AVO XO | Cigar Review

By Cigar Reviews by the Katman on October 27, 2013 • ( 1 )

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican
Size: 5.5 x 50 “Intermezzo”
Body: Medium
Price: $7.50 by the box

This is not a limited release as AVO likes to do on occasion. It is a full production cigar. It comes in 7 sizes, all of which are basically small cigars, allowing the smoker to get some real oomph in the flavor profile. I am glad there is no behemoth 6 x 60.

Avo Uzevian is a master musician and keys player. He chose to use musical terms for the cigar names. Prices range from $6-$9 each. I had to dig around the online stores because no one sells all 7 blends.

Presto: 3.75 x 43
Allegro: 4.5 x 34
Notturno: 5 x 42
Serenata: 5.75 x 38
Preludio: 6 x 40
Intermezzo: 5.5 x 50
Maestoso: 7 x 48

The cigar is not a “looker.” The wrapper is the color of Bambi’s mom. The seams are visible. And there are a lot of veins both big and small. It appears to have a single cap. The wrapper has a matte finish devoid of oiliness. The stick has a few soft spots and overall, the cigar feels under filled with tobacco.

I clip the cap and find aromas of spice, cedar, nutmeg, fresh bread, and a touch of cinnamon.
Time to light up.

The first puffs are sweet and nutty…like me. There is some exotic type of fruit at hand but I can’t quite put my finger on it yet. The stick has an easy draw. I get a dose of sweet cedar. A bit of red pepper lurks in the background. A creaminess appears but it is part of another flavor. Again, I’m stumped.

I put the cigar down, sip some water and take a couple of photos. I sit down and put the cigar in my mouth and it comes to me….Vernor’s ginger ale. Sounds nuts, I know.

It doesn’t taste like fresh ginger and that is what stumped me. Another elusive flavor turns out to be sourdough bread…the good stuff, not supermarket sourdough.

While the price of $7.50 a stick is normal for just about all the online stores; expect to pay more at your local B & M…I got a 5 pack on Cbid for $20.00; or $4 a pop.

I was right about the chintzy parceling out of tobacco in this cigar. It is burning too fast. All of a sudden, after 20 minutes, I’m at the halfway point. And that is where the sweet spot is.

I’m getting a rush of flavors with the creaminess and mixed nuts leading the charge. Behind it is the bread and ginger ale. The sweetness takes over from here and the red pepper is just hanging on for dear life. Besides the aforementioned flavors, there are no more enticements. The body started out mild and by the end of the first third, hit medium.

It’s a pleasant smoke but not my style. Reminds me of a Macanudo. A nice package of respectable leaves, construction ain’t half bad, and some flavor to keep you interested. But no oomph power.

Depending on which online store you frequent, the description will either say mild or medium bodied. It’s a little of both.

Thank goodness for the nuts and creaminess. They are very dominant in the minimal flavor profile. And of course, most of us love a good creamy, nutty pie.

I’m in the last third. No changes. The cigar is at classic medium body. As I look closely at the sloppy cap, I think I see more than one cap. It may be a double, or even triple. The thing is when a cigar has a triple cap, the PR machine blasts its bugles loud and clear and there was none of that. So maybe I’m having a flash back. Oooh…the colors.

The cigar band comes off taking some wrapper with it.

The spiciness has returned in spades. My eyes are gushing and I can breathe clearly. The flavors, what there are, are very potent and pleasing.
While I am not a golfer, this has to be a secondary favorite next to Macanudo. The AVO cigar bands are simple and elegant. The combination of gold trim on a peach colored background is well done. It makes the cigar look expensive.

The cedar returns. And it brings with it, the sweetness that had dissipated by the first half. There is now a toasty quality. The ginger ale and sourdough bread are gone; leaving only the sweetness, cedar, creaminess, and nuts left to please the smoker.

At $4 a stick, it is in the price range it should be at. $7.50 is too much. I can think of dozens and dozens of cigars in that same price range that are light years better than this cigar.

If an easy going cigar is your thing, then this stick is for you. Just don’t pay retail when Cbid hits the right price point.