Avo Heritage Robusto (4.875x50)

Aside from some of the Avo LE's that have been around in prior years, I have never been a real fan of this line of smokes.  They have always just seemed too overpriced and too underdeveloped for me to think of any of them as more than average.  As is usually the case with cigar lines that I have no positive feelings for someone recommended this cigar to me and I reluctantly agreed to give it whirl, after all it only takes an hour or so to smoke a robusto, I had an hour and being a glutton for cigar punishment I settled in with low expectations.

The cigar itself is typical of most Avo's I have seen.  It is beautiful.  Well constructed, flawless wrapper, distinct color, nice firm structure and I wish all cigars were made this way.  I have always found the visuals of Avo to be nothing short of stunning.  Even the band work has a simple elegance.  The pre light aroma is all oak and spice.  The pre light draw is all oak as well.

The cigar opens with a profile that is obvious, you guessed it, wood!  With all the oaken essence in the inspection I would expect nothing more.  This is one of the woodiest profiles I have ever experienced, I am getting the suspicion that if other were around they would be calling for the helo drop of water because it would smell like a forest fire with all the burning wood essence I am getting.  The flavor is pleasing, but one dimensional, and I would like some more complexity and depth here.  At the back of the palate there is a touch of toasty tobacco flavor, but it is mostly of wood as well.  The draw is solid, delivering nice amounts of smoke with each draw.  I prefer it to be a but tighter, but that's just my subjective view.  The burn is solid also, exactly what I would expect from a cigar that is well made as this one does.

The first half of the cigar continues to show strong flavors of wood.  There are some fleeting toasty tobacco flavors and a touch of spice, but the wood is still center stage here.  At the back of the palate there are some light hints of earth and touches of cinnamon, but wood maintains it's leading role here as well.  There is some additional complexity and depth, but the balance is still way off, there is just too much wood in this smoke at this point for me.  The draw is opening some more and it becomes borderline for me as it gets looser.  The burn is still very solid, but the ash is flaky.

The final half of the smoke continues to show mostly wood flavors, they have become more robust and a bit spicy, but it is still wood.  The additional robustness of the woody flavors masks some other flavors that may be going on and I find that disappointing.  At the back of the palate there is some light tobacco flavor and some more light cinnamon, but the woody flavor continues here as well.  I am just wanting more from this smoke throughout.  The draw stays acceptable, but it is too loose for me by the end.  The burn was excellent throughout.

The finish was long and woody, almost hickory like.

This is one of the better Avo offerings I have smoked, and I could see doing it again if I wanted this particular flavor profile.

Appearance- 93 really enjoyable to look at
Taste- 85 very average for me and lacking in depth and complexity, but the wood flavor is a nice change of pace
Construction- 89 draw was too loose by the end, the burn was fine
Strength- 87 a nice medium, more strength may have helped the cause
Overall- 88 A solid score for cigar that did not offer much but one solid one dimensional flavor

Avo Companero

This is a limited edition cigar for 2009. The cigar is something to behold in a vitola that is large and bulky, yet somehow still elegant. The wrapper is a rich, dark brown shade and has a nice oily sheen, there are some prominent veins. The construction appears to be excellent, I do not detect any spots that are too firm, or areas that indicate that the cigar might be underfilled. The pre light aroma has hints of spice, leather and grass. The pre light draw shows some peppery notes, but there is a grassy undertone.

The cigar opens well, with some notes of spice and tobacco. There is a grassy undertone that detracts from the opening experience. The burn is razor sharp and the ash is a very crisp white. The draw is slightly tight, but there is not an undue amount of labor required to produce acceptable amounts of smoke. For the first inch to inch and a half the grassy notes are the only detractors from this cigar.

At near the one third point of the cigar the profile has notes of spice, tobacco and a sweet herbal note. The grassy notes are still noticable at the back of the palate, but are fading away. The burn has stayed strong, but there is some flaking of the ash that causes a bit of a mess. The draw has opened up and is producing clouds of flavorful smoke.

At just past halfway the profile is showing notes of leather, rich tobacco and dark wood flavors. There is still an herbal tone at the back of the palate that is threatening to become grassy again. The burn and draw have stayed consistent.

The final half of the smoke shows a profile of leather, tobacco and grassy notes. The burn and draw stay true throughout the smoke showing excellent construction.

The finish is a bit sharp, showing notes of grass, tobacco and leather.

Appearance- 90 this is a very nicely presented cigar
Taste- 86 this would have been much higher without the grassy notes that pester the palate
Construction- 89 the tightness of the draw and flaky ash hurt this score
Strength- 91 a nice full presentation
Overall- 89 an excellent presentation that shows aging potential

Avo Tesoro Limited Edition 2008

This was the featured cigar at an Avo event at my local brick and mortar. I will say that meeting Avo Uvezian is an experience that every cigar smoker should have. The cigar presents with a medium brown wrapper that has no flaws, the cigar seems to be well constructed. The pre light aroma is herbal and shows some grassy notes. The pre light draw has an herbal character as well.

The cigar begins with a profile that is herbal and grassy. The draw is perfect and the burn is solid. The profile maintains this quality for the first inch and a half.

At the two inch mark the profile takes on a leathery note, but is still hindered by thin, grassy notes. The draw and the burn have stayed solid to this point.

At the halfway point, the profile has maintained a leathery character, but there are slight notes of cream. The thin, grassy character continues to hinder this cigar. The draw and the burn stay strong.

The final half of the cigar shows notes of leather, pepper and grass. The burn and the draw are still strong. This is my least favorite of the Avo LE offerings of the past 8 years. I have found several of the previous offerings to be excellent.

The finish is short and grassy.

Appearance- 90 a nice looking cigar, that was a bit dry looking
Taste- 83 the grassy notes throughout the profile hurt the score
Construction- 92 this is a well made cigar
Strength- 85 an unremarkable medium
Overall- 87.5 a slightly above average score saved by construction and appearance