The Good Stuff:

The HVC Serie A Famous Exclusivo is the latest addition to Famous Smoke Shop’s Exclusivo cigar series. The HVC Serie A Famous Exclusivo is based on the same successful blend as when it was originally released only in a special 6 1/2 x 50 format only available at Famous Smoke Shop. “Serie A” represents the cigar’s blend which only utilizes grade A tobacco grown at the Arganorsa farms in Nicaragua. Blended by Reinier Lorenzo, the found of HVC Cigar, at the Tabacos Valle de Jalapa S.A. factory in Nicaragua the blend starts out with a Nicaraguan Corojo ’99 wrapper over Nicaraguan binder and filler. Packaged in boxes of 10 each cigar runs $10 each with only a very small amount of 300 boxes total being released. Big thanks to our friends at Famous Smoke Shop for hooking us up with a few samples for review. You can view more information and purchase yours here.

• Size: 6 1/2 x 50
• Wrapper: Nicaraguan Corona ’99
• Binder: Nicaraguan
• Filler: Nicaraguan
• Body: Medium/Full
• Strength: Medium
• Price: $9.50
• Pairing: Veil / Half Acre Soak in Shadow (Imperial Stout 13% ABV)

Prelight:

The HVC Serie A Famous Exclusivo is a beautiful looking cigar. Starting with it’s very rustic looking wrapper which sports inconsistent blotches of light and medium shades of brown with orangish areas scattered throughout. The wrapper’s texture carries some light grainy tooth with a ton of oils coating it. The wrapper itself is a bit thin, but very hard while the cigar as a whole is incredibly heavy and tightly packed. There are quite a few minor veins and natural tobacco webbing in the leaf as the wrapper is laid seamlessly over itself leading up to the cigar’s round, triple-wrapped cap. The cigar is then polished off with the same HVC Serie A orange, white, black and gold band found on the blend but an added gold and black foot band with the words “Famous Smoke Shop Exclusivo” embossed across the front signifying the cigar’s addition to the Exclusivo Series portfolio.

The wrapper on the HVC Serie A Famous Exclusivo gives off light cashew and natural tobacco notes while the foot of the cigar is much more pungent with loads of moss, cedar, and natural tobacco aromas. The cap cut clean and easily allowing the cigar release loads of cashew, honey, and earthy flavors on the cold draw.

First Third:

The HVC Serie A Famous Exclusivo starts out with a very mild black pepper punch with almost immediately faded allowing the cigar to showcase a really bold mixture of honey, cashew, and citrus over cedar, vanilla, musk and earthy notes. Despite being packed so tightly the draw is absolutely perfect as each and every puff kicks out a whole mess of thick, white smoke which hangs around for a considerable amount of time before dissipating while the cigar releases a ton of stationary smoke while it rests in my ashtray. The burn line is dead even and decently thin leaving behind a trail of tightly compacted white ash which held on for an inch before falling into my ashtray.

Second Third:

Into the second third of the HVC Serie A Famous Exclusivo and this is where the cigar really begins to shine. The musk and cedar are now leading the charge backed by bolder vanilla and cinnamon over lighter cashew, honey and earthy notes. I am really enjoying the flavor profile here. The retrohale brings out a great spice and I find myself doing it quite often. I close out the second third with nothing in terms of a nicotine hit.

Finish:

Into the final third of the HVC Serie A Famous Exclusivo and the flavor is just pouring on now. The musk and cedar are still the dominant notes with loads of cinnamon and vanilla over maple, honey, and citrus. It took me a little over 2 hours to smoke this down to the nub. It burned very slow and that’s totally ok with me. I experienced no harshness nor any extended heat. I never once had to reach for my torch to touchup or relight the cigar. I close out with only a very minor nicotine kick.

Overview:

I am quite the HVC fan and a shop exclusive which uses one of my favorite cigars from them immediately got my attention. The HVC Serie A Famous Exclusivo represents the blend very well. The flavors were rich and complex, the smoking experience was flawless and the price point is very affordable considering the experience, especially for the length of time it takes to smoke this cigar. All in all, wins all around. I just wish it wasn’t so limited, but that just means I’ll need to pick some up before they are gone.

Pairing:

Soaked in Shadow is an imperial stout brewed with milk sugar aged in apple brandy barrels. Brewed in collaboration with The Veil and Half Acre the 13% ABV beer leads with a ton of sweetness, apple, grape, chocolate, roasted malt, and creaminess with a very heavy/sticky mouthfeel before finishing with much more apple brandy sweetness, chocolate, cinnamon and a lasting boozy aftertaste. While the HVC Serie A Famous Exclusivo itself was fantastic, I thought adding something with a little sweetness could add another level of complexity to the experience, and this pairing did just that.

The post HVC Serie A Famous Exclusivo appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff:

HVC Cigars are no stranger to Casas Fumando. The boutique company makes some incredible cigars. Founded by Reinier Lorenzo the HVC La Rosa 520 focuses on Havana, where he was born and lived before coming the U.S. a few years ago. HVC stands for “Havana City Cigars” and the La Rosa 520 was created as a tribute to his upbringings named after the address he resided at within the city. The cigar itself is created at the TABSA – Tabacos de Jalapa S.A. factory in Estei, Nicaragua. Lorenzo created the blend by seeking out tobaccos that reminded him of San Luis and San Juan y Martinez regions of Cuba’s Pinar de Rio province. The cigar was originally released as a limited edition (250 boxes of 20) production blend in a single 5 1/2 x 54 format in 2015 before this particular “Reyes” line was released last year featuring a 6 1/4 x 48 format. There are only 500 boxes of 10 released and the HVC La Rosa 520 Reyes runs $11.80 per stick. We purchased these over from our friends at Ford on Fifth.

Size: 6 1/4 x 48
Wrapper: Nicaragua Corojo 99 (Jalapa)
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Body: Medium/Full
Strength: Medium
Price: $11.80
Pairing: Ommegang Tripel Perfection (Tripel 8.9% ABV)

Prelight:

The HVC La Rosa 520 Reyes features a really gaudy, rustic looking wrapper. The color is mostly medium/light brown with a good amount of both darker and lighter splotches scattered throughout the cigar as it gives off a nice orangish gleam. The wrapper features a good amount of small veins and natural webbing as the wrapper itself is laid seamlessly over itself. The wrapper’s texture is very toothy, grainy, and oily white the wrapper feels very thin and delicate as the cigar is very heavy and tightly packed all the way up to it’d round, triple-wrapped cap. Polishing off the cigar is the same red, gold, and white wrapper we found on the previous release of the HVC La Rosa 520.

The wrapper on the HVC La Rosa 520 gives off a beautiful spiced cedar and floral aroma while the foot of the cigar releases some soft sweet notes over more cedar, spice, and natural tobacco aromas. The cigar cut like butter under my Xikar double bladed cutter. The cold draw gives off some bold pepper over sweet cedar and you guessed it, more spice.

First Third:

The HVC La Rosa 520 started out with a pretty big pepper boom right out of the gate. That pepper quickly faded and the cigar left me with some very sweet cedar, saltiness, honey, citrus, and a really nice overall natural tobacco taste. The draw is perfect. Each puff moves out a large amount of thick, white smoke which hangs around for quite some time before fading. The cigar also lets loose a good amount of stationary smoke as it rests in my ashtray. The burnline is pretty crazy and really thick as it leaves behind a trail of flaky white, and light gray ash wich barely held on for about a half inch before falling into my ashtray.

Second Third:

The flavor really become more vibrant in the second this of the HVC La Rosa 520 Reyes. The cedar is leading the charge with some great floral flavors, a bit of musk and spice, a great sweetness and honey with a dash of pine and saltiness. This cigar does really resemble Cuban style with a nice Nicaraguan twist. The retrohale is incredible as it coats my nasal passage with bold cedar and tart citrus. The burn line is still pretty wacky but I haven’t had to reach for my torch yet. The wrapper is cracking a bit which goes back to my thoughts on how delicate it felt, but the insanely dry El Paso climate probably has a lot to do with it. It’s not impacting the experience at all so no real complaints there. I close out the second third with nothing in terms of nicotine.

Finish:

Into the final third of the HVC La Rosa 520 Reyes and the flavors have started to cream out, yet become a bit more bold as they reach into the medium/full bodied range. The leading flavor is still the cedar backed by musk, spice, clove, honey, brown sugar, and the floral flavors are still hanging on. It’s a great flavor profile. The cigar is still cracking a bit as the burn line finally begins to even out but I never once had to reach for my lighter, nor did the cracking even hinder the experience so no points taken off there. It took me about an hour and forty five minute to take this cigar down to the nub and it was incredible the whole time. The HVC La Rosa 520 Reyes finished with no harshness, nor extended heat while I got only a very slight nicotine kick from it.

Overview:

As I said before, I am a big fan of HVC Cigars and the HVC La Rosa 520 is at the top of that list. The cigar is complex, full of subtle flavors while remaining mild and traditional. It’s an incredibly well-balanced cigar that anyone can enjoy from mild to bold cigar smokers, from novice to seasoned cigar smokers. The price point is probably right where it should be and my only real gripe about the cigar is how limited it is. I will be acquiring a good amount of these for sure as I could easily see this cigar becoming a go-to until its no longer around.

Pairing:

Ommegang seems to pop up in my reviews almost  monthly. Ommegang is a Belgian-style brewery in Cooperstown, New York and their Tripel Perfection is a Belgian-style Tripel which comes in at a modest 8.9% ABV. This particular bottle has a packaged done of November 2014 which is strange, cause I didn’t even know I had it in the cellar. The Tripel Perfection starts with a dash of celery, clove, spice, malt, and slight hop with a very light mouthfeel before finishing with more spice, apple, light hop and clove. Some great citrus flavors really come to the front as the beer warms. It was an easy choice pairing this beer with the HVC La Rosa 520 Reyes as the flavors really mashed up well while neither the cigar nor the beer overpowered one another.

The post HVC Cigars La Rosa 520 Reyes appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff:

HVC is short for Havana City, the city in which the brand owner Reinier Lorenzo grew up in. Cerro, meaning “Hill” is the neighborhood in which he grew up in. Not only is Lorenzo the owner of HVC but he is also the an employee at Casa Fernandez which explains this joint collaboration between the two. The Cerro is actually the second of three different releases under the HVC name. The first was amply title the “First Selection” and it debuted alongside the Cerro at last year’s IPCPR show in Vegas. Both showcase Nicaraguan tobaccos and carry the famed Aganorsa leaf that are buried in some of my favorite Casa Fernandez blends. The third blend called Vieja Cosecha No.1 is the first blend that doesn’t carry Aganorsa leaf. It made it’s debut last month at this year’s IPCPR show in Vegas. While the First Selection and the Cerro are regular production lines the Vieja Cosecha no.1 will be limited to a 200 box run and should start hitting retailers later this month.

Now, back the Cerro. The Cerro comes in 3 sizes: Corona (4.5 x 46), Robusto (5 x 50), and the Toro (6 x 54). The cigars are packaged in boxes of 20 and range between $7.80 and $8.60 a stick. I actually got these sent to me from HVC as a random contest I won for being their 200^th follower on twitter. I had no idea that I even entered, but big thanks goes out to them for sending these my way. You can follow HVC Cigars on Twitter and on Facebook to keep up with the latest.

Size: 5 x 50
Wrapper: Nicaraguan
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Body: Medium/Full
Strength: Medium
Price: $8.30
Pairing: New Belgium / 3 Floyds Gratzer (Gratzer Ale 4.5% ABV)

Prelight:

The HVC Cerro is a rustic looking cigar. It all starts with a beautiful, medium brown wrapper with lots of orange and darker brown splotches throughout which really help showcase the natural characteristics in the leaf. There is a bit of webbing, some slight tooth, and a few larger veins running through the body of the cigar. The Cerro is very firm with a few softer spots around the foot of the cigar. The wrapper feels pretty tough but is shockingly dense. The Cerro is capped off with a beautifully round triple cap. The HVC Cerro carries a simple, yet elegant band layout. The first, main band is deep read with the words “HVC” spread across the crest and “Hecho a Mano” (Made by Hand) in the back. The secondary band is the same color red simply stating “Cerro” (Hill) in white with some nice silver trim added.

The wrapper of the HVC Cerro smells of strong cinnamon, spice, and cedar while the foot of the cigar has some strong pepper, spice, and grain aromas. The cap cut clean and easily using my double bladed Palio cutter. The cold draw on the HVC Cerro actually lead with a strong licorice flavor which was backed by some nice cedar and a bit of spice.

First Smoke:

The HVC Cerro leads with some very strong pepper which took some time to mellow out. Once it did the Cerro showed off some great strong spice with some cinnamon sweetness, some sharp espresso, a deep earthy flavor, and a bit of that licorice I picked up on the cold draw. The draw on the Cerro was impeccable. Each puff kicked out a desired amount of dense smoke. The burnline was a bit whacky during the first third, but it started to correct itself as I head into the second third so I just left it alone. The ash is a medium gray with darker lining which held on for an inch before giving way.

Halfway There:

Moving into the second third of the HVC Cerro the pepper has finally dropped out of the equation. The spice and sweetness are still pretty strong and the licorice and espresso are still there was well. What is commanding the most attention at this point is actually the cedar as it has ramped up immensely and I am loving the way it blends in and dances around with the sweetness and spice. This is something that I often expect with any cigars carrying Aganorsa leaf. The retrohale on the Cerro is a bit too bold for me as it coats my nasal passage with very strong spice and cedar. I don’t find myself retrohaling this cigar too often. The burnline is still a bit wavy but now under control without the use of my butane torch. I close out the second third without feeling anything at all in terms of nicotine.

Finish:

The cedar, spice and cinnamon are dominating the experience in the HVC Cerro and I am loving every minute of it. This is a very full-bodied, bold cigar. The licorice and espresso are still in the mix but the other flavors are really taking control of the flavor profile in the final inch. While the pepper creeps back in a bit, the cigar actually becomes more and more bold as I close into the final inch with a very strong finish, with very little harshness. While the burnline was a bit wild at times I never once had to reach for my torch to relight, or touch up the cigar. It took me a total of an hour and fifteen minutes to take down the Cerro and it left me with only a slight nicotine kick, and a craving for another one.

Overview:

I’ve been a long time fan of both Casa Fernandez and Aganorsa leaf. The two are even better when they are combined together. The HVC Cerro is a great stick, at a great price and the perfect introduction to the HVC blend. While there isn’t much information on this company available, I think this experience does all the talking for them. Full-Bodied with a ton of great flavors wrapper in a medium strength experience. It doesn’t get much better than that. While the brand could use some more recognition I think only great things are in store for HVC and can’t wait to try the other two blends. That is, if I can find them.

On a side note, I decided to give many of these cigars out to some of my friends. Every single person who smoked it enjoyed it (Jeremy and our pal Jeff being among those). The response I got was great and I am glad to hear it since I admired this smoke so much. Do yourself a favor and don’t pass these up if you see them. You will not regret it.

Pairing:

New Belgium is always trying new things when it comes to their Lips of Faith series. This time, they teamed up with the famous 3Floyds brewery to create a style of beer that we don’t see very often. Gratzer, is a 4.5% Polish Gratzer style old ale brewed with Polish Lublin hops. The beer pours black in color with some light sour fruit aromas. The mouthfeel is very light and the first tastes are that of fruit, smoked malt, and raisin as it transitions into a very light, wheaty finish with some very soft spice. The Gratzer reminded me a lot of a thinner Dunkel with a much softer/lighter mouthfeel. The fruit and spice married up perfectly with the licorice and spice the Cerro brought to the table while the smoked malt transitions well with any type of cigar. I think the Cerro would also pair very well with a strong Marzen, a sour, or even a chili beer.

The post HVC Cerro – HVC Cigars appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.