No. 3 Cigar of the Year 2019 – HVC Serie A

Despite being one of the first modern companies to partner with the Fernández family’s burgeoning Tabacos Valle de Jalapa S.A. (TABSA) factory in Estelí—being founded in 2011 by Reinier Lorenzo—HVC Cigars remained one of the best kept secrets in the premium cigar arena for the better part of a decade. The company’s name is an acronym for Havana City, being named for Lorenzo’s birthplace, as well as providing inspiration for HVC’s design, traditional Cuban cigar-crafting techniques, and smoking profiles. One such example is the HVC Serie A, a two-vitola line that first tested the waters through a third, Hawaiian shop-exclusive release in the spring. The formal sizes then launched in the summer, debuting alongside other, more limited offerings at the 2019 IPCPR trade show.

The HVC Serie A was perhaps the most surprising smoking experience of the year, in our opinion. The cigars are adorned in simplistic, understated packaging and banding. However, the blend is more eye-catching, featuring genuine AGANORSA-grown Nicaraguan grade-A tobaccos (hence the Serie A name) throughout the wrapper, binder, and filler. The resulting experience is truly remarkable, coating the palate with an unusually thick and waxy texture, allowing layered complexities to unfold through each long-lasting draw of smoke. Flavors are full when given the proper attention, bringing out sweet and salty sensations of sugar cookies, salted butter, Italian cannoli, buttermilk, pumpkin spice—the list goes on, so long as the cigar is given the attention it demands.

HVC Serie A Breakdown

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