AVO Improvisation LE21 – Blind Cigar Review

Cigar Info

Davidoff announced ninth annual release their AVO Improvisation Series back in February of this year, AVO Improvisation LE21 . The Improvisation series is based on the life of brand namesake Avo Uvezian. This year, the copper theme is meant to honor the role that copper has played in art and music across centuries.

AVO Improvisation LE21 blend uses an Ecuadorian wrapper that goes through a special aging and fermentation process to amplify the cream and sweetness of the tobacco, Ecuadorian binder and four different Dominican tobaccos for filler. The LE221 comes in one size, a 7.5 x 50 Double Corona that sells for $16.00 each. All come packaged in boxes of 20. Only 2,500 boxes were made for the U.S. and a total of 4,550 boxes globally.

Vital Stats:

Vitola: Double Corona
Length: 7 1/2″
Ring Gauge: 50
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Ecuador
Filler: Dominican Republic
Factory: TABADOM
Blender: Henke Kelner & Eladio Diaz
Number of reviewers: 5 – Randy B. (randobush) Lauren S. (Lauren S.) Joseph S. (Bearded Bastard) Diana (ArmyRN) Chad M. (Chad Tchad)
Price: $16.00
Age: March 2021
Release Date: 3 Months
Contributed by: Davidoff Cigars

Initial Impressions – AVO Improvisation LE21

Appearance: 89

“Smooth wrapper with some veins present; dark color to the wrapper.” –Chad M. (Chad Tchad)

Aroma: 90

“This is a pleasant-smelling cigar. Some sweet barnyard notes are present with t a hint of red pepper and cedar at the foot. The dray draw has some dry straw with a definite “hotness” to the notes; red pepper and some jalapeno.” –Diana (ArmyRN)

First Third

Flavor: 89
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium-Full

“First puffs bring a nice draw and good smoke output. Flavor notes are fresh cedar, cayenne pepper, and a little bit o molasses and citrus that work nicely together. Hints of baking spice too, and although this cigar (which tastes great btw) has a nice long finish, it’s the cayenne and cedar that dominate the flavor profile. Retrohale is relatively nice with a bit of zing. Burn is slightly wonky, but I smoked this right out of the box with zero acclimation time.” –Randy B. (randobush)

“I was hit hard by the red pepper and jalapeño notes right out of the start. This is mixed with a nice oak wood. About 1 inch in the pepper laid back a bit but was still very “front and center” to the cigar flavor profile. The woodiness is mixed with black licorice and a couple of inches in a nice campfire note mixed in as the jalapeño disappeared. At the end of the 1st third a nice meatiness crept in.” –Diana (ArmyRN)

Second Third

Flavor: 89
Strength: Medium-Strong
Body/Complexity: Medium-Full

“Lemon pepper is all I keep thinking about in the second third. A strong lemon citrus flavor with a heavy pepper on the retrohale. The cedar still shows up in the background along with smoky earth.” –Lauren S. (Lauren S.)

“The draw is still superb, and the flavors are quite tasty, with the molasses from the first third giving way to black coffee. A citrus note still coming through keeps it interesting, and the cedar is still hanging around.
Halfway in, the cayenne gives way to sweet paprika somewhat, mellowing out the retrohale a bit.” –Randy B. (randobush)

Final Third

Flavor: 89
Strength: Strong
Body/Complexity: Medium-Full

“Going into the last 3rd mild black pepper started to come through with just a very light earthy flavor. Light bread flavor noted. The flavor is really hanging at this point on the tip of the tongue. Smoke output continued with heavy smoke output.” –Chad M. (Chad Tchad)

“The final third picks up power and although the flavor notes are not changing much it remains a fairly flavorful smoking experience. The woodiness mixed with some floral notes and the meaty finish continues into the last half inch of the cigar. ” –Diana (ArmyRN)

Overall Impressions – AVO Improvisation LE21

Draw: 93

“The draw was wide open through the entire cigar offering a great mouthful of smoke each puff.” –Lauren S. (Lauren S.)

Burn: 88

“Needed a few touch-ups due to uneven burn.” –Joseph S. (Bearded Bastard)

Construction: 89

“No issues on construction as it pertains to the smoking experience. Just the veiny appearance noted in appearance notes.”-Randy B. (randobush)”

Overall Strength: Medium-Strong
Overall Body/Complexity: Medium-Full
Experience Overall: 90

“This cigar is one I could revisit. It was enjoyable and lent itself to a flavor profile that is not in my normal wheelhouse.
I enjoyed that aspect of it.” –Randy B. (randobush)

“Overall I really enjoyed this blend and will absolutely smoke it again. The sweet cedar flavor mixed with the lemon citrus and pepper on the retrohale made this a very interesting and complex blend. I couldn’t ask for much more from the performance of the burn and ash. Though sadly it ended up loading up a bit on me with a little over an inch left to go I still really liked my experience with this blend.” –Lauren S. (Lauren S.)

“A good combo of flavors, I enjoyed how they developed. It also packs a punch!” –Joseph S. (Bearded Bastard)

“This would not be my typical choice for smoking. Even though I may smoke a couple of cigars in succession, and therefore spend several hours herfing, I tend to like to switch up flavor experiences by smoking more than one type of cigar. For a cigar of this size, I found it to be more enjoyable than I would have originally expected. There were moments of monotony but not enough for me to want to be done. The mix of flavor notes, although not overly complex, provided enough variety that I enjoyed it more than not. Make sure to have time for this cigar and pair it with something that accentuates the flavor profile such as a nice hearty bourbon and even while eating a nice piece of red meat. Red wine would also be complimentary.” –Diana (ArmyRN)

“Good cigar with a mild flavor with major flavors being earthy/bread/mineral.” –Chad M. (Chad Tchad)

Smoking Time (in minutes): 106

To view the complete scores and notes, click here.

AVO Improvisation LE21 – Blind Cigar Review