The duelling Cadet(e)s: H.Upmann vs. Fonseca?featuring cigar nudity

[MaledettoToscano]

Brilliant review. You deserve a BOTL medal.

TJmode on: / Tj mode off

[Deano]

Brilliant review. You deserve a BOTL medal.

[senor_robusto]

hello
what a fantastic review, you've almost convinced me into buying a box of these fonseca's!!!! lol!!! especially since i loooove tobelorone!

i also have been looking to get some smaller cigars for the winter coming in since i do all my smoking in the back garden! i don't fancy the thoughts of sitting in the cold for an hour or more to enjoy my simple pleasures! i've found that smaller cigars such as the cohiba (siglo I, exquisitos, panatela & maduro secretos), partagas (short & tres petite corona), montecristo no. 5. romeo y julieta cedros no. 3 and the trinidad reyes (which i only tried about 4 nights ago) all last me around 45 minutes! i'm sure you've tried all of these........

all the best,

alex

[Monkey]

Very interesting read. Thank you

I also don't get much chance for bigger cigars and am looking for a smaller, decent cigar which isn't too complex, simply to enjoy while i drive around on my patrols. May have to try these, especially the KDTs, as they would be line to my wallet

[MaledettoToscano]

Although some of my US BOTLs have expressed doubts on the virility of anyone enjoying small thin smokes , I candidly admit I like smaller cigars (the size of the cigar you smoke is not equivalent to the size of your John Thomas guys! ). I seldom have time for smokes that take more than 1 hour; on those occasions I certainly indulge in longer smokes, but generally it will be something that takes less time for me.

A while back Simon wrote one of his as usual captivating reviews (more of those Simon!) on the Fonseca KDT Cadetes, which tickled my curiosity on this Vitola.

According to Habanos only two Cadetes are made today, the Fonseca KDT and H.Upmann?s Coronas Junior. Thanks to Trevor?s incredibly useful Cuban Cigar Website I also found this never was a terribly popular Vitola? maybe I just like going against the fashion .

It would be nice to say that I had a deep cigar-inspired motive for comparing these side by side, but the honest truth is that I just needed an excuse to buy a couple more sticks.

Construction and Appearance: Fonseca KDT

If you?ve ever seen a Fonseca (Cuban) cigar you already know these come wrapped in rice paper. I?ve heard different stories to why this is the case and the most plausible to me is the one that claims that Fonseca used rice paper to protect cigars before the introduction of tubos. I find the rice paper appealing (certainly better than cello) and also it makes sure you can remove the band with zero risk of damaging the cigar. Once you remove the paper and band you get some SFW cigar nudity :

The KDT has an oily wrapper with a mouth-watering reddish milk chocolate tone (the colour of fermented cocoa beans) which I simply love; a couple of small veins didn?t bother me much. It is quite firm but slightly lumpy.

Construction and Appearance: H.Upmann Coronas Junior

The Upmann is not a bad looking cigar although it lags behind the Fonseca. The wrapper is a colorado claro, smooth but not particularly oily, and with two small frog eyes (green spots). I don?t have a huge experience, but this seems something relatively common in the colorado claro wrappers on the smaller Cuban vitolas I have bought up to now, and I can?t say I love this. On the other hand the cigar feels packed with tobacco for it?s small size, and I hope this pic of the foot gives a good idea of that:

Smoking and Flavours: H.Upmann Coronas Junior

The wrapper of the Upmann has a faint but typical Cuban cigar smell, which always makes me think of woodsy, earthy aromas and for some reason the smell of sex (maybe that?s why we love Cubans so much? Or maybe I?m giving myself away). The pre-light draw is good, just slightly tight (but I don?t mind that at all) and the faint aromas are of cedar and sweet spices. Once toasted and lighted it starts with a mild body; the main aromas remind of a latte (creamy, coffe, some sweetness) plus a little sweet spice. The burn line is almost perfect, the smoke is very creamy and the ash quite solid for a small smoke (just over an inch before it falls off). Moving into the 2^nd third the sweet and creamy felling tend to disappear, replaced by more toasty, and woodsy/earthy (again, that Cuban aroma) plus some floral notes towards the end. Here the body picks up too becoming of medium strength. The final part becomes toastier, picking up some leathery tones and the smoke started becoming a bit hot; the burn line was a bit irregular requiring a touch up, but nothing major. I was impressed that this little cigar lasted a whole 50 minutes, albeit its ?puny? size.

Smoking and Flavours: Fonseca KDT

Here the wrapper has pretty much the same Cuban aromas as the Upmann, although a bit more intense. The pre-draw made me think of something I couldn?t pin-point at first, but then it hit me? Toblerone (honey, milk chocolate and nutty)! The first third starts with a little spice, but rapidly turns into toasty notes dominated by an honey sweetness and just a hint of chocolate. The smoke, although mild, has a nice creamy feel. Getting into the second part the honey mixes with those (again) typical Cuban earthy/woodsy aromas and getting into the last part a fresh note (which reminded me slightly of eucalyptus) refreshes the palate. The cigar is pretty much a mild smoke until this point after which it goes just slightly stronger (mild/medium). The nice burn it had up to now becomes a wavier, and I needed to puff every 30 seconds to avoid it going off; since I smoke quite slowly the stick did go off once before I changed the rhythm. The final part becomes woodsy, with some pepper and the honey transforms into a sweet taste rather than an aroma. In total a pleasant 35-40 minutes

Conclusions

To me both these cigars are pleasant smokes which get decent points (I gave 82 to the Fonseca and 81 to the H.Upmann) using CA scoring method. What you prefer definitely comes down to what you are looking for in a cigar. Personally I preferred the Fonseca for two main reasons; it fits better in what I expected from this vitola (a relatively short smoke, pleasant but easy taste/aroma) plus it has a more elegant evolution through its phases. I really liked the fact that the honey is a sort of the ?melody? (to make a musical analogy) running through the cigar which the other notes/aromas support. The H.Upmann had an interesting evolution but lacked this sort of harmony. On the other hand, if mild cigars aren?t your thing this stick would definitely fit your taste better. Both had some burn issues, but given I was smoking outsides in quite windy conditions I am not sure how much of that is the cigar?s fault.

Would I buy either again? With so many Cubans still to try for a newbie like me, there are other sticks to try before committing to a box of either, but I wouldn?t reject either from a possible list of boxes to buy in the future.