AVO Classic No. 3 Tubo

The AVO Classic is named after its blender, Avo Uvezian. Uvezian himself is a musician, and the description of this cigar calls it “musical”, whatever that could possibly mean. The No. 3 is an enormous cigar, fatter and longer than a Churchill. The tubo was specified, though the No. 3 also comes without a tube.

Statistics

CotM: January 2014



January 2014





Shape: Parejo

Parejo





Chosen by: ImmortalMortician

ImmortalMortician





Size: 7.5″ x 50







Country of Origin: Dominican Republic







Wrapper: Connecticut Shade







Binder: Dominican







Filler: Dominican







Color: Claro

Claro





Strength: Mild







Price Paid: $12

$12





Smoke Date: February 21, 2014

February 21, 2014





Age: 1 day

Accessories Used

Palio Composite cigar cutter, Silver & Chrome Vector Stratos single-flame torch lighter, Handmade English walnut ashtray made by wedgewoodrings.

Pairing

Organic Yunnan high mountain Bi Luo Chun Chinese green tea from the 2013 harvest served in a glass teapot and glazed ceramic and cracked celadon “rust and green” tea cup. The tea, like the cigar, was light, and it had a nutty finish that provided flavor during the less-than-bold sections of the AVO.

Appearance/Nose

The first thing to notice about this cigar was the tube. It was big. It was solid beige. Unscrewing the cap revealed the cigar inside, neatly packed in a little cedar sleeve. The wrapper on this thing was stunning. It was silky smooth and deep brown. It had a couple of large veins, but they did not detract from the beauty of the wrapper. The retail listings and promo images show the AVO Classic as claro, but the cigar i my hand was definitely more on the colorado-claro side of things. The band was the same shade of beige as the tube, with silver inlay on the logo. It’s definitely a unique presentation, but I’m just not that into beige. The cigar itself, however, was a thing of beauty. The nose was very faint, and smelled of grass and green tea.

Construction

The AVO Classic had a triple cap, though the topmost cap had a couple of weird little folds in it. It was fairly firm to a squeeze, though it was a little spongier and softer in the area near the band. Other than that, the construction appeared to be absolutely impeccable pre-light. The burn was absolutely razor sharp. It did get diagonal once, but evened itself out nicely. The ash was amazing. Some of the best looking and holding ash I’ve ever had. Remarkable. The crack in the wrapper was probably my fault (I think my Palio cutter might be getting a bit dull, as there was a serious pinch going on in the cut. Thankfully, after I wet it down the first time, it never once popped up or tried to peel. In any case, my fault, so I won’t hold it against the cigar.

Cold Draw

Right of the bat, I cracked the wrapper on the cut. The wrapper was extremely thin. I wetted it down as best I could to keep it from peeling, and took a cold draw. Like the nose, the cold draw was very light with a slight grassy note. The draw itself was perfect and smooth.

Smoking

First third

The first draw was light, with a creamy, marshmallowy body. There was a very slight fruity tastein there. Almonds perhaps? Maybe plum? The smoke volume was a solid medium. At this point, the flavor was a solid mild. Maybe milder. What is less flavorful than mild? Bland?

There was a bit of grassiness on the finish, but really, this was a mild, mild stick. The smoke had a nice, creamy texture to it, and the burn was absolutely perfect so far.

The licked-down wrapper split at the head was not giving me any trouble whatsoever.

At an inch and a half, the flavor made a transition from bland to mild. Definite grassy notes, cream, and earthiness came to the fore. A retrohale revealed a grassy, earthy note that was actually very enjoyable. The ash was impressive, to say the least. And inch and a half and not even budging. I tried to tap it off, and the ash said to me, “No thanks, buddy. I like it here.” Talking ash! That’s a first! It nearly hit the two inch mark before I was able to force it off.

On a weird note, on about every other puff, the cigar would make a hissing sound, exactly like the sound a cigarette makes if you plunge the lit end into water. I don’t know why. Was I burning beetle eggs? Mineral content in the tobacco? Was the cigar saying it didn’t like me? Who knows! I did keep the head wetter than I usually do in order to keep the split wrapper down, so maybe it was the hot smoke hitting the moisture? Probably that.

Second third

Moving along into the second third, not much had changed. This was still a very mild cigar, but the flavor that was there was enjoyable.

That flavor soon disappeared again, though, leaving a blank, creamy, marshmallow flavor with almost nothing else.

One thing I have noticed with milder cigars, and that I was experiencing here, was that they often have an astringent, drying quality. My tongue was a bit numb and chalky from it.

Along with the chalkiness, a weird bitterness began to creep in. Blandness plus bitter is not a winning combination for me, by the way. I sighed, realizing I was only halfway through this beast. Who thought 7.5″ x 50 was a good idea?

The grassy, earthy flavor returned, but still accompanied by chalkiness and bitterness.

Final third

The final third brought a change. There was a little light pepper on the retrohale for the first time. This shift coincided with the beginning of the slightly spongy area I noted in the construction section.

Sadly, the metallic, bitter, and chalky aftertaste was still around, and maybe even a bit stronger.

The smoke volume ramped up and huge billowy clouds of (mostly flavorless) smoke issued forth.

There were no more changes. The light pepper, cream, and metallic chalk continued right up until I finally walked away.

Notes

Draw: Perfect and smooth

Perfect and smooth





Body: Milder than mild

Milder than mild





Primary Flavors: Cream, grass, metallic bitterness, chalk dust

Cream, grass, metallic bitterness, chalk dust





Smoke Output: Full

Full





Smoke Time: 1 hour, 45 minutes

Overall

I was ready to write this cigar off in the first, bland, inch. Despite a few notable shifts, I was right. The AVO Classic No. 3 reminded me less of music, and more of “musak”. Bland, uninspired, uninteresting and inoffensive, while flawless in execution, but lacking any soul, and going on for way too long, like an endless loop while on hold. I simply cannot justify the (rather high) price for what you get. At half the price, I would only recommend it to complete beginners due to its near-perfect burn, ash, and draw, and complete mildness. I really wanted to like this cigar because the burn performed so well and the draw was exactly how I like it. But in my cigar world, flavor is king, and this cigar was the court jester, at best.

Rating