The Particulars

The Review

This review for the H. Upmann Legacy - Churchill (7 x 54) is based on the journal entry dated 2026-01-28

Appearance & Construction (0-3):  Poor (1)

Well, we’re off to a poor start. Upon closer inspection, I notice a lot of fine cracks in the wrapper, so a heavy application of cigar glue is necessary. Even without the extra damage, it would be average at best. The Sumatra-seed Ecuadorian wrapper is a very light yellowish-brown that’s thin, brittle, and kind of dry. There’s not much sheen or mottling. It’s got thick veins, it’s lumpy, there’s a lot of edge lift on the seams, and the triple cap is messy. The double bands are a ’70s throwback color scheme of brown, orange, and green with gold accents. The bands are gross. Older reviews online state the blend uses vintage 2008 tobacco. I’m unsure if this was a single batch or if cigars available later used more recent vintages so I didn’t include that in the cigar specs.

Draw (0-3) & Burn (0-4):  Average (2) / Average (2)

The draw is on the tighter side but doesn’t require the draw tool. The burn starts ugly as sin because there’s a tunnel right under the binder layer shooting a jet flame sideways on light-up. But once the burn moves past that, the char line calms and starts to self-correct. By the inch point, it’s a relatively flat if slightly wavy burn line. The ash is a very light gray with a lot of dark blotches. Unlike many cigars that develop either nice horizontal bands or a semi-structured layer of cracking ash, this is all over the place. It’s holding, but it looks like an impressionist painting of cigar ash.

Given it’s a cooler day in the high 40s, I was worried the cracks the cigar had would be a precursor to the cigar aggressively splitting during the burn, but it seems to be holding together quite nicely with no new fresh cracks or splits. The ash stack holds just past the first third before falling. In the final third, the cigar starts to crack and split at the spots where it was glued, essentially falling apart and forcing me to quit on the last inch. Shame because it was a great burn to that point.

Flavor Profile (0-5):  Average (2)

It starts off with a lot of cedar and leather, some baking cocoa, cinnamon and nutmeg baking spice, red pepper, and earth with hints of coffee. Not bad, but not great. About an inch in, I get some sweet and sour citrusy grapefruit-like notes. There’s also a bit of a mushroom quality to the earthiness. It’s kind of weird, and accentuated by light floral notes. But hey, it’s nice and creamy. And it’s not bad, it’s different, but I’m but loving not.

At the second third, red pepper is increasing a bit, giving my tongue and the roof of my mouth a nice, mild burn. It’s still very woody and leathery, but the mushroom and sour notes are still present at times and a bit off-putting. Overall, there are really no changes from the initial flavors. Coffee is increased slightly, while baking cocoa and earth hold. The final third doesn’t bring any changes. It’s not a bad blend, but it’s a little odd with the sour notes. It’s not ammonia, and a purge and relight don’t eliminate it. I’m unsure, but this might be a candidate for the donate pile.

Overall Experience (0-5):  Average (2)

This one didn’t appeal to my palate and I don’t know if it would appeal to most people’s. It’s funny, because it was fairly well reviewed, though a lot of those reviews are over a decade old from when this cigar was first released. This is one you can safely skip on, assuming you can even find it. There’s nothing really off-putting or bad about the blend. It’s smooth and creamy, not offensive, but a little odd and definitely boring.

Review Base Rating (0-5):

2.25

Would I Buy It Again?

Reply hazy, try again (just ok, the juice isn't worth the squeeze)

Review Final Score (0-10):

5.00

Overall Score and Individual Journal Entries

While the review is based off one instance of journaling this cigar; there’s a number of reasons you can have different experiences smoking the same cigar multiple times. A blend can evolve with age (for better or worse), palates evolves, preferences change, and sometimes you just get a bad example!  This section captures the ratings from each journal entry and the related journal photo.  Below you’ll find an aggregate score based on every time the cigar has been journaled. Unless it was a gift or on-off smoke, this section will be updated every time I journal this cigar!

The Flavor Wheel

With every cigar I journal, I capture simple ratings of the basic flavor categories that I experience.  These are more generalized than what you would see in a review, but a distinct profile can still be built out.  When multiple instances of the same cigar have been journaled, the scores are averaged out in an attempt to build a reliable flavor profile based on my palate.

The values entered for the strength of each flavor range from 0 to 3.

• 0:   No flavor detected
• 1:   Mild flavor
• 2:   Medium flavor
• 3:   Strong flavor

Note: desktop / large screens will see a flavor wheel while mobile / small screens will see a bar chart.

With every cigar I journal, I capture simple ratings of the basic flavor categories that I experience.  These are more generalized than what you would see in a review, but a distinct profile can still be built out.  When multiple instances of the same cigar have been journaled, the scores are averaged out in an attempt to build a reliable flavor profile based on my palate.

The values entered for the strength of each flavor range from 0 to 3.

• 0:   No flavor detected
• 1:   Mild flavor
• 2:   Medium flavor
• 3:   Strong flavor

Note: desktop / large screens will see a flavor wheel while mobile / small screens will see a bar chart.