Beneath the Band: H. Upmann Half Corona

[El Presidente]

 

This series to explore whether a particular cigar is humidor worthy. Cost these days is an issue for many so let's see if we can highlight some absolute standouts. This should particularly assist those new to the cigar world.  

To be fair, most of the cigars we have featured to date have scored exceptionally well. Surprisingly well! 

Scoring is: 1-3 (Poor)   4-6 (Average to good)   7-10  (very good to excellent)  Use the Poll. 

You are more than free to comment away 

The H.Upmann half Corona has been a habanos success since its release in 2011. It's a crowded field in Half Corona / Perla/Minuto land albeit the Upmann is a 44 gauge that sets it apart. Where does it stand among rivals? 

Today: H. Upmann half Corona. Do you enjoy them? Fresh or aged? If aged...how long before they generally hit their stride. Have you noticed a change over the years? 

Let's kick off the discussion 

[smashed]

I always have a box or two of these on hand and think they're one of the best short smokes on the market. Absolutely love the HUHC and they rarely miss for me.

[Allroz]

These absolutely rock. I’m an Upmann whore, and I'm shamelessly deep on these and the Connie line. Shhhh..don’t tell the others 😆

[Mike Mecklenburg]

Living in the Northeast I always think of these as my winter smokes and they have been very good to me.

[Ford2112]

These are tops for me. 

[MrBirdman]

A CC that still needs at least 3-5 years, I still have enough on hand so they have enough time before smoking. I always felt they were half an inch too short but could forgive it. Unfortunately their value is now so atrocious that I really can’t justify buying them anymore - $12 for a 3.5 inch cigar is just silly, especially with the variability in blend quality between sticks. 

[smashed]

6 hours ago, MrBirdman said:

A CC that still needs at least 3-5 years, I still have enough on hand so they had enough time before smoking. I always felt they were half an inch too short but could forgive it. Unfortunately their value is now so atrocious that I really can’t justify buying them anymore - $12 for a 3.5 inch cigar is just silly, especially with the variability in blend quality between sticks. 

I just lit up one from a late '23 box last month and it was quite tasty! I actually find them to be pretty great even relatively young! Could be a smidge better, sure, but that goes for almost any CC at 1-1.5years.

[Duder]

Famously consistent. You’ll be hard pressed to find Habanophiles that don’t love this cigar. One of the few Havana cigars I regularly enjoy fresh. With 10+ years they are superb. I probably have more of these than any non Cohiba cigar in my humidor. If they came in 50 cabs I’d have even more. Wish the tins were more regularly available. Never travel without at least one tin of 5 on board.  

[PuroDiario]

No brainer buy. 

[Redgoldband]

Yes, for sure. When in doubt, HUHC.


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[Li Bai]

I've been a big fan for years but I've got bored somehow. They're good cigars but they're not that cheap anymore and I've had so many construction problems with those I haven't even considered purchasing some for years, just like the Divinos. Between the HUHC and the Shorts or a RASCC, it's a no contest to me...

Your comments made me want to revisit it though 🤔

[JohnS]

A must-have in anyone's humidor, in my view.

[gormag38]

Like others here, I am a fan of the HUHC. They're pretty consistent in my view and are a real solid smoke for the Michigan winters. Seeing them creep up on price sure has hurt them, but still a humidor worthy stick. (Of course, as I'm typing this, I remember that I need to buy a box as I'm down to my last couple of singles.)

[yuppie]

I've only had one aged but I've had plenty fresh and these just always seem to be "on".

[EFFQUE]

My favourite short smoke without question. Unfortunately, I have started running into more and more of these with construction issues.

Probably one of every five I smoke has been overfilled and has a very tight draw. As much as I love these, if the draw issues continue with the next box, I may have to replace them with a more consistent short.

[BG318]

Still one of my favorite morning smokes, especially with my coffee. I never go wrong with an Upmann.

[MrBirdman]

On 9/30/2025 at 12:08 PM, smashed said:

I just lit up one from a late '23 box last month and it was quite tasty! I actually find them to be pretty great even relatively young! Could be a smidge better, sure, but that goes for almost any CC at 1-1.5years.

Oh you can smoke them young but they really deserve at least 3-5 years for the sweetness to develop and any edges to come off. That’s classic Upmann in a nutshell though, same with Winnies and it was the case with the HUPC too (still salty about that D/C). 

[MrBirdman]

On 9/30/2025 at 3:27 AM, JohnS said:

A must-have in anyone's humidor, in my view.

Until recently John I agreed 100%. It’s just the value of the Half Coronas has plummeted even when compared to other cigars in the Habanos portfolio, where you can spend a couple extra bucks for something with nearly twice the smoking time that’s usually more consistent (e.g. Monte 4). 

Aside from being much smaller, the HU and Monte Half-Coronas tend to burn on the fast side since they’re more lightly packed (special thanks to @Bijan for having confirmed this hunch a few years back by using the cigar’s volume and official weight compared to other HSA vitolas). Admittedly it’s easier for me to say that with 3 boxes aging in my collection, but I haven’t replaced my MCHC since I ran out and doubt I will with these either.

Really a shame too, because these were one of the easiest cigars to recommend to beginners looking for a good box to age. 

[El Presidente]

I agree with Brett in that they age very well,  just a tad short and today represent dicey value. It is the reason we developed the Sovereign Suns MOFOH. 

I don't find them to be all that consistent in terms of flavour/blend. Some are stunning. Some taste like burning cardboard. Same box. It takes a special type of skill to achieve that CF of a result