Wrapper: Nicaraguan Criollo ‘98
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Size: 6 X 52 “Toro”
Body: Medium
Price: $9.60
Number of Cigars Smoked Prior to Review: 0
Accompanying Libation: Pennzoil 10/40
Today we take a look at the new HVC Vieja Cosecha No.1.
BACKGROUND:
The owner of this company is Reinier Lorenzo. HVC is an abbreviation of Havana City, Cuba where Lorenzo grew up.
HVC has two other blends: Cerro and The City Lines.
HVC does not have a web site but they do have a Face Book page.
I found very little background information on HVC and Lorenzo.
I do know that his cigars were blended at: Fábrica de Tabacos Raíces Cubanas S. de R.L.
And were released in August, 2014. Only 200 boxes of 20 count were released so by this time, you gotta be pretty lucky to find them. Mine was gifted to me by the lovely Johnny Piette of Prime Cigar right here in Milwaukee County. That store has become very cutting edge and if you are looking for something; this is the place to call: (262) 754-5220. Prime Cigar doesn’t sell online but they will take orders over the phone and ship them. Remember, Wisconsin has one of the lowest cigar taxes around. I am always amazed at the prices when I visit. Really damn low.
OK. Enough of the pitch. Back to the review.
I found that Vieja Cosecha translates into “Old Crop.”
DESCRIPTION:
At first glance, the cigar is very striking. Sort of like the Monolith in “2001: A Space Odyssey.”
The stick is solid as a rock. But when gently squeezed, just the right give is allowed. The semi-oily wrapper is a reddish brown. The wrapper feels just the tiniest bit toothy.
The triple cap goes way past expertly done. There are a minimum amount of veins.
A beautiful stick.
The double cigar band is obvious in that the top one merely says “HVC.” The secondary band says: “Vieja Cosecha” and below that, it says: “Tabacos Limitados.”
AROMAS AND COLD DRAW NOTES:
The cigar has had considerable humidor time. On the shaft, the aromas are so faint as to find it difficult to describe. There is a bit of sweetness and earthiness.
On the freshly clipped cap and foot, I can smell earthiness, raisins, sweetness, wood, barnyard, black licorice, spice, and leather.
On the cold draw, I can taste very rich earthiness, sweetness, herbal notes, cedar, salt, and leather.
FIRST THIRD:
Right off the bat, delicious flavors unfold: Toasty bread, roasted salted peanuts, espresso, creaminess, earthiness, a slowly building spice element.
There is a nice warmth to the early stage of the HVC Vieja Cosecha No.1.
More flavors join the fray: floral notes, chocolate, peanuts transition to peanut butter, and French vanilla, and Crème brûlée. I can taste the caramelized sugar.
“Vanilla bean varieties are often named for where they’re grown, like Madagascar, Tahiti and Mexico. That’s not the case with French vanilla. The name refers not to a vanilla variety but to the classic French way of making ice cream using an egg-custard base.”
A very slow smoke.
The char line is a bit wavy but no corrections needed.
The strength is a straight ahead medium body. But my gut tells me we are going for the gold and will hit full body somewhere in the middle half of the cigar.
With only 1-1/8” smoked, the Vieja Cosecha No.1 begins to take on that characteristic that tells the smoker “Look out….I’m going to really do a number on your palate.”
The spiciness doesn’t reach what I had expected. It is somewhere in the middle of the flavor list. I’m wood shedding on what the strength is supposed to be. I couldn’t find information regarding this. At this early stage, the Vieja Cosecha No.1 is a solid medium body. Will it get stronger? I hope so.
The sun begins to peek its glory from beneath the dreary dark clouds. You can see that sunshine brings out the reddish tinge to the wrapper.
The creaminess envelops the entire flavor profile and makes it cohesive. Creaminess makes everything taste better. Ever wonder how a blender grows and processes a leaf so that it takes on the elusive “Creaminess?” I mean, really, who da’ thunk that the flavor of cream would be in cigar tobacco? We are all used to it but I now ponder on it. Give me a few minutes to ponder and I will be right back.
SECOND THIRD:
Let’s start off with the list of flavors: Creaminess, chocolate, sweetness, coffee, peanuts, spice, floral notes, caramel, vanilla, earthiness, leather, and cedar. No particular order.
The sun breaks on through to the other side and now you should get a good look at the gorgeous wrapper.
It appears that the sweet spot is about to pounce at any moment.
The Vieja Cosecha No.1 is now very meaty. And manly. I don’t know what that means other than to say the cigar is stout, bold, and afraid of its wife. Aren’t we all? Especially when we spend money on cigars?
The draw has been spot on since the start.
I was right. The Sweet Spot has landed.
It is here that the Vieja Cosecha No.1 finds its complexity. Like a well-tuned sports car, the blend has taken off ahead of the pack.
The floral notes move to the near top of the list of flavors. I can even smell them now. Like Honeysuckle.
I get a slight taste of dill. Which replaces the small dose of saltiness. I wonder, can you smoke a pickle? If so, then Donovan’s song would have been called “Mellow Green.” But the excessive amount of salt would eventually give you a headache.
Very, very complex at this point. Nice balance and long finish. Nice cigar blend Reinier Lorenzo!
The strength remains at medium body. But the Flavor Profile is pedal to the metal.
This is a great blend for experienced palates as well as newbies.
That meaty part I mentioned earlier reminds me of a Slim Jim. I used to love those things until I read what’s in them.
I hear my dog finally waking up upstairs. She likes to sleep in. There is no way she will get up at 7:00-7:30 when I do. She likes to sleep in to around 9:00 or later.
HALFWAY POINT:
And the Queen of Sheba saunters down the stairs. Directs me to let her outside. I stand in the kitchen tapping my foot holding the cat who tries to make a dash through the open door. Ebba, a German name for a boxer dog, then waits while I feed her a light breakfast. And then lies down next to me while I write. I wish someone would fix my breakfast.
The Vieja Cosecha No.1 is a masterful blend. Milder than I expected but the massive pile up of flavors and subtleties make up for that. My preference is for the stronger cigars. But once in a while, you find a gem that is mild/medium and chock full of character and flavors. This be the one mateys.
Smoke time is close to an hour now.
I love taking a sip of water after a puff. Flavors just explode, like a lemon cream pie to the puss, with a good blend.
I really have to thank Johnny Piette for the sample. He is one of my angels that keeps me in cigars. He sent me a Cuban Bolivar that I can’t wait to review. It’s a Royal Corona in a red tubo.
Creaminess continues to be the dominant flavor. Spice remains in the middle. The chocolate becomes stronger. The sweetness is right behind. The nutty flavor tops everything off. The rest of the flavors have become tertiary.
LAST THIRD:
The strength makes its move. It is a tick above medium body now. Along with that move comes a scoche of nicotine. Thank goodness the dog is lying next to me so I have something soft to land on when the nicotine makes me pass out. Instead of me wearing the crash helmet, I now put it on Ebba. Makes more sense.
The Vieja Cosecha No.1 is screaming laughter now. It’s like a sea of swarming simbas.
Flavors are so over the top that I can’t help but smile while I write.
I have to be honest. I wasn’t aware of this brand until Johnny sent one to me. Good ol’ Johnny. He has introduced me to lots of unknown brands to me. But when small boutique brands think of who to send their cigars for review out, they don’t think of the Katman. Bloody shame.
I did get some samples yesterday from buddy, Eddie Ortega. His new Larceny collection of two blends. Can always count on Eddie.
The Vieja Cosecha No.1 is on cruise control.
I truly like the pattern of late. Readers send me cigars that have aged nicely and are rarin’ to go.
This way, I get to taste the blender’s intent. Meanwhile, the other reviewers don’t dare let the cigar sit for more than a month because they are treated as cigar news services. They can’t dawdle.
In that respect, I have sympathy for these reviewers. They are expected to keep up with the latest trends and must report on them as quickly as possible. Meanwhile, I get to lie back because I’m not a news service. Works out great for me.
I mean, so what? What if I do review the cigar months or even years after its release? My reviews still end up on the first page of all of the search engines.
The Vieja Cosecha No.1 is so dense and rich with flavor that I know I am missing out on describing all of the flavors this cigar provides.
Giant kudos go out to Reinier Lorenzo. This gentleman is a true master of his profession.
The Vieja Cosecha No.1 finishes cleanly. No harshness. No heat. No bitterness.
I highly recommend the Vieja Cosecha No.1.
PRICE POINT:
Almost $10. Normally, I would rail about the price. But with boutique brands I have to consider that the whole process for manufacturing cigars is more expensive.
Based on that, the Vieja Cosecha No.1 is worth every nickel of its price.
SUMMATION:
This was a fantastic cigar experience. I went into this completely blind and had no preconceptions.
Final smoke time was 95 minutes. You get your money’s worth.
The complexity of the Vieja Cosecha No.1 really sells the blend. It is never boring and in constant flux. Each puff brings something new to the table.
The strength will be good for the experienced smoker and newbies alike.
A lot of my readers like to smoke the cigar while reading my review.
I’ve gotten a lot of feedback from them on how they got to experience everything I described. This is very gratifying for me.
I’d love to have a box of these. Are they worth it? Hell, yeah!
Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS
Cigar Reviews by Phil 'Katman' Kohn 
Leave a Reply