this month and are pleased to bring you this well made cigar. The line hails from one of the finest cigar tobacco growing regions in the world, the Dominican Republic's fertile Cibao Valley. The primary reason we picked up the line is that as they are aged in cedar lined rooms, 100 yr. old brandy is imbued in each cigar to give the cigar a very subtle taste of the liquor.

Panel Notes:
We found the St. Charles Churchill to be relatively mild to medium bodied, offering a rich and complex flavor. Some panel members did pick up on a subtle taste of brandy. Note a combination of black pepper spice and and a hint of chocolate in the aroma. Try pairing this one with your favorite ESB.

When you think Andy Warhol, are you thinking premium hand rolled cigar? Most likely not! But don't let that scare ya! This line was also introduced at the tail end of the cigar boom with loads of publicity, fanfare and money, and sadly, within a year or two it dropped off the radar map. The sad part about this story is that it's a damn good cigar! It´s another story similar to the Sinatra brand's history: a company decides to license the Warhol name, pay master blender Felipe Gregorio to make a top-notch cigar with the intention of selling it for $15 a stick, thus making a tidy profit! Well, it looked good on paper and the brand certainly did not fail due to the quality of the cigar.

Panel Notes:
The first thing we noted was a very attractive and expensive Connecticut shade wrapper encasing this densely packed, elegant cigar. We found no soft spots what so ever and the draw was consistently flawless. Each sample reviewed was smooth and medium to full-bodied. Overall, a very well made cigar. The clean tobacco taste was both refreshing and flavorful. Consider smoking it with a dry gin martini, some weird sunglasses and a blonde wig!

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