Pre-light Experience

Aaron: The wrapper on the HVC Selección No. 1 Esenciales is dark brown, with some lighter marbling, a thick vein running down the back along with some toothiness throughout. The seams are smooth and the caps well applied. The band is red, gold and white and denotes the company and line names. The aroma from the wrapper is a mix of dark earth and bakers chocolate while the foot brings a light mix of wood and earth. The pre-light draw brings a light mix of wood and creamy floral notes along with a mild spiciness on my lips.
Seth: Beautiful cigar in hand. Colorado Maduro to Maduro in coloring, the HVC Selección No. 1 Esenciales has a great choloate coloring with some red present as well. Firm throughout, the cigar sports some tooth with medium sized veins. Cap applied well. Cigar has aromas of strong tobacco, rich earth, chocolate, pepper, oak and spices.
John: The HVC Selección No. 1 Esenciales comes in cellophane, and has a UPC sticker with an integrated tear space so it remains intact when opened. The cigar featured a single primary band, and for aromas from the wrapper, I picked up on aged wood from a spirit barrel, vegetation, hay and dusty tobacco. From the foot, sweet tobacco and mild raisin.
Jiunn: The HVC Selección No. 1 Esenciales has a Colorado Maduro wrapper shade. Veins are well pressed, seams tight, bunch and roll even and head well wrapped and capped. Aromas from the wrapper give heavy cedar and construction paper. Foot aromas tell roasted nuts and hay. Cold draw reveals hay and cedar.

Team Cigar Review: HVC Selección No. 1 Esenciales

First Third

Aaron: The cigar begins with toasted oak, dark earth, bold black pepper and a light meatiness. The retrohale is toasted oak, earth and mid-level black pepper zing. At an inch in, the pepper begins to mellow. As the third comes to a close, the toasted oak is just ahead of the dark earth, with black pepper a bit further behind and light meatiness in the background. The strength was medium-full.
Seth: The first third starts out with great cedar and cocoa powder qualities. Earth, oak and leather present as well. Strong tobacco notes with lots of black pepper on the finish. Medium-full in strength and body.
John: The initial flavors were creamy chocolate along with molasses as spices and wood combine into the post draw finish. The chocolate moves up to medium strength as the spices move up to medium-full strength. Just a few puffs later, the spices are all the way to full strength. The massively intense spices come down to just over medium as it settles, giving my palate some reprieve. As the first third progresses, a chewy leather and earth pair up on the post draw and bring some sweetness with them. Heading towards the halfway point, chocolate is leading off the flavors as the finish is still leather, earth, sweetness and medium spices.
Jiunn: The first third presents a full rustic flavor experience. Meaty, spicy and dirty earth. On the retrohale, twice the dried red pepper spice as compared to mouth draws. The finish gives a semi gritty dirt and trailing dried red pepper spice. Medium-full strength and medium body.

Team Cigar Review: HVC Selección No. 1 Esenciales

Second Third

Aaron: As the second third begins, the earth becomes even with the toasted oak up front. At a half inch in, the meatiness has departed. The retrohale is now toasted oak, earth and light, creamy black pepper. At an inch in, the toast level becomes pretty heavy. As the third comes to a close, heavily toasted oak and earth are even up front while black pepper is a bit behind. The strength is now slightly above medium.
Seth: The second third is stronger and richer than the first. Notes of chocolate cake, tobacco, oak, leather and tobacco. Pepper spices with cedar on the finish. Mocha quality as well. Full in strength and body.
John: The second third gets going with chocolate, creamy nuts and leather with sweetness to finish. Creamy leather is driving the profile as it settles in, and leather is also present in the center of the profile. Sweet earth defining the post draw in the bottom half.
Jiunn: The second third is still a rustic and full flavored experience. The profile’s spice level ante’s up a notch in all facets (mouth draws, retros, finish). Strength and body continues to be medium-full and medium, respectively.

Team Cigar Review: HVC Selección No. 1 Esenciales

Final Third

Aaron: As the final third begins, the toast level mellows slightly. The retrohale is now an even mix of toasted oak and earth with a lightly zingy black pepper. At an inch in, the toast level picks back up and brings a light bitterness to the profile. As the third comes to a close, the profile is heavily toasted oak and earth up front with black pepper and bitterness in the background. The strength bumped back up to medium-full.
Seth: The final third was a little bit stronger than the first third. I am still getting the chocolate cake and mocha qualities, but there is more tobacco, leather, wood and peppery spice present. Full in strength and body.
John: Creamy leather continues into the last third, with sweet earth and vegetation combining in the center of the profile. Anise adds to the end of the draw, mixing with leather and earth as it continues. Creamy spices lead off, progressing towards the halfway point, with mild leather and earth into the post draw.
Jiunn: The final third’s profile tames it down. The experience is still rustic but with less flavors as compared to the first two thirds. At this point, its mainly gritty dirt and cedar. Strength is still medium-full, and body still medium.

Team Cigar Review: HVC Selección No. 1 Esenciales

Burn

Aaron: The burn was straight throughout, and the ash held on in one inch increments.
Seth: Very good burn from start to finish.
John: The draw was pretty flawless through the entire review.
Jiunn: Amazing burn performance. Even burn, tight ashes, cool burning temperature and ample smoke production.

Team Cigar Review: HVC Selección No. 1 Esenciales

Draw

Aaron: The draw was perfect, with just the right amount of resistance that I prefer.
Seth: Great draw.
John: The draw was a minor amount towards the open spectrum, roughly one notch, putting it well in the range for an ideal draw.
Jiunn: Amazing draw performance as well, giving the best balance of air flow and resistance.

Overall

Aaron: The cigar began with toasted oak, dark earth, bold black pepper and a light meatiness. The second third saw the meatiness depart and the toast become very heavy. The final third saw some light bitterness join in. Construction was absolutely perfect. The HVC Selección No. 1 Esenciales began with with a nice level of strength and body. As the earth became even up front in the second third, things dropped a level and maintained that the rest of the way. I really wish the dynamic of the first third had lasted longer, but it seemed to run out of steam from the second third on. The cigar is fairly heavy in both body and strength, so maybe a cigar better fit for the evening after a nice meal. I’m interested in trying some of the other vitolas, to see if the profile from the first third can hang on longer. Not a cigar I’d come back to all that often, but from time to time, I could see it.
Seth: This HVC Selección No. 1 Esenciales was a really good cigar, and a cigar I would come back to over and over again. A strong cigar that has a flavor profile to my liking as well. Wood, leather, earth and cocoa qualities. Lots of pepper. I would smoke these all the time. Bring it on first thing in the morning. With that being said, this cigar lingers on the palate after smoking. It is great to see some awesome corona gordas released in 2022.
John: The HVC Selección No. 1 Esenciales was a pleasure to review, with a wide range of flavors that complimented and balanced each other through each third. The draw and burn were both perfect. This was one of the better cigars I reviewed out of the 2022 releases, and one I would be actively seeking out at the next opportunity. Total smoking time was 1 hour and 43 minutes.
Jiunn: Deep and rustic flavors for the vast majority of the HVC Selección No. 1 Esenciales equals winner, winner cigar dinner. If Reinier moving production to Fabrica de Tabacos HVC means cigars that taste like this, then allow me to give an early medal. Will gladly smoke more of these.

Aaron Loomis

SCORE

6.10

Cost/Point

$1.38

Scoring System

Seth Geise

SCORE

7.42

Cost/Point

$1.13

Scoring System

John McTavish

SCORE

7.17

Cost/Point

$1.17

Scoring System

Jiunn Liu

SCORE

6.82

Cost/Point

$1.23

Scoring System

Team Cigar Review: HVC Selección No. 1 Esenciales