Swiss Cuban Cigars is an online retailer of authentic Cuban cigars and as part of their service they regularly review brands, such as the H. Upmann brand of Cuban cigars.

Swiss Cuban Cigars is based in Gran Canaria and is one of the biggest retailers of Cuban cigars online.

As well as the promise to keep customers safe from the scourge of fake Cuban cigars, Swiss Cuban Cigars prides itself on its great customer service. And for the Swiss Cuban Cigars team, amazing service means selling authentic Cuban cigars with fast delivery, secure payments, good prices and expertise.

Buying Cuban cigars online from Swiss Cuban Cigars

Customers, from the first order, can expect access to the biggest range online, including all kinds of limited editions and specials, legitimate Cuban cigars sold in their original sealed box and easy and secure payments. But they can also expect advice and information on all the cigars from an experienced team dedicated to ensuring great cigars reach smokers all around the world.

Avoiding fake Cuban cigars when buying online

Swiss Cuban Cigars knows that the market is flooded with unscrupulous retailers selling fake Cuban cigars and does everything possible to ensure customers understand that there are no fake cigars from their website.

All the cigars sold by Swiss Cuban Cigars are up there with the finest cigars on the market. They sell only quality products guaranteed to be authentic and also offer the largest selection of Cuban cigars on the market.

Selling the best Cuban cigars available

Swiss Cuban Cigars know that buyers ultimately want to enjoy smoking the product and that every box should fulfil their expectations. Authentic Cuban cigars arriving in good condition is their hope, and quality is the watchword for a seller that strives to provide amazing service.

Another way that Swiss Cuban Cigars provides great service is through reviews. Each review on its website from customers helps others to buy cigars that match their needs. But the Swiss Cuban Cigars team also regularly reviews different brands and their own favorite cigars.

Review: the Upmann brand

One of the popular brands that the company sells is the H.Upmann brand of Cuban cigars. The shop sells boxes of these Habanos SA produced cigars as part of their great selection on the site.

Before the review of the flavor profile of this brand of cigar, here’s a deep dive into its history from the Swiss Cuban team.

History of H. Upmann cigars

H. Upmann is one of the premium brands of Cuban cigar available today. It was launched in the mid 19th century by Hermann Dietrich Upmann, who also founded a major bank in Cuba around the same time.

Today the cigars of the brand are manufactured by Habanos sa as authentic products, which makes them ideal for customers that hope to get a quality cigar from a well established business.

Launch of the H. Upmann brand

Upmann purchased a local cigar factory in Cuba in 1843 and one year later began making H. Upmann cigars. This was at the same time as he launched a banking business, which also went on to thrive in Cuba.

This unexpected melding of cigar manufacture and financial services proved to be a winner for Upmann himself. He finally retired in 1890, handing the cigar business over to Heinrich Upmann, his nephew.

Heinrich was succeeded by his nephews in turn, Alberto and Hermann Upmann who took it on in 1914, the first year of World War 1.

Innovation and success go hand in hand

As well as the innovative move of establishing a bank and a Cuban cigar factory at the same time, Upmann is credited for other innovations too.

For example, it’s thought that the brand was the first to package the cigars in cedar boxes for customers with the brand clearly labelled.

The latter quarter of the 19th century saw the H. Upmann brand go from strength to strength, winning seven gold medals at various exhibitions. Buyers can see these gold medals immortalised on the boxes.

This gives another layer of proof that the cigars are authentic and buyers get the reassurance that they’re not fake from the box itself as well as from the taste and quality of the cigar.

What happened to H. Upmann during the First World War?

As we’ve already alluded to, the brand was owned by Alberto and Hermann Upmann at the outbreak of the First World War in 1914.

The brothers used their business connections in the US and in Cuba (so that’s the cigar manufacturers and the bank) to shield their work for German intelligence.

It’s thought that the Upmann brothers helped to foment various 1916 revolts in Haiti and the Dominican Republic and to have meddled in the Cuban election of the same year. Furthermore, the bank was used as a place for German spies to stay when they moved between Europe and Mexico.

Cuba finally joined the war in April 1917 and after this trouble started for the brothers. By the end of that year, the H. Upmann brand was embargoed by the US Government. At the same time, the bank was transferred to US owners.

A month before the war ended, Alberto and Hermann Upmann were imprisoned by the Cuban government, although managed to stay on house arrest rather than in prison.

The H. Upmann brand after the war

It’s rumoured that both brothers attempted to escape by plane, but by May 1922, they were back in prison, this time on fraud charges. Alberto was able to hide his involvement in any crime by insisting he was only involved with the tobacco business and had no involvement in the bank. The fraud charges were later dropped and Alberto moved to the US. Hermann died in Cuba in 1925.

Both the bank and the Upmann cigar brand were bankrupt by 1922. However, one of the licensed agents for the UK, J Frankau & Co, bought the brand at auction. Following three years of negotiations, the Upmann cigar line was back in production under the H. Upmann brand.

In 1925, the cigar business was bought by London-based JR Freeman & Son who sold it again in 1937 to the then brand new Menendez, Garcia y Cia Co. This business was the manufacturers of the Montecristo brand and they continued with manufacturing up until the 1960 Cuban Revolution when the tobacco industry was forcibly nationalised.

H. Upmann a big favorite with President Kennedy

One of the most impressive reviews you can find of the H. Upmann brand is from President John F Kennedy. Just before he signed the embargo in 1960 against Cuban goods, he instructed his aide to go and buy as many boxes of the H. Upmann Petit Upmann they could find.

The cigar, which was discontinued in the years after the Revolution, was known as the Demi Tasse in the US. JFK ended up with 1,200 cigars of authentic H. Upmann Demi Tasse cigars to enjoy – clearly the brand matched the President’s taste!.

Since the Revolution, Cuban H. Upmann cigars have been made by Habanos sa, which is the state-owned organisation for the tobacco industry. Today, H. Upmann cigars are hand rolled in the original factory using only tobacco from the best growing region in the country – the Vuelta Abajo region.

Check every review for info on the service, site and smoke

The Swiss Cuban shop sells many boxes of the different sizes of H. Upmann cigars, produced by Habanos. The company also collects reviews from buyers. These reviews are important for others to read when they’re deciding on the smoking experience that they want.

As a business, Swiss Cuban Cigars is keen to ensure buyers can read as many reviews as possible of every brand, whether Romeo y Julieta or H. Upmann. These reviews are invaluable to communicate to the rest of the buyers the kind of quality they can expect for the price.

Buyers can also be sure that they’re not being fobbed off with fake cigars and they can also find out about the practicalities of buying from the site – things like the fast worldwide shipping and great prices.

Reviews that cover things like fast shipping and how to spot official Habanos products, as well as details of the great smoke they experienced are useful for the company and for buyers.

Avoiding fake products

H. Upmann cigars constantly review as giving accessible smoking experiences, with a subtle but complex flavor profile. This relatively mild but interesting flavor all the way to the final third makes them ideal for cigar aficionados and newcomers alike.

This brand also reviews well for the price, with buyers pointing out the value for money as well as the great smoke they enjoyed.

As a company, Swiss Cuban Cigars always recommends that buyers read reviews of all kinds to familiarise themselves with the brand before they decide to buy. Their high levels of service ensure that buyers know that they don’t sell fakes, whether it’s H. Upmann or Romeo y julieta.

This ensures that people feel safe buying from the Gran Canaria based seller, from the first purchase to the last.

H. Upmann vitolas

Below is a list of vitolas (sizes) available from the H. Upmann brand, all of which have their own flavor profile and smoking experience.

Each box contains hand-rolled product made in the Habanos factory in Cuba. Until 2002. many of the vitolas were machine rolled but today it’s all hand-rolled by the company.

Pre-Revolution vitolas

These vitolas are available still but were all first introduced before the Cuban Revolution in 1960, showing the longevity of the company for cigar fans.

Epicure – short panetela
Corona Junior – short panetela.
Corona Minor – petit corona.
Connoisseur No. 1 – corona extra.
Petit Corona – petit corona.
Regalias – petit corona.
Corona Major – corona.
Majestic – corona.
Magnum 46 – grand corona.
Upmann No. 2 – pyramid.
Monarcas – Churchill.
Sir Winston – Churchill.

More recent vitolas from H. Upmann

These vitolas are newer releases pr limited editions for the brand:

Half Corona – petit corona (2011).
Robusto – robusto (2007)
Connoisseur A – corona (2013)
Magnum 46 – grand corona (2008)
Magnum 50 – double robusto (2005)
Magnum 48 – petit robusto (2009)
Robusto – robusto (2012)
Magnum 56 – double robusto (2015).

Site service as important as the smoked experience

Swiss Cuban Cigars reviews brands and products to help you choose. Their guarantee that you will avoid fake products by buying from them is proven by the green seal on every box.

Reviews are always useful when you shop for products like this, so make sure to check every review for what it says about the price, how well the cigar smoked and about the service from the company too.