H. Upmann Half Corona

This is a relatively new release, first launching in 2011. The H. Upmann Half Corona is an unusual vitola. At 3 3/5″, it might be the shortest cigar I have ever smoked. I was given one of these before as a gift, and I rather enjoyed it.

Statistics

CotM: February 2014

February 2014





Shape: Parejo

Parejo





Chosen by: shadowbates

shadowbates





Size: 3 3/5″ x 44

3 3/5″ x 44





Country of Origin: Cuba

Cuba





Wrapper: Cuban

Cuban





Binder: Cuban

Cuban





Filler: Cuban

Cuban





Color: Colorado-Maduro

Colorado-Maduro





Strength: Medium

Medium





Price Paid: Gift

Gift





Smoke Date: February 14, 2014

February 14, 2014





Box Date: October 2012

Accessories Used

Palio Composite cigar cutter, Silver & Chrome Vector Stratos single-flame torch lighter, Handmade English walnut ashtray made by wedgewoodrings.

Pairing

Club Soda on ice. Nothing too exciting here, but light, refreshing, and fairly neutral so as not to interact with the delicate flavor of the cigar. To make it more interesting I popped in a color changing straw. Obviously, the cub soda did not affect the taste of the Half Corona much, if at all, and was an excellent pairing that just “got out of the way”.

The straw was more fun than I expected (blue when warm, purple when cold. the exposed part warmed up between sips and I got a weird thrill out of changing it to purple. I know this has nothing to do with cigars, but it was weirdly fun. I got a twelve-pack of these in 4 different colors for $2.99, and they are supposedly reusable and dishwasher safe.)

Appearance/Nose

The first word that came to mind was “adorable.” This was a tiny little cigar! The wrapper was brown and slightly speckled. A couple of medium-sized veins marked the surface. The band, in red, white, and gold, was traditional and aesthetically pleasing, especially the white sections on the sides. A good sniff revealed a nose of sweet tea and hay.

Construction

This is a vitola that is probably pretty hard to screw up. So it’s not surprising that no construction issues could be discerned pre-light. The Cuban triple-cap was there. The cigar was firm to a squeeze and springy throughout it’s short length. The burn, thanks to a narrow ring gauge, was razor sharp the whole way through. The ash was black and white striped, and it would have probably held for the entire cigar if I didn’t have such a struggle trying to cleanly remove the band.

Cold Draw

The cold draw was medium-tight and had a strong grassy, wheaty taste to it, with a bit of sweetness.

Smoking

[NOTE: Due to the short length of this cigar, it is being reviewed in halves rather than thirds.]

First half

The first puff was sweet, like simple syrup and corn. Slightly reminiscent of Cap’n Crunch. The first few puffs transitioned between tangy grass, sweet syrup, spicy cinnamon and cloves, and bitter almonds.

The small size was deceiving. This little fellow had BIG flavor. It was all tied together with a cookie-like bakery note. A sour and slightly bitter, orange-peel tang came through about a half-inch it, which was truly marvelous.

I tasted citrus peel, bakery cookie, and salted nuts with a touch of pumpkin pie spice on the finish. The retrohale had little spice, but a lot of bold citrusy flavor.

By this point, the draw had loosened up and was smooth with a bit of resistance.

The finish was sweet, sticky, and impossibly long. This is a cigar you could smoke on your eighteenth birthday and still be tasting when you finish law school.

Second half

Half down, and the ash was still hanging on. I suppose that would be a bit more of an accomplishment if it wasn’t a sub-4-inch stick.

The smoke volume was huge. Everything about this stick defied expectations. On first glance it appeared to be a petite, understated little roll: something to smoke because you didn’t have time for a “real” cigar. And yet this stick was more flavorful, better burning, and with more voluminous smoke than most “full size” cigars. Huge clouds issued from my mouth after each puff. Not too many transitions in a stick this size, but with a flavor set this amazing, who needs ’em? Citrus peel, cookie dough, corn, nuts, and molasses continued to delight my palate.

The ash would have probably held for the entire length of the stick, but the band was stubborn as hell, and the it came off in a solid chunk while I was trying to remove the band without tearing. Cuba’s over-fondness of glue strike again!

The last inch and a half did mellow out a bit, despite the fog-machine’s worth of smoke coming out of my face with each drag. A bit more honey and nuts, with a slight floral taste, emerged beneath the fading orange peel.

At the very end, It burned a bit hotter, increasing the flavor again, and bringing out some lovely caramel on the front-end of the flavor.

Notes

Draw: Smooth

Smooth





Body: Medium-full

Medium-full





Primary Flavors: C itrus peel, nuts, “bakery”

itrus peel, nuts, “bakery”





Smoke Output: Full

Full





Smoke Time: 1 hour, 5 minutes

Overall

This is one of those cigars that are great for when you’re in a rush. I don’t know that I’ve ever had a better “short” cigar. I would take one of these any day. The flavors were right up my alley, andwhat a fucking finish! However, this is a cigar that will leave you wanting more. I smoke slowly, especially during my reviews, and this puppy lasted. Lot longer than I had anticipated. I suppose a good cigar should leave you wanting more, and even at an hour of smoking, I couldn’t help but feel like I should immediately light up another. Two of these back-to-back would be just about perfect.

Rating