From the boxes to the bands to the booth, Reinier Lorenzo (owner of HVC Cigars) subscribes to the principles set forth by William of Ockham (Ockham’s razor) and Michael Scott, which essentially boil down to the acronym K-I-S-S, or Keep It Simple, Stupid. This holds true even now, as HVC enters into the company’s milestone 10th anniversary in 2021.
The strategy may have made for a slow start, with HVC riding quietly under the radar for a good portion of their first 10 years in business, but it also allowed for a sturdy base. The company has clearly jumped into the limelight in recent years, with a solid collection of core-line cigars that have stood the test of time making for an inviting transition for a growing number of hobbyists.
Of course, the focus for HVC at the PCA 2021 trade show was on their HVC 10th Anniversary cigar. The cigar uses simplistic boxes and bands, being rolled in a singular 6½” x 50 toro format. Like nearly all other HVC blends, it is Nicaraguan puro, with a full viso leaf of Corojo 2012 being its signature ingredient. Only 2,000 boxes of 10 cigars have been made, which will launch in August for $150 MSRP ($15/cigar). Reinier Lorenzo describes the blend as Cubanesque and medium bodied.
With the popularity of last year’s Hot Cake cigar, HVC is adding a 6″ x 60 gordo format—dubbed Gran Cañon—to the lineup. The cigars are packaged in boxes of 25 cigars with an MSRP of $11 per cigar, shipping directly after the trade show.
The HVC First Selection Broadleaf will now be packaged in more traditional boxes. This blend launched in 2018 as a limited edition, returning the next year as a regular release. But the cigars maintained an unusual packaging style, with flat boxes that contained both toro and robusto-sized cigars. The toro will now be offered in standard hinged boxes, with the robusto anticipated to follow.
Finally, as announced earlier this year, the HVC 500 Years Anniversary was offered to retailers as a regular release. The cigars launch in the original Tesoros size (5⅞″ × 52) and the 2020 addition of the Selectos (5⅝” x 46), while Lorenzo teased the idea of a lancero in the works.
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