HVC Cigars came out with two new cigars last year, the 500th Anniversary and the Serie A. The 500th Anniversary made out Top 25 and score a 93 in our blind test. The Serie A is a more economically priced cigar.
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.
The name Serie A comes from the grade of tobacco used in this blend. The blend uses grade A tobacco that all comes from Aganorsa Nicaraguan farms. This blend includes a corojo 99 wrapper, and Nicaraguan binder and filler. The cigars are rolled like all other HVC Cigars at Tabacos Valle de Jalapa S.A. (TABSA) in Estelí, Nicaragua. HVCSerie A comes in three sizes: Robusto (5 x 50) – $9.60, Cañonazos (5 1/2 x 54) – $9.60, and Perlas (5 5/8 x 46) – $8.50. All come in 10 count boxes.
“Overall, it's a very attractive cigar. There's a few spots where the seams could be tighter and the roll is slightly lumpy but it looks well made. The non-oily, medium dark-brown wrapper has a uniform look with only a few delicate veins running the length of it and there's a well applied triple cap at the head. ” –Alan (Eulogy)
Aroma: 91
“On those nose, a spicy mixture of woodsy notes and supple new leather intertwines like a dream. On the cold draw, a perfect draw reveals earthy, woodsy and spicy mixture ties things together for a complex note that is intriguing.” –John A. (Bostoneo)
Flavor: 89 Strength: Medium Body/Complexity: Medium
“Let's light up! Immediately, post light up, notes of damp wood coupled with intense char and black pepper pop me in the mouth for a medium-full bodied experience. With a soft, semi-loose, draw, it is imperative that one smokes this cigar slowly, careful not to over indulge in what is now a softer profile of woodsy pepper with a creamy almond finish. When pushed the char flavors tend to come out because of the looser draw, this is easy to do. Flavors remain consistent throughout with the additional toast flavor that appears during the end.” –John A. (Bostoneo)
“With the cold draw I pick up walnuts and wood flavors. This cigar started out really harsh the 1st few puffs, but about 20 mins or so it really transitioned to a light creamy smoke.” –Mickey T. (irratebass)
Flavor: 91 Strength: Medium Body/Complexity: Medium
“Profile drastically improved in the second third. Chocolate leans more toward cocoa, earth coming in, in a BIG way. The transitions are very fast in this cigar and give little warning, it's almost as if every draw is from a completely different cigar. Strength lightens to light medium. In the front of the palate is earth and cream and the cocoa on the back end and through the nose.” –Ryan H. (Ryan H.)
“Still sticking with the lightness…venture to say mild/medium, because there is some spice hidden in the back, just not sure to warrant the medium moniker. Man this cigar just oozes in the cream department really enjoying it! Retro gives me graham cracker with butter flavors OH MAMA!!!!” –Mickey T. (irratebass)
Final Third
Flavor: 90 Strength: Medium-Strong Body/Complexity: Medium
“Rounding into the last third, intense medium plus bodied notes of dark roasted peanuts with a rich leathery finish with a hint of black pepper. This is it for this last third, the flavor profile remains consistent throughout.” –John A. (Bostoneo)
“Other than the strength picking up nothing has changed since the beginning. The core flavors are still leather, pepper, cedar, cola, and some baking spice. ” –Alan (Eulogy)
“Excellent burn, I only counted one touch up, and think that was due to my fan in the garage and not the cigar.” –Mickey T. (irratebass)
Construction: 93
“There was a slight crack that formed at the cap while I was smoking but it didn't effect the experience. I was slightly worried prelight because it felt a little soft in the middle but it smoked great. The seams were tight and the triple cap looked very well applied.” –Alan (Eulogy)
Overall Strength: Medium-Strong Overall Body/Complexity: Medium Experience Overall: 91
“It's a great cigar. It's not that it dazzled me with dynamic shifts in profile but the core flavors were delicious. The smoke output and consistency were one of the best in memory delivering fantastic flavor. In this sizes, it's a wonderful experience. ” –Alan (Eulogy)
“A very good light medium cigar, I could go for a box.” –Ryan H. (Ryan H.)
“This was a great cigar……ALMOST an excellent cigar, but that final 3rd really turned me off. The cigar started out harsh until about 20 mins in and changed to an AMAZING creamy, buttery cigar with hints of spice here and there. The light cream continued on into the 2nd which was my favorite part….then in the 3rd it got ugly, the strength ramped up and it got harsh and earthy. I get what the blender was trying to do, but I feel it failed….shouldn't have transitioned so hard and fast….I will definitely smoke again though…maybe even pick up a fiver….who knows?” –Mickey T. (irratebass)
“Overall, not a bad tasty cigar, definitely slightly above average if smoked correctly, slow and low. The loose draw made this one smoke rather quickly, 55 minutes to be exact, and forced the smoker to slow down and sip this sample. The creamy notes of almonds, leather, peanut shells, and wood complimented each other very nicely and provided a well-balanced experience. I believe this would only be amplified with a better constructed cigar and would be improved immensely. ” –John A. (Bostoneo)
"Overall, not a bad tasty cigar, definitely slightly above average if smoked correctly, slow and low. The loose draw made this one smoke rather quickly, 55 minutes to be exact, and forced the smoker to slow down and sip this sample. The creamy notes of almonds, leather, peanut shells, and wood complimented each other very nicely and provided a well-balanced experience. I believe this would only be amplified with a better constructed cigar and would be improved immensely. " -John A. (Bostoneo)
