Cigar Review: H. Upmann Vintage Cameroon Petite Corona

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I have always liked the story of how, on the night before he signed the papers imposing the trade embargo on Cuba, President John F. Kennedy sent his aide Pierre Salinger to round up 1,000 Petite Upmanns from cigar stores throughout Washington and Baltimore. Salinger delivered in spades, turning up around 1,200 stogies, and Kennedy, confident in the security of his cigar collection, signed the embargo. (See this article in Cigar Aficionado for a 1st-person version of this and other White House cigar stories). I like President Kennedy, and I like cigars, so, while it’s not a Cuban, I hoped – if only for romanticized reasons – to really enjoy this H. Upmann Petite Corona. I was not disappointed.

The dark-brown wrapper on this cigar has small veins, is toothy and has good oils. The wrapper smells of dried fruit and spicy cedar. Upon clipping the head, the unlit taste is similar to the scent of the wrapper.

At first light, the flavor of this stogie is rich with caramel and cocoa, and the cigar creates loads of toasty smoke. This profile lasts for the first inch or so, upheld by an ever-increasing background of tobacco. A couple inches in, leather asserts itself, marking a transition from the sweeter first half to the more savory second. Even so, hints of tangy-sweet dried fruit come in and out throughout the cigar, and that toastiness stays around until the end. In its latter inches, this smoke picks up some spicy pepper and cedar, though I would not classify the overall taste as spicy. Instead, I would say that, even as it picks up strength, this cigar remains smooth and creamy, ending on a medium-bodied, easy-going note.

For $4.50, this is an inexpensive stogie which delivers a good, complex flavor. It should provide just about any cigar enthusiast a satisfying 45 minutes of pleasure.

4.5 out of 5 stogies.

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