H. Upmann is dated to 1844 and bears the name of Hermann Upmann, a member of a German family with banking and trading interests in Havana.
From banking to cigars
The most often told story is that the Upmanns first had cigars made to present to banking clients, and that the cigars proved popular enough to become a business in their own right. The family’s bank and cigar interests are said to have run in parallel until financial difficulties in the early twentieth century, after which the brand changed hands.
Links with Montecristo
In the 1930s the H. Upmann business was acquired by Menéndez, García y Cía, the partners who also founded Montecristo — which is why the two marques share part of their history. See Montecristo Cigars: History of a Numbered Classic.
House style
H. Upmann is generally described as medium-bodied and approachable. Its range includes the Magnum line, whose name reflects the fuller ring gauges of the sizes.
In the catalogue
See every H. Upmann entry and the Corona Extra formats, or return to Cuban Cigar Brands: A Guide to the Marques.
