Unbranded petit corona cigar on a wooden Havana balcony table with coffee and tobacco leaf.

Cuban cigar

H. Upmann Half Corona

A compact H. Upmann with cedar, cream, coffee, nuts, hay, and a clean medium-bodied Cuban profile.

CedarCreamCoffeeNutsHayWhite pepperEarth

Generated editorial image; not official product photography.

Identity

Cigar card

Brand
H. Upmann
Cigar name
Half Corona
Origin
Cuba
Line
Core line
Length
90 mm / 3 1/2 in
Ring gauge
44
Vitola de galera
Half Corona
Commercial size
Petit Corona
Release
2011
Status
Current Regular Production
Construction
Handmade
Smoking time
25-40 minutes

Packaging

  • Dress box of 25
  • Aluminium pack of 5 cigars

Identity note

Cuban Cigar Website lists H. Upmann Half Corona as a current regular-production cigar with the factory name Half Corona, dimensions 44 ring gauge x 90 mm, handmade construction, and a 2011 release. It also records the dress box of 25 and aluminium pack of 5 packaging formats.

General profile

The Half Corona is best treated as a short, concentrated H. Upmann: more compact than grand, but still recognizably Cuban. The profile sits around cedar, cream, hay, nuts, mild coffee, light earth, and a gentle white-pepper lift. It is useful as a short smoke because the cigar gets to its main personality quickly without needing a long warm-up.

Pre-light

Wrapper aroma: cedar, dry hay, light barnyard, toasted tobacco, and a faint creamy sweetness.

Cold draw: cedar, nuts, light coffee, hay, and a mild pepper prickle.

First third

Primary notes: cedar, cream, hay, toasted nuts.

Secondary notes: mild coffee, white pepper, soft earth, dry tobacco sweetness.

Body: light-medium to medium.

Strength: light-medium.

Texture: creamy at first, with a dry cedar edge.

The opening is usually the friendliest part of the cigar: short, clean, and aromatic. The cedar and hay notes give it a classic H. Upmann feel, while the coffee and nut tones add enough weight for the small format.

Second third

Primary notes: cedar, coffee, nuts, dry cream.

Secondary notes: earth, white pepper, toasted bread, faint cocoa.

Body: medium.

Strength: medium.

Texture: drier and more compact than the opening.

This is where the Half Corona starts feeling less like a quick miniature and more like a proper cigar. The profile becomes toastier, with coffee and cedar taking the lead. If smoked slowly, the cream remains; if rushed, the cigar can become dry and sharper.

Final third

Primary notes: coffee, cedar, earth, pepper.

Secondary notes: toasted nuts, dark bread, dry cocoa, stronger tobacco.

Body: medium.

Strength: medium.

Texture: dry, direct, and more rustic.

The final third is short and more forceful. The sweetness recedes, the pepper rises, and the coffee-earth core becomes more prominent. It is best finished before heat overtakes the compact format.

Construction

Draw: usually open to slightly firm.

Burn: generally reliable, with occasional waviness common to short Cuban formats.

Smoke output: medium.

Heat: can build quickly in the final third.

Overall assessment

Complexity: medium for the size.

Evolution: moderate; cedar and cream move toward coffee, earth, and pepper.

Best use: a short Cuban smoke when you want proper H. Upmann character without a long session.

One-line tasting note

Cedar, cream, hay, nuts, coffee, white pepper, and light earth in a short, medium-bodied Cuban format.

Sources and reference trail