Vitola: Selectos (Corona Gorda)- 5.625” x 46 ring gauge
- $10
- Purchased from Small Batch Cigar
Background
2020 has played havoc with shipping schedules of many cigar companies. Noticing this, I was sure to run out of new review material sometime this year. I thought about how to deal with the issue and decided that I would start looking at some of the cigars I missed over the last few years, especially if I could get sampler packs and try out several, presenting them in a short format, perhaps paired with a favorite beverage. With that in mind, I am happy to present the next few weeks as “HVC Cigars Month.” I will be featuring short takes on 5 different HVC blends from Small Batch’s sampler pack. If I like any of them well enough, I may revisit them in the future with a full review.
I’m starting off with a curious blend. Everyone knows that cigar makers love a good anniversary. Most of the time it’s the anniversary of the company’s founding or the birthday of the owner or head blender. Seemingly in an effort to have the highest-numbered anniversary cigar, Reiner Lorenzo decided to celebrate his home city’s 500th anniversary in 2019. Hard to believe Havana, Cuba, has been around that long…why I remember it was just yesterday that…yeah, I’ve got nothing.
As with other HVC blends, this cigar is made in TABSA, the factory best known for its association with Aganorsa Leaf. It uses Criollo 98 from Jalapa and Corojo 99 from Esteli for the filler, Nicaraguan Jalapa leaf for the binder, and a Jalapa-grown Corojo 99 for the wrapper. With that pedigree, I have to admit to expecting good things. This is the first time I’ve smoked this blend.
Notes
They kept the “classic Cuban” look in spades on this one. Moderately ornate main band with a red background, gold ornamentation, and white type and trim, along with a secondary band reading “Limited Edition.” Anyone mistaking this for a Cuban cigar would be excused…especially when you come to the almost perfectly “Colorado” wrapper leaf, a medium brown with a nice reddish hue to it. The leaf was smooth and fairly oily with an aroma of hay and cedar. I got an earthy aroma on the foot, along with more hay.
Firing up the 500th Anniversary, I got tons of cedar and hay notes, with a bit of pepper spice that was peculiar in that it reminded me the mild numbing effect I often get from Cuban tobacco. It was a difficult cigar to get lit, with a core that just didn’t seem to want to ignite, and once lit, didn’t seem to want to stay that way. Still, the flavor was just outstanding as it rode on the medium bodied smoke.
I paired this cigar with some tried-and-true Elijah Craig Bourbon and it went very well. As I went through, I noted that the draw was a little tight, but the flavor was still fantastic. I got a little buttered popcorn on top of cedar and increasing pepper spice, with earth and hay as more subtle background notes.
Right out of the gate, and despite the tight draw on this sample, I think this is a cigar you’ll see a full review of sometime in the near future.
