In April 2016, HVC Cigars introduced the Robusto size of Pan Caliente. The name translates to hot cakes. It uses a two year old Criollo 98 wrapper from AGANORSA. Unlike the rest of HVC’s blends that come from TABSA, this comes from Raíces Cubanas in Honduras. It has a unique feature of a 109 cap.
This cigar was reviewed blind (no bands) by a panel of at least 4 reviewers. They did not know what they were smoking beforehand. The scores are an average of all the reviewers' scores with outliers removed. All of our cigars reviewed are shipped to the panelists with Boveda packs to ensure optimal smoking experience.
In 2017 they introduced two more vitolas, a corona gorda and toro. They come in boxes of 25, and they retail for a suggested priced of $6-$8.
Vital Stats:
Vitola: Corona Gorda
Length: 5 5/8″
Ring Gauge: 46
Country of Origin: Honduras
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Criollo 98
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Factory: Raices Cubanas
Blender: Reiner Lorenzo
Number of reviewers: 5 – Ryan H.(Ryan H.) John A.(John A.) Mickey T.(irratebass) David F. (dfafjf) Jason H.(Jokey Smurf)
Price: $6.00
Age: 6 months
Release Date: August 2017
Contributed by: HVC Cigars
Initial Impressions
Appearance: 98
“This is a really nice looking belicoso shaped cigar that is sporting a slightly reddish brown wrapper leaf with almost no visible veins and perfect seams. The cap is practically invisible and all outward aspects are just about perfect” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)
Aroma: 89
“The aroma is a bit mild in this one and has a hint of age. There is a little bit of a dusty saddle leather aroma near the for but mostly it smells like aged mild tobacco.” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)
“The cold draw I get mostly a flavor that can best be described as a glass of chocolate milk. After I light up it’s just so creamy and borders on mild to medium ” –Mickey T. (irratebass)
“My very first puff after lighting this cigar was a blast of sweet cream. I had very high hopes for this cigar from then on and the cigar met my expectations. So creamy and delicious to start. Very little spice in both the body and retrohale. The spice starts to increase slightly as I get closer to the 2nd 1/3. ” –David F. (dfafjf)
Second Third
Flavor: 93
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium
“Butter pecan, creaminess, almond nutty flavors fill out the entirety of this third. This stick begins to crack at the veins and unravel. ” –John A. (John A.)
“As I continue on the creaminess just continues on and on along with those chocolate notes. On the retro I get dry roasted peanuts and more chocolate. This is just a divine smoke. ” –Mickey T. (irratebass)
“The only way to describe this cigar is just creamy goodness. The cream just continues to take front & center. ” –Mickey T. (irratebass)
“At the final 1/3 point, the cigar picks up in body and spice. Really enjoyable smoke but in order to achieve this, the creaminess I have loved moves to the back. While this isn’t a overly complex cigar it is really well made and planned out. The final 1/3 is smoking great and different from how this cigar started. ” –David F. (dfafjf)
Overall Impressions
Draw: 95
“The draw was amazing. There are not many cigars that amaze me when it comes to draw but this one did. Cudos to the manufacturer” –Ryan H. (Ryan H.)
Burn: 93
“Generally speaking the burn on this sample was acceptable however I did have to touch up the burn twice. The ash was strong and never dropped unexpectedly.” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)
Construction: 95
“Construction was also on point. It was packed, but not too firm. The cigar burned cool and was just a fantastic smoke. ” –Mickey T. (irratebass)
Overall Strength: Medium
Overall Body/Complexity: Medium
Experience Overall: 93
“The cigar was alot lighter than i am accustom to but with the construction performance and draw all of those were above average, and a well balanced flavor profile and some nice transitions really made it a wonderful experience. I dont know if it would age well would be the only reason i wouldnt go for a box but def smoke again and again” –Ryan H. (Ryan H.)
“Overall the Cigar was all right. It’s suffered from a linear flavor profile and construction issues as well as burn issues. Other than that if you like the flavor profile of a light to medium stick with flavors of leather and nuttiness then you may need to try it for yourself.” –John A. (John A.)
“All I can say was this cigar was amazing and I could smoke this everyday. I believe this would be best enjoyed as your first smoke of the day. It will just put you in a great mood. but I could also smoke this as my last cigar of the night as well. ” –Mickey T. (irratebass)
“I really enjoyed this cigar. So much sweet cream throughout with a great progression of spice building up. I was impressed by the appearance and smell even before lighting this cigar and it delivered a wonderful and relaxing experience. Would strongly recommend if the price allows. ” –David F. (dfafjf)
“Unfortunately this was a bit of a let down for me in the flavor department. The appearance was stunning and the performance very acceptable. Unfortunately though we smoke cigars for flavor as well and this one left me wanting much more. Maybe the next one will be better and prove that this was an anomaly.” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)
To view the complete scores and notes, click here.
Blind Cigar Review: HVC | Pan Caliente Double Corona
Overall Score – 94 – Excellent
Blind Cigar Review: HVC | Pan Caliente Double Corona
Summary
"I really enjoyed this cigar. So much sweet cream throughout with a great progression of spice building up. I was impressed by the appearance and smell even before lighting this cigar and it delivered a wonderful and relaxing experience. Would strongly recommend if the price allows. " -David F. (dfafjf)
