Feature Story: Spotlight on HVC Cigars at the 2018 IPCPR

If there was one brand I was most excited to get to at this year’s IPCPR Trade Show, it was HVC Cigars. HVC is a brand that was founded by Reiner Lorenzo. HVC is short for “Havana City”, the place in Cuba where he spent a good part of his life. HVC is a brand that partners with Aganorsa Leaf who handles production for the company out of Nicaragua. The cigars coming from HVC have been garnering a lot of attention, and I was excited to meet Lorenzo, learn about his brand, and the cigars he had planned.

One of the cigars that HVC was showcasing was right at the top of my list – and that was the HVC First Selection Limited Edition Broadleaf. This is a cigar that features a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper over Nicaraguan binder and filler. The main story here is the wrapper. While Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper is a common wrapper, when it comes to blends produced by Aganorsa Leaf, its more of an anomaly. Broadleaf is not a wrapper often worked with by Aganorsa Leaf. In fact, the First Selection Broadleaf is the first significant release produced by Aganorsa Leaf.

The cigar comes in two sizes – a 4 1/2 x 50 Short Robusto and a 6 x 52 Toro. Both vitolas are shipped together in 20-count boxes containing 10 Short Robustos and 10 Toros. Total production of the HVC First Selection Limited Edition Broadleaf is limited to 500 boxes.

The other release being launched is the HVC Edición Especial 2018. This follows up the HVC Edición Especial 2015. While the Edición Especial 2015 featured a San Andres wrapper, the Edición Especial is a Nicaraguan puro. The blend features a Nicaraguan Corojo ’99 wrapper over fillers from the Aganorsa farms that are aged for four years. The HVC Edición Especial is available in three sizes: Corona (5 x 46), Toro (6 x 52), and Toro Gordo (6 x 56).