Origin : Dominican Republic
Format : Short Robusto
Size : 4 x 52
Wrapper : Connecticut Ecuador
Filler : Nicaraguan, Dominican, and Peruvian Olancho
Binder : Dominican Republic
Hand-Made
Price : ~$8 each

If you are an Avo fan, then you know that Avo Uvezian has his roots as a jazz pianist. Calling on that background, he has named this blend the Avo “Syncro” after the concept of musical synchronization. The goal with this cigar was to “synchronize” the experience of smoking Dominican and Nicaraguan tobaccos. The cigar also contains tobaccos from Ecuador and Peru. The Nicaraguan tobacco is of particular interest as it comes from a volcanic island in the center of Lake Nicaragua called Ometepe. Is the Avo Syncro Nicaragua truly a “synchronization” of tobacco flavors? I smoked the Short Robusto to find out.

Read the full review of Avo Syncro Nicaragua Short Robusto…

Origin : Dominican Republic
Format : Super Robusto
Size : 5 ½ x 55
Wrapper : Ecuador
Filler : Dominican Republic
Binder : Mexico
Hand-Made
Price : $15 each MSRP

Having been formally introduced to the cigar market in March 2010 (to celebrate AVO Uvezian’s 84th birthday), with only 10,000 cigars being produced, the AVO Limited Edition 2010 is now far from fresh on many cigar smoker’s minds. The AVO LE 10’s were available in boxes of 10 that used to retail for $150.00 a box. Today, these can only be found on the aftermarket.

Read the full review of AVO Limited Edition 2010…

Origin : Dominican Republic
Format : Short Torpedo
Size : 4 1/2 x 52
Wrapper : Ecuadorian Sungrown
Filler : Dominican Republic
Binder : Dominican Republic
Hand-Made
Price : ~$8 each

The Heritage line was introduced as a stronger budget blend within the AVO portfolio. It includes a number of other sizes besides the Short Torpedo that I’m smoking today, some of them have already been reviewed here: the Churchill, the Robusto, the Short Corona, the Short Robusto, and the Toro. AVO cigars tend to be pretty pricey, but you can get all of the Heritage cigars for under $10 apiece. I paid $7.90 for the Short Torpedo, excited to try one of AVO’s more affordable cigars.

Read the full review of Avo Heritage Short Torpedo…

Origin : Dominican Republic
Format : Belicoso
Size : 6 x 52
Wrapper : Ecuador Sungrown
Filler : Dominican Republic
Binder : Dominican Republic
Hand-Made
Price : $15 each

Owned by Davidoff Geneva but masterminded by Avo Uvezian, the brand AVO was founded in 1988. After many years of success Avo Uvezian began releasing limited edition cigars to mark and celebrate his own birthday. Today I will be reviewing the AVO 80th Anniversary which was released in 2006 (7+ years of age on it). The release is only available in one size (Belicoso), just as with all the limited editions, so without further ado…

Read the full review of AVO 80th Anniversary…

Origin : Dominican Republic
Format : Diadema
Size : 6.5 x 54
Wrapper : Ecuadorian Sun Grown
Filler : Dominican & Peruvian
Binder : Dominican Piloto
Hand-Made
Price : ~$15 each

The AVO 86th Anniversary cigar, “La Trompeta”, is a Limited Edition release to celebrate the 86th anniversary of Avo Uvezian. The name “La Trompeta” means the work of his lifetime — both music and cigars.

Read the full review of Avo La Trompeta 86th Anniversary Limited Edition…

Origin : Dominican Republic
Format : Diadema
Size : 6.6 x 50
Wrapper : Dominican Republic
Filler : Dominican Republic
Binder : Peru
Hand-Made
Price : $17.50 MSRP

Avo 85th Anniversary is the annual release celebrating Avo Uvezian’s birthday. The first one was released 10 years ago and since then it has become a tradition. I have tasted several of these releases and it has been hit or miss. In particular, the 2008 Tesoro didn’t impress me much. However, the 2011 release has collected mostly positive reviews and I couldn’t resist picking a sampler when I stopped by the Davidoff shop in Geneva. Unlike most other Avo smokes, this is not a Dominican puro. The 6.6 x 50 Diadema (sort of a long perfecto) sports a sun grown Dominican wrapper and is filled with San Vicente and Piloto Dominican tobacco. The binder is, however, Peruvian. Let’s see how it smokes, shall we?

Read the full review of Avo 85th Anniversary 2011 Limited Edition…

Origin : Dominican Republic
Format : Short Robusto
Size : 4 x 56
Wrapper : Ecuadorian Sungrown
Filler : Dominican Republic
Binder : Dominican Republic
Hand-Made
Price : $7 each

I am a sucker for petit/short robustos. I like smoking in the mornings with my coffee and a smaller vitola affords me the perfect amount of time to peruse the morning newspapers. A 45 minute to 1 hour smoke allows me to read my USA Today and catch up on the today’s propaganda. And I believe with the fairly new, Avo Heritage Short Robusto, I have found my morning “go to” bullcrap news smoke.

Read the full review of Avo Heritage Short Robusto…

Origin : Dominican Republic
Format : Toro
Size : 6.0 x 50
Wrapper : Ecuadorian Sungrown
Filler : Dominican
Binder : Dominican
Hand-Made
Price : $9 each

The Heritage is a full-bodied offering from AVO. That probably surprises a lot of folks as AVO cigars are generally known to all be mild to medium bodied smokes. This cigar shares the same wrapper leaf as my all time favorite AVO the Compañero, also known as the LE09. Since it sports the same wrapper, not surprisingly it shares some similarities with that smoke. It has that same exotic spice at the start and it comes on strong. The flavors are full and rich with earthy notes of must and cocoa, balanced with creamy flavors of nuts and oak/wood. The flavors are definitely AVO, but it comes in a non-typical robust delivery with a bit of strength behind it as well. By the time I finished this smoke, I found myself wanting to go and light up another. This is a stellar cigar.