H. Upmann Ingot The Banker Private Holding

📌 Brand: H. Upmann
📌 Line: Ingot The Banker Private Holding
📌 Size: Toro (6" × 54)
📌 Weight: n/a
📌 Age: 9 years
📌 Origin: Dominican Republic

Tasting Notes

• Cedar – Mild woody backbone

• Earth – Subtle, grounding note

• Cocoa – Faint, bittersweet touch

• Black Pepper – Soft but fleeting spice

First Impressions

The Ingot The Banker Private Holding presents with a gold-banded luxury look and a smooth, medium-brown wrapper. Pre-light aroma gives cedar and earth, with a faint sweetness. Cold draw feels overly loose, raising concerns.

Smoking Experience

• First Third – Opens with cedar and mild cocoa, but flavors are thin due to the loose draw. Burn starts uneven.

• Second Third – Earth comes through faintly, pepper flickers in, but constant burn corrections are needed. Relight required once.

• Final Third – Cedar and cocoa flatten, bitterness creeps in. Uneven burn persists, disrupting balance.

Pairings

• Alcohol – Glenmorangie Lasanta 12 Year (Scotland), sherry sweetness and spice to compensate for the cigar’s muted flavor.

• Tea – Assam Black Tea (India), strong and malty, giving backbone where the cigar falls short.

Music Pairing

“Get Up, Stand Up” – Bob Marley & The Wailers

Strong message for a weak performer.

Final Thoughts

The H. Upmann Ingot The Banker Private Holding looks the part but falls short in performance. A loose draw, uneven burn, and a relight disrupt what little complexity the cigar had, leaving more frustration than satisfaction.

Final Score: 5/10
Why not a 10?
Construction flaws — loose draw, bad burn, and relight — overshadowed the already mild flavor profile.

Only cigars that deliver flawless draw, balance, flavour evolution, construction and satisfaction get a 10.