High Interest In The New “Banker” from Upmann

Back in the mid 1800’s a pair of German bankers named Upmann were operating in Cuba and they invested in cigar making as a side business which subsequently grew in both size and fame. Eventually Upmann was purchased by Altadis where Upmann became a major brand, along with Montechristo, Romeo y Julieta and Pleiades. Now, in 2014, Altadis fittingly used The Banker to name one of its latest blends and gave each size of the series a name from the financial arena – Annuity (6 X 52), Arbitrage (7 X 56), and Currency (51/2 X 48). The blend uses filler from Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic, a binder from Nicaragua and a wrapper of Ecuadorian Habano. I was given an Annuity at the 2014 IPCPR to review.

The Annuity has a triple band whose primary colors are green and white, similar to US currency. The Annuity also has a round cap which I found to be firm and a square foot that was soft. The pre-light aroma of this dark cigar was earthy with some hint of sweetness but the initial post lighting flavors were pepper and leather with a little spice. The draw was very good and the ash above average. The strength was more medium than full bodied and the after taste was fairly nutty. I spent an hour and 30 minutes enjoying the Annuity and with an SRP of about $7 each when you buy a box of 15, I think it is fairly priced for the quality delivered. I rate the Banker Annuity a 4 out of 5.