Pre-light Experience

The wrapper on the HVC 500 Years Anniversary is light brown and has a couple of slightly raised veins present. The seams are smooth and very hard to detect while the head is finished off with a well applied triple cap. There are two bands and both are styled after Cuban offerings. The primary is red, gold and white and denotes the company and line. The secondary is the same design Cuba uses for its EL’s but has the English translation. The aroma from the wrapper is a mix of leather and hay while the foot brings mildly sweet and spicy cedar. The pre-light draw brings musty cedar.

Pre-light Experience

The HVC 500 Years Anniversary is nice in hand and firm throughout. The wrapper has this unique coloring and it is a very light Colorado. There is a touch of Natural to it as well, and there are noticeable veins present throughout. They are dark in coloring, right around Maduro, but don’t impact the texture of the wrapper. There is a little bit of tooth present with the wrapper and it is smooth, leathery to the touch. I am picking up notes of bread, nuts, tobacco and barnyard, and there is a focus of soft cocoa and walnuts to the cigar.

First Third

The cigar begins with a full combination of cedar, mustiness and baking spice. At a quarter inch in, the baking spice has transitioned to black pepper. The retrohale has a black pepper zing along with musty cedar. At an inch in, the pepper begins to lighten up. As the third comes to a close, the profile is musty cedar with a trailing black pepper. The strength in this third was right at medium.

First Third

The first third opens up with some nice baking spice notes and I am getting some white pepper and cinnamon qualities. There are some rich earth notes present as well and I am getting some bread, dry wood and salted wood notes. The finish is of graham crackers and it is a long finish. I would consider the cigar on the dryer end of the spectrum and quite enjoyable. It is complex and there is depth. I would say the cigar smokes between a medium and medium-full level, and that goes for strength, body and flavors.

Second Third

The second third continues on with the musty cedar and trailing black pepper. At a half inch in, the pepper leaves the profile. The retrohale now has a toasted cedar and mustiness combination. At an inch and a half, the cedar gains a toasted note and a faint baking spice has returned to the profile. As the third comes to a close, the profile is toasted cedar and mustiness as the baking spice has faded away. The strength remains at medium.

Second Third

I am in the second third of the cigar now and finding the graham cracker flavors taking center stage. I am getting those dry wood and baking spice notes as well, and the finish is of pepper, dry salted wood and this sugar, crème brûlée flavors. It is a lovely second third, a little bit of variation compared with the first, but like the first, smokes at a level between medium and medium-full.

Final Third

The final third begins with the mustiness up front and the toasted cedar right behind. At a half inch in, some dry earth joins the profile. At an inch in, the toasted note is replaced by some char. The retrohale also has charred wood, mustiness, dry earth and some heat. The cigar finishes up with charred cedar, mustiness and dry earth. The strength remained at medium.

Final Third

I am in the final third now and it is showing a combination of the first and second third. I am getting some bread and nutty notes up front and it is followed with those dry and salty wood qualities. I am picking up some tobacco, graham cracker and baking spice notes with a finish of white pepper and crème brûlée. A complex cigar that has depth throughout, a lovely final third. Like before, between medium and medium-full in strength, body and flavors.

Burn

The burn was slightly wavy through the first half, but the in the second half, the cigar went out three times requiring re-lights.

Burn

The burn is fantastic from start to finish. Excellent construction with a charcoal gray ash that holds on firmly from beginning to end.

Draw

The draw was slightly tighter than I prefer, but didn’t cause any issues.

Overall

The cigar began with a full combination of cedar, mustiness and baking spice. The baking spice quickly transitioned to black pepper. The second third saw the pepper leave and a toasted note join the cedar. The final third saw the toasted note transition to char and some dry earth joined in. The burn was an issue in the second half of the cigar and strength was medium the whole way. The HVC 500 Years Anniversary started with a nice profile that was very Cuban aside from the dose of black pepper. The second third saw the profile transition to an average experience and that continued the rest of the way. I was really hoping the profile from the first third would continue on, as it was pretty enjoyable, but that wasn’t to be. I’d be very interested to revisit this to see if a better burning sample would provide a different result. If you’re an HVC fan, definitely give this one a try.

Draw

Like the burn, the draw on the cigar is absolutely perfect.

Overall

I was incredibly pleased with the HVC 500 Years Anniversary and would consider it one of their best cigars. With that, this is a cigar that is going to get better with age. While it is smoking great now, it has come a long way since it was released last year and it continues to get better and better. In some ways, he truly created a cigar that honors Havana. The cigar was complex from start to finish and there was depth. You could argue that the transitioning was lacking, but it did not have a major or negative impact on the cigar. On top of that, the cigar was constructed beautifully and smoked great. With wonderful packaging and aging potential, this is a cigar to buy boxes of to smoke now and age.

Aaron Loomis

SCORE

5.55

Cost/Point

$1.91

Scoring System

Seth Geise

SCORE

8.23

Cost/Point

$1.29

Scoring System

Team Cigar Review: HVC 500 Years Anniversary