Vitola: Toro- 6” x 52 ring gauge
- $11.50
- Purchased from Small Batch Cigar
Background
The store I worked at carried HVC Cigars for a few years, but they never sold all that well in our market so the store ended up dropping them before the advent of what could be their best blend yet. Of course, I’m a bit of a Broadleaf freak, so I might be biased. Reinier Lorenzo started the HVC company close to a decade ago, naming the company for the place he grew up (Havana City) and naming some of the blends after his neighborhood (Cerro) or other things that reminded him of home.
First Selection Broadleaf made its debut in 2018 and has the distinction of being the first HVC blend to use a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper…AND the first cigar to come out of TABSA (the famed Aganorsa/Casa Fernandez factory) to use that wrapper leaf. I missed the original release, but recently picked up a 5-pack of a newer (2019? 2020?) from Small Batch Cigar, a Leaf Enthusiast sponsor. As with other blends in the line, filler and binder are Nicaragua. The box of 20 HVC First Selection Broadleaf cigars consists of 10 Short Robusto (4.5 x 52) and 10 Toro (6 x 52) cigars.
This review sample is the third time I have smoked this blend…actually it’s the third time in 3 days! That might be a spoiler, because it’s relatively rare that I smoke the same cigar on subsequent days, much less on 3 consecutive days.
Prelight
As with their other releases, this First Selection Broadleaf uses a simple wooden box with minimal adornment. It keeps with the classic Cuban look of the company. Same with the band…red with white type and gold foil trim…it’s a classic look that could easily be mistaken for a Cuban cigar for those who don’t know better. Even the secondary band which just says “Broadleaf” is very much like the Limited Editions that Cuban brands have been using for quite some time (and that American-market companies started using over a decade ago).
The wrapper is dark and very oily…it shines under the light and I could feel the oils readily under my fingertips. It was a fairly typical Broadleaf with some lumps and a bit of a rough look and feel, but those of us that love the way the leaf tastes feel like the uglier it looks the better it will taste. The aroma from the wrapper was leather and anise and deep earthiness, while the foot had semi-sweet chocolate notes and espresso bean.
After clipping the head, the draw was very good and while cold, the cigar had flavors of dark chocolate, earth, leather, and black pepper.
Flavor
Despite the oily wrapper and heavy moisture content inherent in Broadleaf, getting this cigar lit was easy enough with my new Xikar Tactical single-flame lighter. We may be seeing a lighter review on this after a month or so of constant use…stay tuned. I immediately got espresso bean and unsweetened cocoa flavors from the cigar, followed by black and red pepper heat, earth, and leather. It was on the milder side of full-bodied to start off.
As the first third burned into the second, I got a subtle increase in sweetness, with more of a very dark chocolate note playing above the espresso bean. Leather was still found in abundance along with a touch of anise. Pepper had mellowed out to a low-level burn at the back of the palate.
The last third of the First Selection Broadleaf had notes of charred wood creeping in to take their place alongside bittersweet chocolate and espresso beans. There was a little pepper hanging around the margins.
Construction
I had a very good draw with just enough resistance, a solid ash up to close to an inch long, and a burn line that was quite straight.
Value
The price point is more than fair for such a good cigar.
Conclusions
HVC’s First Selection Broadleaf is an excellent example of my favorite wrapper type. It was full-bodied and fairly strong with a good amount of complexity, showing what Aganorsa Leaf can be like with what I consider the best type of Maduro wrapper. It could have used a touch more pepper spice and sweetness, but other than that, it was delightful and something I will smoke as often as I can get my hands on them.
By-The-Numbers
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4.5/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9.5/10
