Cigar Review: AVO Classic Covers, Limited Edition 2015

• Vitola: Toro
• 6” x 50 ring gauge
• MSRP $16
• Purchased at Burns Tobacconist

Background

The tradition is a long-standing one…every year since 2001, Avo Cigars has produced a new limited edition release to coincide with the birthday of brand namesake, Avo Uvezian. For 2015, the LE is called “Classic Covers” and marks the first in the “Improvisation Series” line. And this is a good time to back up and remark on the rebranding of the Avo line…

Avo, in case you’re new to the party, is a brand owned and produced by Davidoff and named after the aforementioned Mr. Uvezian, who is a famous pianist and composer (he wrote the music for “Strangers in the Night” among many other songs). Late last year, the parent company decided to rebrand the cigars with slightly new artwork and more incorporation of musical themes. To that end we had events where the giveaways were humidors with bluetooth speakers built in and the raffle prize was an old-timey record player.

Continuing the music theme is the idea of cover songs in the “Classic Covers” name of the cigar and of musical improvisation in the name of the series. Improvisation is also the name of the game when it comes to the makeup of this new release. The powers that be started with the blend of the Avo Classic, then built on that in an improvisational style, ending up with fillers from Nicaragua (Ometepe Ligero) and the Dominican Republic (San Vicente Ligero, Hybrid Corojo/Olor Ligero, and Criollo Ligero), a Mexican San Andres binder, and an Ecuadorian 702 wrapper. This review is based on my second smoking of the cigar and the background for this article was gleaned from the news story by Cigar-Coop.

Prelight

As usual, the packaging and marketing for the Avo Classic Covers LE15 is very nice. The box of 16 lays flat in a single row with paper over the cigars when you first open the box. The paper is reminiscent of the dust jacket of an old LP, with the hole in the center of it. The bands incorporate the cleaned up logo, “Improvisation Series” logo, the plain “Avo Uvezian” lettering, plus “Classic Covers” and “2015.” A lot of information is conveyed in a small space while maintaining elegance. I especially like the copper foil and the way it looks with the cream-colored paper and black ink.

The wrapper leaf is oily to the touch and applied perfectly…as it should be in a cigar that gets to this price point. Giving it a sniff, I picked up notes of that Davidoff Dominican funk coming through, as well as touches of earth and hay. The foot has more of that funky Olor mushroomy aroma, along with wood and earth notes.

Cutting the Classic Covers, I got an excellent cold draw that had notes of that funky Olor, earth and hay.

Flavor

I lit the LE15 and right up front I could taste the influence of the Avo Classic in the mix. It had the straight-up fungus flavor of Davidoff’s Olor leaf with a woody cedar finish and a little pepper to round it out. Unlike the Classic which is pretty mild in body, the LE15 was definitely in the medium-plus range from the get-go. On the nose, I got a little more pepper, roasted nuts and cedar. I found it a very flavorful beginning to this cigar.

As I got into the second third, I got a lot of almost syrupy sweetness coming into the mix. There was still some fungusy Olor, earth and hay, as well as a touch of pepper spice. The finish had a bit of a citrus note, too.

It all came together very well in the last third with zingy citrus, white pepper, mild sweetness and notes of cedar, while that signature Davidoff funk kept riding through the middle.

Construction

Construction was perfect; great draw, solid ash and even-enough burn line.

Value

I blanched at the $16 price point of Avo Limited Editions years ago. Since then I’ve come to expect it and then determine if the experience is worth the price based on the individual experience each one delivers. Most have been worth the price of admission and this one was, as well.

Conclusions

I thoroughly enjoyed the Avo LE15 Classic Covers. It had enough in common with the Avo Classic to remind you of it, while delivering more in terms of body and overall flavor. It was complex and vibrant tasting from end to end. It did start and end in the medium-bodied range, so it’s probably not one that will benefit from extensive aging, but it should deliver great flavor for at least the next two or three years.

By-The-Numbers

Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9/10