Pre-light Experience

Aaron: The wrapper on the HVC La Rosa 520 10 Year Anniversary Originales is a light reddish-brown with some decently raised veins present. The seams are smooth and the caps very well applied. There are two bands, with the primary being the traditional design for the line and the secondary denoting the anniversary and years celebrated. The aroma from the wrapper is a musty mix of cedar and earth, while the foot brings cedar and some spice. The pre-light draw is a musty and sweet mix of cedar and floral notes along with a mild spiciness on my lips.
Seth: The HVC La Rosa 520 10 Year Anniversary Originales is beautiful in appearance and presentation. It is constructed wonderfully with a great triple cap. It’s finished with a beautiful wrapper that is silky in texture and light Colorado in coloring. Colors of red clay earth. Aromas of tobacco, warm spices, rich earth and tobacco on the wrapper and foot. Beautiful bands over the cigar.
John: The HVC La Rosa 520 10 Year Anniversary Originales comes in cellophane but does not include a UPC sticker. It features a primary La Rosa 520 HVC Hecho a Mano band in gold and red with gold trim, along with a secondary 10th Year Anniversary band. I weighed the cigar at 18.5 grams and measured the humidity at 64.9% with the Cigar Medics Humidimeter Pro. Aromas from the wrapper included dry wood with an earthy and moss combination faint underneath. From the foot, I picked out a combination of sweet tobacco and aged wood.
Jiunn: The HVC La Rosa 520 10 Year Anniversary Originales has an even, semi-oily Colorado Claro wrapper shade. Veins are well pressed, seams tight, bunch and roll even and the head is well wrapped and capped. Pre-light aromas present Cubanesque barnyard cheesy funk, cedar and milk creaminess.

HVC La Rosa 520 10 Year Anniversary Originales

First Third

Aaron: The cigar begins with toasted cedar, baking spice and some earth. At a quarter inch in, the baking spice transitions to black pepper and becomes a bit bolder. The retrohale is sweet, toasted cedar, lightly zingy black pepper and some mild earth. At an inch in, the black pepper mellows a bit. As the third comes to a close, the toasted cedar is up front, with the black pepper a fair bit behind and the earth just behind the middle of the profile. The strength was right at medium.
Seth: The first third starts out with a nice bit of pepper, dry earth and wood. There is some tobacco notes present along with coffee beans and cream on the finish. It’s on the dryer end of the spectrum. In terms of strength and body, right above the medium level.
John: The first third kicks off with creamy bread combining with baking spices. Baking spices and wood are intensified through the retrohale at medium strength, with wood coating the palate on the post draw. Mild pepper settles in on the post draw, building from light-plus intensity. Some mild earth moves in to accent the profile. Approaching the halfway point, all the flavors find a nice balance at a strength level between light-plus and medium-minus. Through the bottom half, equal parts sweet tobacco, baking spices and earth lead off, with more intense toasted earth at medium strength on the finish.
Jiunn: The first third is packed full of flavors starting off with Bavarian cream filled pastries, sweet and creamy nuttiness, cedar and citrus peel. Retrohaling brings the heat and taste of black pepper spice. The finish is nuanced and decently long with cedar and black pepper spice. Strength is medium-full and body is medium.

HVC La Rosa 520 10 Year Anniversary Originales

Second Third

Aaron: As the second third begins, the black pepper becomes very mellow. At a quarter inch in, some mustiness joins the profile. The retrohale is now toasted cedar, earth and mild black pepper. At an inch in, the earth increases a bit. As the third comes to a close, the toasted cedar is up front, with the earth just ahead of the middle of the profile and some mustiness and black pepper in the back half. The strength remained at medium.
Seth: The second third is in line with the first. Not as peppery, with more of a focus on the dry earth, coffee beans and cream. Touches of mocha present with the wood and pepper. Dryer finish again with a strength and body just above the medium level.
John: The second third opens with a combination of creamy earth, wood and baking spices, with earth and wood teaming up on the finish. Through the post draw, earth begins to overpower the wood. Baking spices move into the post draw as the third settles in, matching the earth in intensity. Tannic wood develops on the post draw, while bread returns through the retrohale as the cigar approaches the halfway mark of the second third.
Jiunn: The second third’s flavor profile shifts to something that is less sweet and pastry like to more savory notes. There’s now added minerals, celery seeds, anise and a greater black pepper spice presence. Strength and body remains medium-full and medium, respectively.

HVC La Rosa 520 10 Year Anniversary Originales

Final Third

Aaron: As the final third begins, the mustiness increases a bit. The retrohale is now a musty mix of toasted cedar and earth. At three quarters of an inch in, the black pepper has departed and a light vegetal note has joined in. At an inch in, the earth bumps up to right behind the toasted cedar. As the cigar wraps up, the toasted cedar is just ahead of the earth, with mustiness just behind the middle of the profile and a vegetal note in the background. The strength bumped up to slightly above medium.
Seth: The final third is a continuation of the second third. Dryer earth flavor profile with mocha coffee and cream qualities. Wood, tobacco and pepper are present again on the finish with a touch of minerals. Medium to medium-full in strength and body. Like the first two thirds, a dryer profile.
John: The final third begins with creamy earth as medium tannic wood moves into the center of the profile, lingering through the finish and post draw where it is joined by baking spices. Earth on the post draw moves up to medium strength as the third continues. By the halfway point, earth recedes slightly to medium-minus before increasing again in the bottom half to medium-full.
Jiunn: The final third’s flavor production has decreased such that there’s less number of flavors. At this point it’s just a mixture of minerals and cedar. Interestingly enough, no harshness though, which is something I often get within the final third of new cigar reviews. Strength and body finishes the same medium-full and medium, respectively.

HVC La Rosa 520 10 Year Anniversary Originales

Burn

Aaron: The burn was a bit wavy throughout, but never needed any attention. The ash held on in inch and a quarter increments.
Seth: The burn was solid throughout. Not perfect, but solid.
John: The burn was wavy through the first third but eventually evened out. It was straight in the second third, but the cigar spontaneously went out at the halfway mark, requiring a re-light. The final third showed occasional waviness.
Jiunn: Burn performance was pretty atrocious. Numerous touch-ups due to wrapper burn issues, and in general cherry burns. The ashes were also flowery, which added salt to the wound.

HVC La Rosa 520 10 Year Anniversary Originales

Draw

Aaron: The draw was pretty snug throughout and may have constricted the flavor delivery a bit.
Seth: The draw was good from beginning to end.
John: I measured the draw at 80 inches of water with the Cigar Medics Draw Machine. Subjectively, I initially found the draw 4-½ to 5 notches towards the resistant spectrum, which would rate as Subpar. As the first third settled in, the draw opened up somewhat to 3-½ to 4 notches, which puts it in the Average range.
Jiunn: The draw on the other hand was perfect, giving the ideal air flow and resistance.

Overall

Aaron: The cigar began with toasted cedar, baking spice and some earth. Pretty quickly the baking spice transitioned to black pepper. The pepper later mellowed a bit. The second third saw the black pepper mellow a fair amount and some mustiness joined the profile. Later, the earth increased a bit. The final third saw the mustiness increase a bit and the earth bumped up to right behind the toasted cedar. The black pepper then departed and a light vegetal note joined the profile. The HVC La Rosa 520 10 Year Anniversary Originales had an average flavor profile throughout that was pretty linear and fairly mundane. Not sure if the tight draw effected flavor delivery, but it’s possible. Overall, not that interesting of a cigar and not something I’d see myself coming back to.
Seth: I enjoyed the HVC La Rosa 520 10 Year Anniversary Originales. I loved many aspects of the cigar. The cigar was constructed and looked beautiful in presentation, and it delivered a solid flavor profile from start to finish. I loved the pepper, dry earth, wood, coffee and cream combo. The burn and draw were solid, and it had a nice finish. The pricing is fantastic, and Reinier has been doing an incredible job at his new factory. He’s preserved and enhanced his brand with the establishment of his own factory.
John: The HVC La Rosa 520 10 Year Anniversary Originales delivered an engaging experience, particularly in the first and second thirds with creamy bread, baking spices, balanced wood and earth. Although the final third became heavier with earth and tannic wood, the cigar still managed to maintain enough complexity and balance earlier on to leave a positive impression. Construction was a rare miss for HVC, with the burn requiring one re-light, and the draw leaning into resistant. Overall, this was a good cigar experience and one I’d be interested in revisiting. Total smoking time was 2 hours and 38 minutes.
Jiunn: The HVC La Rosa 520 10 Year Anniversary Originales is a great tasting cigar that showed a great set of full flavors that also did a good job of transitioning. Even though the burn was annoyingly atrocious, it didn’t impact too much of the flavor delivery. But even with the burn issues, I’d return to this one for the tasty flavors.

Aaron Loomis

SCORE

5.35

Cost/Point

$2.43

Scoring System

Seth Geise

SCORE

6.67

Cost/Point

$1.95

Scoring System

John McTavish

SCORE

6.17

Cost/Point

$2.11

Scoring System

Jiunn Liu

SCORE

6.32

Cost/Point

$2.06

Scoring System

Team Cigar Review: HVC La Rosa 520 10 Year Anniversary Originales