The real name for the HVC Hot Cake Broadleaf is a bit longer. Officially the cigar is known as HVC Hot Cake Fresh Out of the Oven Broadleaf which makes me shake the head. Marketing 101 teaches that less is more. Coca-Cola is known as Coke. The Facebook became Facebook. You will never hear me refer to the cigar by its full name, it is almost as narcissistic and pompous as putting Mr. in front of your first name wanting people use it in all the time. Unless you’re a hairdresser, then you get a free pass.
The history of the Hot Cake goes back to 2016 when HVC would release Pan Caliente as a limited edition which translated to Hot Cake. In 2020, the cigar would go into regular production as Hot Cake (less is more, right?), with a San Andres wrapper. In 2023, the Golden Hot Cake would be released with an Ecuador Connecticut and now in 2024 is the Broadleaf edition.
Cigar Review: HVC Hot Cake Broadleaf
Size: 5.5 x 52
Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder: Nicaragua (Jalapa)
Fillers: Nicaragua (Esteli & Nicaragua
Factory: Fabrica de Tabacos HVC S.A.
Release Date: July 2024
Box Count: 25
The Cigar: Torpedos. I almost never smoke them because if you are caught without a cutter you are screwed. Until I moved to NH, I almost never carried a cutter after picking up the habit in Miami of carefully biting the cap of my cigar. If you know what you are doing, it can easily be done and most people looking at my cigar can’t tell the difference. That is until I worked for a retailer who chewed me out that he was in the business to sell cutters and I was setting a bad example and let’s just say I was persuaded to buy one.
The HVC Broadleaf has a brindle looking wrapper that is a bit thinner than most Broadleaf wrappers with barely noticeable veins. The band of black, gold and white denoting Hot Cake is complimented by a black foot band. In the hand the cigar is firm with no voids of tobacco.
The Notes: Sometimes I love the crazy notes I get on the cold draw and am thankful they don’t carry over to the actual smoking experience. That is the case with the HVC Hot Cake Broadleaf as the cold draw is a throwback to my youth with a Fun Dip flavor profile. Additionally there is a sour apple, caramel and subtle chocolate shavings while the foot serves up chocolate, cedar and a subtle earth.
As we smoke the first third of this exceptionally smooth expression of Broadleaf there are notes of cinnamon that come and go, chocolate and leather tannins. As the first comes to a close roasted coffee beans begin to emerge that are intensified on the retrohale that also sees some bread notes.
In the second third, notes of coffee beans intensify with some subtle cinnamon and chocolate remaining in the background. The leather tannins remain on the retrohale which also has some raisin sweetness, day old bread, and coffee. It’s incredibly well rounded with a lot of flavor and oh so smooth.
The final third is loaded with coffee notes and in the background there is continued chocolate and leather tannins with the slightest wisp of cinnamon. As the cigar rests between puffs there is an abundance of black pepper on the nose and the retrohale with a lot of coffee beans.
Conclusion: It feels like every HVC release tops the prior one. If you knew of HVC more than 10 years ago versus what they are now you can see how Reinier mastered his trade or was at least getting close to that. You can look at Reinier Lorenzo and see the similarities to another manufacturer even though they have a different background.
While the flavor profile of this cigar was pretty constant throughout, it was tasty with a well defined flavor profile.This HVC Hot Cake Broadleaf is an outstanding smoke and is something I see in my rotation for a long time to come. I’ve already smoked 5 of them this week and see even more in the foreseeable future.
Score: 95
Price: $15.00 (Before any local or state taxes)
The HVC Hot Cake Broadleaf is available via Small Batch Cigar https://www.smallbatchcigar.com/hot-cake-broadleaf-by-hvc-cigars and be sure to use the coupon code BARRELBURNER to save 10%
