Cigar Review: HVC Black Friday 2022

HVC Black Friday is the cigar industry official start of the holiday season. Move over Mariah Carey, this is something that won’t make you cringe. Since 2015, Reinier Lorenzo has released a cigar that is synonymous with the start of the Christmas Season, Black Friday. Each year the cigar is released with a new wrapper and a new size with this year being a 5.5 x 50 with an Ecuador grown Habano ‘ 92. Additionally the cigar has no ligero tobaccos in the blend utilizing only viso and seco leaves. Today marks the 5th review of the HVC Black Friday on The Cigar Authority. Past reviews and scores were:

HVC Black Friday 2021 (4 3/8 x 54 / Connecticut Broadleaf) – 95
HVC Black Friday Firecracker (3.5 x 50 / Nicaragua Habano) – 97
HVC Black Friday 2020 (5 5/8 x 46 / Nicaragua Habano Cafe) – 92
HVC Black Friday 2019 (4.5 x 52 / Habano Cafe) – 93

Where will the 2022 rank in comparison to previous years? Let’s find out!

Cigar Review: HVC Black Friday 2022
Wrapper: Ecuador Habano ’92
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua (Esteli & Jalapa)
Length: 5.5″
Ring Gauge: 50
Size: Robusto Extra
Humidimeter Reading: 65%

The Look: The HVC Black Friday utilizes the same band as last year denoting Black Friday de HVC in white text on a black band with gold embossing surrounding it. For the first time the cigar has a secondary band red in color with gold text denoting the year, 2022. The Black Friday 2022 has a gorgeous looking Habano ’92 wrapper with a rosado hue. In the hand the cigar is firm with no voids of tobacco with hefty weight to it.

The Notes: The cold draw has notes of graham cracker and honey with a touch of sunflower seeds while the aroma from the foot reveals a hint of marshmallows and subtle cedar. Once the cigar is toasted and lit there initials notes are sweet with a nice amount of pepper on the aroma and retrohale. Once the cigar is lit the sweetness of the Jalapa tobaccos are evident on the profile of the cigar which features honey, caramel and a touch of vanilla. The retrohale and resting aroma of the cigar provides some nuances of white pepper.

The half way point sees continued sweetness with a nice about of white pepper continuing to develop. Additionally there are notes of nuts, caramel, honey and cedar all of which work in unison creating a well balanced and complex flavor profile that makes this a delicious cigar.

As we approach the secondary band notes of baked bread, cinnamon, earth and white pepper captivate the palate. Despite there being no ligero in the cigar, the spice is there more than I would respect, but the cigar doesn’t have a lot of perceived nicotine. The result is a shorter finish that has a lot of flavor.

The Finish: Since these arrived my co-worker and I have been smoking them non-stop. I’ve gone through half a 50 count box over the last few days. It’s one of the most flavorful cigars I’ve had at this price range and it checks all the boxes for me. While I stop short at calling it the best Black Friday to date, it is second to the HVC Black Friday Firecracker. Reinier Lorenzo is producing winner after winner, and is definitely a manufacturer that should be around for a long time.

Score: 96
Price: $8.69 / $383.99 (Box of 50)