For it’s 30’s Anniversary, Davidoff brought back two previously discontinued AVO lines. The AVO Signature and AVO Maduro returned in July this year. The Signature is described as the personal blend of Avo Uvezian, the creator of AVO Cigars that passed away last year. The blend is a version of the AVO 75th Anniversary which came out in 2001. It uses an Ecuadorian wrapper with Dominican binder and Dominican filler.
This cigar was reviewed blind (no bands) by a panel of at least 4 reviewers. They did not know what they were smoking beforehand. The scores are an average of all the reviewers' scores with outliers removed. All of our cigars reviewed are shipped to the panelists with Boveda packs to ensure optimal smoking experience.
With the new release, the cigars get an updated look and limited release. There are three sizes of 1,500 boxes of 10 cigars. Robusto (5 x 52) — $13.70, Belicoso (6 x 48) — $13.20, Double Corona (7 x 50) — $16.20. The boxes get an updated design and the cigars get an added 30 years band.
Vital Stats:
Vitola: Belicoso
Length: 6″
Ring Gauge: 48
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: Ecuadorian
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican
Factory: TABADOM
Blender: Hendrik Kelner
Number of reviewers: 4 – Ryan H.(Ryan H.) John I. (John I.) Mickey T.(irratebass) John A.(Bostoneo)
Price: $11.80
Age: 4 Months
Release Date: July 2018
Contributed by: Blind Man’s Puff
Initial Impressions
Appearance: 93
“A firm belicoso shaped cigar with a smooth, tight wrapped, rustic brown in color.” –John A. (Bostoneo)
Aroma: 90
“Very interesting aromas coming from the foot and wrapper. Wrapper has a floral note. The foot is more grassy and sweet like alfalfa” –Ryan H. (Ryan H.)
First Third
Flavor: 88
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Light-Medium
“The cigar doesn’t produce much smoke. Light medium in strength. Black pepper spice and a profile that isn’t very giving. Profile consist of tar and wood char. The room note however is very pleasing smells like a floral earthy combo.” –Ryan H. (Ryan H.)
“Starts off nicely with flavors that echo the pre-light aroma. Nice clean tobacco with a fair amount of sweetness.
Fifteen minutes in, this is really nice. A bit of cumin/chili powder has crept in on the finish. On the mild side of medium.” –John I. (John I.)
Second Third
Flavor: 90
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Light-Medium
“Second third is improving from the first. Still a black pepper spice but just through the nose. Still is quite bitter but not as bad as before. Burnt sugar and black coffee are what is speaking to me now. Sweetness does begin to intensify, and earth is beginning to poke its head in. That bitterness just wont go away.” –Ryan H. (Ryan H.)
“By now, the sweetness offered previously has toned down while a creamy and leather profile are dominate. This delightfully mild profile carries me to the end of this third.” –John A. (Bostoneo)
Final Third
Flavor: 90
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Light-Medium
“Cumin flavor is picking up significantly in the final third. There’s less sweetness and more of a roasted quality.
Strength has picked up at the end, but still fall short of being any heavier than medium. ” –John I. (John I.)
“Bold leather, slightly sweet cream, and mellow tobacco with a slight pepperiness start off the last third. Towards the end vanilla and charred oak flavors appear at a bold full bodied pace. Unfortunately, the cigar ends with half an inch remaining, definitely a knuckle burner.” –John A. (Bostoneo)
Overall Impressions
Draw: 90
“Really nice draw. ” –John I. (John I.)
Burn: 89
“No corrections no waves burn performed very well” –Ryan H. (Ryan H.)
Construction: 93
“Very well made on all fronts. ” –John I. (John I.)
Overall Strength: Medium
Overall Body/Complexity: Light-Medium
Experience Overall: 90
“I wouldn’t run out and buy a box, but the experience wasn’t bad. Worth a 5’er” –Ryan H. (Ryan H.)
“Really decent cigar overall, but it fell short of being seriously impressive. Great construction, and the overall flavor profile was really nice, but it never quite made it to the point of being really special. I’d happily smoke more as an everyday cigar. ” –John I. (John I.)
“This cigar wasn’t for me. It didn’t perform all that well, and there was way too much earthy/mustiness. I did get some sweetness with tea and cinnamon, but nothing really that I would seek out. ” –Mickey T. (irratebass)
“This was a very flavorful, well executed, mild cigar. The constant reminder of sweetness paired with the various other notes made this cigar a pleasure to smoke. While it did not have many flavor descriptors, what it offered was a great experience that I would definitely revisit in the future when I am in the mood for something milder and elegant.” –John A. (Bostoneo)
To view the complete scores and notes, click here.
Blind Cigar Review: AVO | Maduro Belicoso
Overall Score – 90 – Very Good
Blind Cigar Review: AVO | Signature Belicoso 30 Years
Summary
"This was a very flavorful, well executed, mild cigar. The constant reminder of sweetness paired with the various other notes made this cigar a pleasure to smoke. While it did not have many flavor descriptors, what it offered was a great experience that I would definitely revisit in the future when I am in the mood for something milder and elegant." -John A. (Bostoneo)
