About HVC & Fine Tobacco Club
Reinier Lorenzo founded HVC Cigars in 2011. Lorenzo is a Cuban national whose goal is to continue the rich traditions of Cuban-style cigars. HVC stands for Havana City, Cuba, and the cigar vitolas, bands, and names are homages to their namesake.
Matthias Clock founded Fine Tobacco Club (formerly known as Fine Tobacco NYC) in 2011. What originally started as a review blog for cigars and spirits evolved into an events community. Fine Tobacco Club has organized events at New York’s best cigar destinations, including The Carnegie Club and Davidoff of Geneva. The fine tobacco team has grown to include David Alicea, Kelvin Batista, Kevin Sun, and Jason Benabe.
Cigar Details
Fine Tobacco Club’s inaugural release hit the shelves in November of 2025. The first cigar under the Ledger Series banner was blended in collaboration with Reinier Lorenzo of HVC cigars. Lorenzo handled the production at HVC’s Fábrica de Tabacos HVC S.A. de Reinier Lorenzo in Nicaragua. The Ledger Series Vol. 1’s production is very limited, with a 5,000-cigar run packed into bundles of 10 cigars each. The vitola is a 5.5 x 50 Robusto Extra. As for the blend, the wrapper is an Ecuadorian Habano 92, with a Nicaraguan Corojo 99 binder and Nicaraguan fillers.
Visual Inspection & Pre-Light
The wrapper is oily and light brown, finished with a triple cap. The aromas on the foot and wrapper are of rich cedar and wet leaves. The draw is slightly snug with notes of vanilla and cedar.
First Third
The cigar begins with powerful smoke output. The palate notes are of vanilla, tea crackers, dry earth, and cedar. The retrohale has tones of vanilla and whipped cream with a healthy dose of white and red pepper. The strength of flavor is medium-plus. The finish is long with notes of pepper and cream. The overall profile has not pulled any punches so far. It’s sweet and spicy, with a very unique vanilla at its core. The burn line is lightly wavy, but is self-correcting, and the draw is perfect.
Second Third
I’m picking up notes of cedar, vanilla, hay, and light earth on the palate. The retrohale is showing creamy vanilla, light-roasted coffee, and white pepper. The strength of flavor has reduced slightly to medium. The smoke output remains excellent. The finish is medium with notes of cedar and vanilla. The spice has calmed considerably, revealing nuances of cream and coffee. The core flavor is a creamy vanilla, with some cedar and spice. The ash flaked off earlier than I expected, but the burn and construction are excellent otherwise.
Final Third
The notes on the palate are cedar, oak, vanilla, and light earth. The retrohale has notes of vanilla, light-roasted coffee, and white pepper. The strength of flavor remains at medium. The smoke output remains excellent. The finish is medium with notes of oak and vanilla. The overall profile has dried out slightly, with a woody vanilla taking center stage. The ash, burn, and construction remained solid. Past the band, the flavors continued to dry, with the primary flavors being of wood and vanilla. I put the Ledger Series Vol. 1 down with just under an inch left.
Conclusions
The Ledger Series Vol. 1 is a vibrant and powerful Ecuadorian Habano blend. The collaboration with Reinier Lorenzo yielded a cigar that showcases a lot of what I love about HVC’s blending techniques. The profile started with a bang of vanilla sweetness and a potent hit of spice, then found its footing at a medium strength, with a delicious core of vanilla, coffee, and cedar. The sticker price is $13, which is spot-on for where I’d price these. I’m really excited to see what Matthias Clock and the rest of the Fine Tobacco Club team can do with the Ledger series. Fine Tobacco Club’s journey is only just beginning, and if you’d like to get on for the ride, you know where to start.
