HVC Black Friday 2021

If there is one word to describe how my family generally celebrates the holidays, it is “chill.” We try and keep things as low key as possible, using the time to enjoy each other’s company, rest from our busy work schedules, and just catch our breath. It’s almost the antithesis of the day for which today’s cigar is named.

Since 2015, HVC Cigars has celebrated one of the most well-know retail holidays in the U.S. and beyond with a cigar, a limited edition called Black Friday. Much like the premise of Black Friday is fairly straightforward—retailers kicking off the holiday shopping season with the lure of savings and the pressure of limited quantities—the premise of the HVC Black Friday is fairly straightforward. Reinier Lorenzo of HVC creates a new blend for each year and releases it in small—albeit growing—quantities.

• HVC Black Friday 2015 (6 1/2 x 48) — 100 Boxes of 50 Cigars (5,000 Total Cigars) — $5.40 (Boxes of 50, $270)
• HVC Black Friday 2016 (6 3/4 x 48) — 100 Boxes of 50 Cigars (5,000 Total Cigars) — $5.90 (Boxes of 50, $295)
• HVC Black Friday 2017 (4 x 48) — 100 Boxes of 50 Cigars (5,000 Total Cigars) — $4.60 (Boxes of 50, $230)
• HVC Black Friday 2018 (5 x 50) — 150 Boxes of 50 Cigars (7,500 Total Cigars) — $7.40 (Boxes of 50, $370)
• HVC Black Friday 2019 (4 1/2 x 52) — 400 Boxes of 50 Cigars (20,000 Total Cigars) — $6.50 (Box of 50, $130)
• HVC Black Friday Firecracker (3 1/2 x 50) — 500 Boxes of 20 Cigars (10,000 Total Cigars) — $7.50 (Box of 20, $150)
• HVC Black Friday 2020 (5 5/8 x 46) — 500 Boxes of 50 Cigars (25,000 Total Cigars) — $7.50 (Box of 50, $375)
• HVC Black Friday 2021 (4 3/8 x 54) — 600 Boxes of 50 Cigars (30,000 Total Cigars) — $8.50 (Box of 50, $475)

For 2021, Lorenzo selected a Connecticut broadleaf wrapper along with a Nicaraguan binder and filler. While specifics of the Nicaraguan tobacco aren’t being disclosed, Lorenzo confirmed it uses corojo 2012 and criollo 98. It was produced by Tabacos Valle de Jalapa S.A. in Estelí, Nicaragua, and is the largest release of an HVC Black Friday to date, with 600 boxes of 50 cigars produced, a total of 30,000 total cigars.

The cigar got its launch in early November, giving consumers time to pick it up ahead of Black Friday.

• Cigar Reviewed: HVC Black Friday 2021
• Country of Origin: NIcaragua
• Factory: Tabacos Valle de Jalapa S.A.
• Wrapper: U.S.A. (Connecticut Broadleaf)
• Binder: Nicaragua
• Filler: Nicaragua
• Length: 4 3/4 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 54
• Vitola: Short Robusto
• MSRP: $8.50 (Box of 50, $475)
• Release Date: November 2021
• Number of Cigars Released: 600 Boxes of 50 Cigars (30,000 Total Cigars)
• Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3

The HVC Black Friday 2021 is an interesting looking cigar, a short, chubby robusto with a fairly dark brown wrapper that feels darker when combined with the black background of the band. The wrapper has a dry, somewhat velvety texture and not a lot of oil either visually or on the fingers. It’s a good looking leaf with hardly anything in the way of distraction, as the color is even, the veins are flat and the seams are nearly invisible. It’s a firmly rolled cigar with few if any real soft spots, and one sample qualifies as what I would call hard with no give. The foot offers an enjoyably sweet first sniff, sort of a moist chocolate brownie aroma that picks up a bit of wood and campfire smoke before being finished off by touches of creaminess. There’s no real pepper, making it a very approachable aroma and one that has me intrigued by what the cigar might have to offer. The cold draw is a bit more subdued, still on the sweeter side of the spectrum but only a tick out of being a neutral flavor. There is just a bit of woodiness around the edges, which in turn dries out the sides of my tongue. Air moves well on all three samples, though the one cigar that I noted feels hard has a noticeably firmer draw than the others.

The HVC Black Friday 2021 starts with a bit of dry brownie crust, an interesting flavor that doesn’t have much chocolate to it. There’s a bit of fairly common earthiness with just a sprinkle of pepper, a combination that is familiar and enjoyable without being overpowering. Some notable black pepper begins to emerge via retrohales before the one inch mark. The chocolate component comes back in various amounts in the first third, never quite rich and lush like the brownie flavor it reminds me of, but getting closer to that thought. If there’s a struggle for control of the flavor in the first third, it is largely between a light, black pepper that is most prevalent through the nose and an earthier, heartier black pepper profile on the palate, and as this section wraps up, that heartier black pepper makes its way up to retrohales to give them a bit more tingle and presence in the nose. The cigar smokes very well in the first third, with a sharp burn line, easy draw and good smoke production. Flavor is medium-plus, body is medium, and strength just hits medium at the conclusion of the first third.

As the second third gets underway, I find myself noting the increase in a dry earthiness that pulls moisture out of my mouth, creating as much of a physical sensation than a flavor sensation. That begins to slowly soften—thankfully—as a bit of creaminess comes in, though what I would call a rocky, textured sensation holds on. I’m not getting much in the way of sweetness or flavor complexity, though what the HVC Black Friday 2021 does offer is still good, assuming you’re agreeable to this distinct flavor and sensation. Around the midpoint, I begin to get just a bit of nuttiness, specifically by way of the oiliness of walnuts and pecans. The final puffs of this section lighten the profile up a bit more by way of a bit of mineral and chalk joining the profile, and while I’m not usually crazy about these flavors, they are subtle enough to work here. Construction remains very good, the draw on two samples is effortless but not loose, while the third is still too firm for me. The burn line is even, smoke production is good, and combustion is problem-free. Flavor is medium in intensity but still offering a good bit of physical sensation, body is medium, and strength is now medium as well.

While I was thinking the HVC Black Friday 2021 might be getting a bit lighter and milder at the final third gets underway, it quickly pivots and gets back to a more robust profile, one this is still light on the tongue but assertive with the taste buds. It’s still not the most complex offering, and will certainly be familiar to anyone who smokes a fair amount of Nicaraguan cigars. In the case of the cigar with the tight draw, it’s now getting a bit harsh as well, almost as if the restricted airflow is sharpening up the smoke’s texture as well. I’m still trying to find some sweetness from the leaf, as it seems like the wrapper is contributing more to the earthiness of the cigar than adding in sweetness or any other unique flavors. The smoke quickly gets hot in the final third, quickly squashing the thought of smoking this a bit faster to get through it in case time is tight.

Final Notes

• The first sample showed a bit more fragile of an ash than I would have liked, falling off—and onto my laptop—twice, both at times when it didn’t seem like it was likely to fall.
• I’m curious if the firmer-than-ideal draw of the third sample hampered the flavor. It didn’t need to be loosened up by much, but I have to think a slightly more open draw would have improved an otherwise very good profile.
• I’m a bit intrigued by the mixture of English and Spanish on the band, as it calls the cigar Black Friday de HVC. For those wondering, Black Friday would be Viernes Negro in Spanish.
• I wouldn’t categorize the HVC Black Friday 2021 as an overly strong cigar, but it’s hard to find a combination of Connecticut broadleaf and Nicaraguan tobacco that doesn’t offer some strength. I think the fairly small size of the cigar minimized that effect, but much like I did, I wouldn’t be surprised if you picked up some strength from it.
• The cigars for this review were purchased by halfwheel.
• Final smoking time was one hour and 20 minutes for two samples and closer to two hours for the one with the tight draw.
• Site sponsors Atlantic Cigar Co., Cigar Hustler and Famous Smoke Shop carry the HVC Black Friday 2021.