Agile Cigar Reviews are cigar assessments where we use a lightweight, shorter format. These will never take the place of our comprehensive reviews. They are only used on blends we have previously assessed. This might be a blend we are re-scoring or giving a score for the first time. It might be a blend we are looking at in a different size. Today we look at the HVC Hot Cake Gran Cañon. This is a cigar blend previously assessed back in February 2021 in the Laguito No. 4 size.

Wrapper: San Andres Maduro
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Factory: Tabacos Valle de Jalapa S.A. (TABSA)
Gran Cañon: 6 x 60

At the 2021 Premium Cigar Association Trade Show, HVC Cigars introduced a new line extension to its Hot Cake line in the form of a 6 x 60 called Gran Cañon. This was a significant line extension for HVC Cigars because it would mark the first time the company would add a 6 x 60 vitola into the portfolio. As for the name Hot Cake, it’s a bit unclear whether it is a tribute to the popular breakfast food, or simply because the cigar will “sell like hot cakes.” This was not the first time HVC founder Reinier Lorenzo used a “pancake-like” name for his cigars. One of the first releases done by HVC was the Pan Caliente – which is Spanish for Hot Cake. Today we take a look at the Gran Cañon line extension.

The blend for the HVC Hot Cake features a San Andres wrapper. The blend also uses Nicaraguan tobaccos from the Aganorsa farm for the binder. This includes Corojo ’98 from Estelí for the binder and a component of the filler. The filler also incorporates a newer tobacco known as Corojo 2006 Maduro. The Gran Cañon is packaged in 25-count boxes. These cigars are packaged with a special footer band.

The HVC Hot Cake Gran Cañon opened up with notes of coffee, earth, red pepper, baker’s spice, and a subtle amount of fruit sweetness. Early on the coffee notes became primary with the earth, pepper, baker’s spice, and fruit sweetness secondary. Meanwhile, there was an additional layer of pepper with a touch of fruit sweetness on the retro-hale. During the first third, the pepper was more prominent on the finish. At the same time, there was a slight increase in the fruit sweetness As the cigar progressed into the second third, the earth notes replaced the coffee as the primary note. The pepper notes increased and became more prominent on the tongue. During the last third, the earth remained primary. The pepper notes were a little more prominent, but did not overtake the flavor profile. The cigar finished with a slightly lukewarm and soft nub.

The flavors of the HVC Hot Cake Gran Cañon were medium-bodied countered by medium strength. As the cigar experience progressed, there was a slight increase in intensity for both the strength and body. Throughout the smoking experience, the body had a slight edge over the strength. The draw of the Gran Cañon was excellent as it had a slight touch of resistance (a positive). The burn did require frequent touch-ups throughout the smoking experience.

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

In terms of flavor and complexity, my favorite size of the HVC Hot Cake has been the Gran Cañon. I also found the fact this size was slightly dialed back in boldness from the other sizes worked in its favor. The one issue was the burn, which while not awful, didn’t score as well as when the Laguito No. 4 was assessed. This also affected the overall score of the Gran Cañon. Still, I think there is enough going on with this cigar to satisfy 60-ring gauge fans. I also think if someone has smoked Hot Cake in the smaller sizes, they might be surprised by the Gran Cañon. In the end, this is a cigar I would recommend to any cigar enthusiast (especially a 60-ring fan). It’s certainly a cigar I would buy and smoke again.

Summary

Key Flavors: Coffee, Earth, Baker’sSpice, Fruit, Pepper
Burn: Good
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium Minus
Strength: Medium
Body: Medium
Finish: Good