14. HVC 500 Years Anniversary
HVC Cigars
- Country of Origin: Nicaragua
- Factory: Tabacos Valle de Jalapa S.A.
- Wrapper: Nicaragua (Jalapa Corojo 99)
- Binder: Nicaragua (Jalapa)
- Filler: Nicaragua (Estelí & Jalapa, Criollo 98 & Corojo 99)
- Length: 5 7/8 Inches
- Ring Gauge: 52
- Vitola: Robusto Extra
- MSRP: $10.60 (Box of 15, $159)
- Release Date: October 2019
- Number of Cigars Released: 1,333 Boxes of 15 Cigars (19,995 Total Cigars)
- Original Score: 91
Havana, Cuba turned 500-years-old in 2019, so it seems fitting that the brand named after Havana paid tribute. For this release, HVC turned to a 5 7/8 x 52 vitola best known for being the size of the Cohiba Siglo VI. It then took a found of Nicaraguan tobaccos from AGANORSA: a corojo 99 wrapper from Jalapa, a binder of undisclosed varietal also from Jalapa, and criollo 98 and corojo 99 fillers from Jalapa from Estelí.
HVC hasn't been around for a decade, but it's managed to place a number of cigars on this list. The company consistently puts out flavor cigars at good prices. The limited-edition 500 Years Anniversary is no exception. Patrick Lagreid's review noted some roughness in the start, but after that, it's smooth sailing and an overall package good enough to land it inside the top 20 for 2019. — Charlie Minato.
