New Cigar Honors H. Upmann’s Founder

There’s a new H. Upmann headed to retailers this month and it pays tribute to the brand’s founder. Dubbed Herman’s Batch, the commemorative line is named for Hermann Upmann, the German banker who created the brand in Cuba 175 years ago.
The upcoming brand is a collaboration between Rafael Nodal, head of product capability of Tabacalera U.S.A., and the Grupo de Maestros of Tabacalera de Garcia, the Dominican factory responsible for brands such as the non-Cuban versions of H. Upmann and Montecristo. According to Nodal, H. Upmann Herman’s Batch was developed to not only pay tribute to H. Upmann’s founder, but also to create a modern interpretation of the cigars that Hermann Upmann first produced in 1844.
Herman’s Batch is made in the Dominican Republic and consists of an Ecuadoran Habano wrapper, Dominican binder and filler from the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua (Condega and Estelí).
Packaged in 20-count boxes, the new brand comes in four sizes: Toro, measuring 6 inches by 52 ring gauge ($10.50); Robusto, 5 by 54 ($10.10); Corona Gorda, 5 5/8 by 46 ($9.30); and Lonsdale, 6 1/2 by 42 ($9). Each cigar is topped with a pigtail.
It should be noted that Altadis anglicized the spelling of the name, dropping the last "n" in Hermann.
All non-Cuban H. Upmann brands are distributed by Altadis U.S.A., a subsidiary of Tabacalera USA, both owned by parent company and tobacco giant Imperial Brands PLC, which is headquartered in Bristol, United Kingdom.
For a vertical brand tasting of the H. Upmann Herman’s Batch, see a future issue of Cigar Insider.