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Avo 77 Review; Rotating Your Cigars; Do You Taste Flavors in Cigars?
May 13, 2003
Greetings, Fellow Cigar Lovers!
Welcome to the debut of our biweekly newsletter. (Maybe starting on
the 13th will be good luck.) Just to quickly reiterate why we've
broken off the cigar news from the sale information, we had gotten
the impression that many of you wanted a shorter format and felt the
weekly sale should stand on its own. This way I could also give this
mailing more of a sense of community, which is really what the Internet
is all about.
Starting this week we'll be doing surveys and in addition to the
'celebrity' cigar sightings, I'm also going to have a reader cigar
sightings. So, if you've got pix of you and your friends enjoying a
cigar, attach it in an email and I'll include it in these mailings.
Eventually, I'll put together an online gallery of all the photos.
Since this message anticipates our switching to an all-HTML format
(yes, you will also be able to receive in text only), to simplify things
further until that day comes, all subsequent newsletters will contain very
brief copy, primarily headlines, with an HTML link taking you to this page.
For future editions, I will be setting up interviews with some of the
movers and shakers in the cigar world and I have received word that
some manufacturers would like to run promotions and contests, etc in this
message. I will also try to give you as much of the latest cigar news
I can muster to keep you up to date on new cigars and other relevant
cigar information.
Finally and most importantly, I really want to hear from you as to
what you would like to see covered in the newsletter, so send me at the
following address: and if it sounds like
a good idea, I'll do my best to work it in.
*** FEATURE STORY ***
AVO '77 (Dominican Republic)
I finally had the opportunity to sample the new Avo 77 cigar over the
weekend. For those of you who have not read about this cigar or seen
it as our Cigar Of The Week, this is Avo's latest "Anniversary" cigar,
which celebrates Avo Uvezian's 77th birthday. It is a hefty 6 1/2" x 50
ring cigar with a flawless Connecticut wrapper made in very limited
edition. It is boxed in sets of 14 cigars (7+7) and priced at $167.95
per box. Now, when Avo comes out with a cigar like this, expectations
run high and I'm happy to report it met my expectations. The cigar is
filled with 4 different Dominican tobaccos, each grown on separate
plantations (one of Avo's blending success secrets), which is what makes
this and all Avo cigars unique and complex in flavor. Additionally, these
leaves have been specially fermented as is also the case with the wrapper.
The most outstanding thing about this cigar was how incredibly smooth it
smoked. It drew easily and burned perfectly with a firm ash that was
white as limestone. The body was mild to medium and extremely consistent
from start to finish (I smoked it down to 1 1/2"). The smoke was thick
with a wonderful array of aromas. By the time I finished I knew I had
experienced something very special. This is one fine evening cigar.
Here are my rating numbers:
Appearance: 10 | Construction: 10 | Burn: 9 | Draw: 9 | Aroma: 9 | Taste: 9
Overall Rating: 9.3
*** SMOKERS ED. DEPT.***
Cigar Term Of The Week (Collect and trade em'!)
Colorado - A medium-brown to brownish-red shade of wrapper tobacco.
Generally speaking, any "natural" wrapper of similar hue, like a Connecticut
Shade, Sumatra, Cameroon. (a/k/a, "Colorado Claro.")
Cigar Tip Of The Week
To Everything, Turn, Turn, Turn
Q: My question regards the rotation of cigars in the humidor. My
humidor holds approximately 125 cigars. I generally have 80 to 100
cigars on hand.I smoke 4-6 cigars a week, so turnover of cigars is
not that quick. Is there a need to rotate cigars top to bottom etc.?
If so, how often? Thank You. - Nick, Whittier, CA
A: For those who advocate this practice, the general rule is to rotate
your cigars from bottom to top (or vice-versa). Another aspect of
rotating cigars is not just their position in the humidor, but to also
turning the cigars themselves. (IOW, for those of you who are obsessive
compulsive, the bands need not face up all the time.) This can be done
every three weeks. Rotating cigars also applies primarily to long-term
aging. Like removing the cello wrappers, if you smoke through your
cigars quickly it will probably make little or no difference.
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What about you? If you'd like to share your thoughts and experiences
on this week's cigar tip, please e-mail me at
*** SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTION DEPT.***
Have a question about the care and feeding of your cigars? Send your
questions and
comments to me at:
. I will try to respond as quickly
as possible, but some replies may take a few days. (Please DO NOT use the
"askGary" address to be removed from the newsletter list. Thank you.)
*** SURVEY SAYS! DEPT.***
Flavors In Cigars?
I have this ongoing argument with someone here about the flavors found
in cigars and I don't mean flavored cigars either. I'm referring to what
I call "Cigar Aficionado Speak." You know, the references to nuts, toast,
coffee, leather, berries; I even read one recently that described "flavors
of meat." This person claims there's no such thing and has never tasted
any of these things in all the many years he has smoked cigars. Now,
although I don't always agree with CA's perception in terms of flavors,
I contend that I have always had very sensitive taste buds and a good
sense of smell, so I too, will often "taste" some of these flavors. My
problem with putting them in the copy I write is that it's so subjective
it's probably better to let you taste for yourself then "prime" your
sensory motor with what I taste. I have also found that most of these
so-called flavors are much more prevalent in the AROMA of the cigar than
the actual taste of the cigar, and since it's pretty hard to taste without
smell, I suppose a particular flavor might just as easily be tasted as it
is smelled. So here's the question:
Do you taste these things in the cigars you smoke?
Send an email to
and in the SUBJECT line
put either, "Yes, I taste them" or "No, I don't." You may also include
comments but it's not necessary.
*** GIVE THAT MAN A CIGAR! DEPT.***
Cigar tasting events in our retail store at 1100 Conroy Place, Easton, PA
Call 610-559-8800 for details.
Hamiltons Resrve - Friday, May 16th, 3:00 - 6:00 PM (BOGOF)
Romeo Y Julieta Rsv. Maduro - Thursday, May 29th - 4:00 - 6:00 PM (BOGOF)
Macanudo Club Macanudo Bus - Saturday, June 21, 2:00 - 5:00 P.M. (Special offers)
La Aurora 100th Anniversary! - Friday, July 18, 3:00 - 6:00 P.M. (BOGOF)
(Offers) for the above dates apply only to the retail store.
*** RATING LUNATIC DEPT.***
Cigar reviews submitted by our customers. Reviews are selected at
random and may be edited for length, not content.
Don Tomás Dominican Corona Gorda (Dom. Republic)
Size/Wrapper: 6" x 50 / Talanga Cubano
One of my favorites!! I personally enjoyed everything about this boxed
stick. From the cedar tones to the rich creamy blue smoke. It's very
hearty with a good draw. Perfect after dinner smoke with coffee.
- J.T. Kramer, Phoenix, AZ (February 18, 2003)
Wanna try 'em? Click here to order and find more reviews.
(AGREE? DISAGREE? Your opinion may be similar or completely different and
is also appreciated, so don't be shy. Rate the cigars you smoke on our web
site.
What you say can help others make a more informed decision, even you!)
*** EYES ON THE PRIZE DEPT.***
Cigar Sightings!
Cradle 2 The Grave (2003)
The [recent] Jet Li movie, "Cradle 2 The Grave" is loaded with cigar
sightings. An imprisoned crime boss enjoys a Padron Anniversario,
probably an Imperial, not once, but twice! His office is raided and
loaded with boxes of cigars - Partagas, R and J, just to name a few.
Tom Arnold offers DMX a cigar from an Armored Humidor. A bidder for
stolen plutonium smokes a white label Davidoff. The movie was OK -
you have to have a soft spot for Jet Li/Steven Seagal type flicks.
- James Holzer, Laurel MD
Here's a sighting from Dave Parsons of Sicklerville, NJ, and his cigar
smoking buds who recently had a Cigar-B-Q in spite of the bad weather:
"Rain could not stop the "Cigar Day." Move the cars to the driveway,
sweep up the saw dust, move the tools. Bring the BBQ around to the
front door. Next, cover the saw with a tablecloth and use it to serve
wine and soda. Bring the picnic tables inside. Set up the cigar area
on the workbench. Sit back, eat, drink, smoke cigars and enjoy the
friendship."
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Have You Made A Cigar Sighting Recently?
It can be from a
movie, TV show or a celebrity you've seen elsewhere or in-person
puffing on a primo. If you can name the brand of the cigar, even
better! Send it to me at
and please
put "Cigar Sightings" in the subject line. Limit: 1 sighting per email.
*** LOCAL YOKELS DEPT.***
For all of you who live in the vicinity of Easton, PA, stop by our retail
store at 1100 Conroy Place in Forks Township for some in-store specials
on cigars and accessories not found on our web site. Please DO NOT CALL
OUR TOLL-FREE NUMBER for these specials. They are exclusive to the retail
Store Hours:
Mon - Tue - Wed - Sat: 9:00 A.M. - 5:00 P.M.
Thu - Fri: 9:00 A.M. to 7:00 P.M.
CLOSED: Sunday
For information and directions please call 610-559-8800. Check out our
Famous Retail Store page, too!
Until next time, Happy Smokes!
Gary
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