Vitola: Double Corona- 7.5” x 50 ring gauge
- MSRP $16
- Purchased from Burns Tobacconist
Background
The annual release of a Limited Edition from the Avo Cigars brand has become one of those comfortably reliable things in the industry, regardless of who is President, what gas prices are doing, or what viral outbreak is sweeping the world. For 2021, the company continues the “Improvisation Series” with a Double Corona “dressed in an oily, dark brown Ecuadorian sun-grown wrapper.”
The rest of the blend consists of Dominican fillers and an Ecuadorian binder. Surprisingly for a Davidoff product (the brand is owned by Davidoff, in case you were not aware), there is no more detail listed on the official website. They often tend to be overly specific with the knowledge that no one will be able to replicate the blends even all the information at their fingertips.
This release does celebrate 20 years since the first Avo Limited Edition was produced and also celebrates the namesake of the brand on what would have been his 95th birthday. The packaging is intended to honor the role copper has played in art and music, while the Double Corona size is inspired by length and impact of the man and the cigar line.
This review is based on my second smoking of the blend. I bought mine at Burns Tobacconist in Chattanooga. If your local shop doesn’t carry Avo, you can find them on our sponsor, Small Batch Cigar. I got some information for this background section from Cigar-Coop’s article on the release.
Prelight
The box design for this release is a little understated by comparison with some of the other Avo LE releases over the years. I’m specifically thinking of the piano-shaped humidor one year and the guitar-case-inspired box another. This isn’t “bad” it’s just a little “ordinary.” The band has gray and white that provide a great backdrop for the copper foil to brilliantly stand out. I probably wouldn’t have guessed that the packaging was meant to “honor” copper, but I definitely would have noticed the bright sheen of the foil.
The wrapper leaf was a milk chocolate brown color with a decent amount of oiliness to the touch, though not so much to the eye. I gave it a good sniff and got notes of earth and cedar, along with a subtle sweetness in the mix. The foot had notes of bread, mushroom, and hay.
The cold draw was very good after I clipped the head. I got notes of hay and “Davidoff funk,” earth and grapefruit.
Flavor
The Avo Improvisation Limited Edition 2021 fired up fairly quickly and evenly. I immediately got notes of bread and citrus, with a good amount of sweetness, followed by cedar and that mushroom Olor-induced funk that Davidoff is so good at delivering. There was a little salty nuttiness toward the finish along with some white pepper, while the retrohale had a mix of the funk, nuts, and pepper. As the first third burned along, I noted that the funk increased on the palate and I got an almost numbing feeling on my lips and tongue at one point, which I’ve experienced before with superior-quality Dominican Piloto, so I found myself wondering if that was a component of the blend.
The second third had citrus notes coming into the mix while the mushroom funk continued on really strongly. There was bread and hay in the background, with touches of earth and leather coming through every now and then. There was a good balance of mildly sweet and salty notes.
During the last third, the Avo LE 2021 had more citrus and hay, with an increase in pepper, taking on more of a constant black pepper heat. The funk never went away but it did decrease a bit as the cigar continued burning along.
Construction
I had a great draw, very even burn line, and solid ash up to three-quarters of an inch.
Value
The Avo Limited Edition line has increased in price since it started 20 years ago, but it honestly hasn’t gotten notably more expensive in the last couple years. This is a really good entry so I think it’s worth the high price tag.
Conclusions
I wasn’t a fan of last year’s Avo LE release; it was mild—which isn’t a problem—and bordering on bland—which is. This year’s reminded me in some ways of the Domaine, one of my favorite regular Avo releases, and because of that I enjoyed it immensely. I have considered buying a whole box of these, but money is a little tight at the moment, so I don’t see that happening really soon. Thankfully, the number of cigars they made this year is significantly more than last, so there’s a good chance I’ll still be able to get these toward the end of the year. I would definitely recommend it for those who like the Avo Domaine and its medium-bodied complex blend. This isn’t exactly the same, but it hit enough of the similar notes for me that I wouldn’t be surprised if the blend is similar. Definitely good enough to pick up a 5-pack to see how you feel about it.
By-The-Numbers
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4.5/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9.5/10
