Cigar of the Week: Avo Classic

Although he’s hardly a household name, Avo Uvezian’s story is well known in the cigar world.

A Lebanese-born, successful composer who spent a lifetime in jazz circles, Uvezian made cigars more than a hobby in 1982 when he met as aspiring cigar maker named Hendrik Kelner in the Dominican Republic.

Kelner, a brilliant blender, created a cigar for Avo in 1986 and in a year, the rich flavor and quality construction of the Avo blend earned it a following. Originally sold mostly in New York, Uvezian sold about 100,000 cigars in his first year.

His cigar didn’t say a secret for long. Sales rolled across the country and reached 750,000 by the third year and sailed past the million mark soon after. The brand sells more than three million cigars a year now. Why?

To start, there’s no mistaking the quality of the Avo line. The cigars are perfectly made, which is not a surprise considering that Kelner is also the genius behind the production of Davidoff.

But the taste is what’s so attractive in this blend. The original Avo blend – now called "Classic" – offers a marvelous and deep caramelized flavor with a long finish that underscores the pleasure. Although the cigar is presented as medium in body, we found it more medium-to-full and the mouth-filling sweetness is simply delicious.

Remember, this is not a flavored cigar. The blend, which features a Connecticut wrapper and Dominican-grown filler leaves, creates a warmth which is easy to appreciate and makes you a fan of the Avo brand immediately. It stays consistent from start to end.

It earned a CigarCyclopedia.com grade of "A+: Outstanding."

The original Avo line had a dozen sizes at the beginning, but the range has been paired down to a more manageable eight sizes that retail from $7.00 to $9.40 each before local tobacco and sales taxes.

The success of the Avo line spawned new blends, of course. There’s Avo XO, an Avo Maduro line, Domaine Avo, Avo Signature and the 2007 introduction, Avo 787. But the original is still the best.

(Rich Perelman is editor-in-chief of CigarCyclopedia.com, offering comprehensive daily coverage of cigars, accessories, issues, people and prices at www.CigarCyclopedia.com.)

Rich Perelman

2/12/08

NO COMMENTS YET

You must sign in to add comments.