Avo Uvezian is the mastermind behind the AVO brand is also a very talented Jazz pianist. He was born into a family of musicians but he paved a different road for his family’s future when he began making cigars. It’s no secret that he has blended some very tasty sticks and for the last few years he has been blending a limited edition cigar to be released on his birthday.

Not long ago I reviewed the AVO 80th Anniversary which was released in 2006 to commemorate Avo’s 80th birthday. Tony also reviewed the AVO Limited Edition 2010 not long ago. Today’s cigar is called the Compañero and was released in 2009 to mark Avo’s 83rd birthday. On the cigar, you will find the classic and classy AVO logo with the name “Avo Uvezian” on one side and “LE09” written on the the other. Below this band is another dark burgundy band with the “Compañero” name written on it.

The blend in the AVO Limited Editions change a bit each year and the Compañero is no different. This year the cigar comes wrapped with an Ecuadorian leaf and bound with Dominican leaf. The interesting part of the blend is the filler which is made up of a couple types of Ligero and some Peruvian Seco tobacco.

I’m interested to see how this blend will play out. On paper it seems a bit strong but with at least 2 years of age on it I’m hoping it smoothed out. Let’s get onto the review and find out.

Cigar: AVO Compañero Limited Edition 2009
Drink: The Singleton of Glendullan 12 Year Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Vitola: Toro (6 x 54)
Wrapper: Cuban Seed Ecuadorian
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Criollo Ligero, Piloto Ligero, San Vicente Ligero, Peruvian Seco
Price: About $15
Burn Time: 1.5 hours

Construction:
• The AVO Companero is an oil and dark looking cigar that sports a slightly toothy wrapper with a goldish-brown glow
• There are some veins running down the side of the cigar but most are fairly small and don’t really pose any issues
• The top of the cigar is cleanly finished with an expertly applied single cap while the foot shows signs of a well packed long-filler cigar
• For the most part, the cigar is very firm to the touch with only a very minor give when squeezed
• I made the cut super shallow and just basically trimmed off the cap without cutting into the filler, left me with an easy and perfect draw
• I “may” have accidentally “dropped” the cigar right before lighting it up… I’ll take that into account for any burn issues

Burn:
• Toasting was easy and even, it left me with a nicely glowing foot
• Despite some cracks on the wrapper near the foot due to my dropping it, the cigar is burning beautifully through the first couple of inches
• The cigar burned through the cracked wrapper like it wasn’t even there and I’m still going strong with a razor sharp burn!
• Ran into a few more wrapper issues caused by my drop, they still didn’t affect the burn much but I really regret dropping it!
• My super fail of a drop had more consequences than I had hoped for, the wrapper pretty much came off at the end but it’s totally my fault, do NOT take this as the regular burn for this cigar. Other Companero’s I’ve had burned without any issues.

Smoke & Ash:
• The AVO Companero is producing a heft amount of smoke from each draw, it’s thick and billowy to boot
• At a resting position, the cigar is producing a comfortable amount of smoke, nothing overpowering and it has a nice burning cedar aroma
• The ash is starting off a bit flaky but that’s probably my fault…
• The color of the ash is a very nice and consistent light grey
• Even with a bit of flaking, the ash lasted just past an inch before I gently tapped it off
• Now that I’m passed the cracked wrapper the ash is staying clean and tight
• The next ash fell off after about an inch jsut before I was going to take a picture… bad luck for me tonight! lol

Tasting Notes:
• The wrapper of the cigars is hardly aromatic at all, it’s only a little bit woodsy and that’s it
• The foot on the other hand shows clear indications of spices, earthiness and a fresh cedar aroma
• The pre-light draw is very earthy and woodsy, with more of the fresh cedar from the foot
• Initial draws are filled with more earthy notes and little bit of the fresh peat flavor I’ve come to appreciate from most AVO cigars
• Some of the spice I picked up earlier is making a subtle appearance within the first inch, it’s just on the tip of my tongue making for an interesting touch to the profile
• The body of the AVO Companero is a smooth medium so far, well balanced and with a nice little bite on the retrohale
• The finish is also very tasting, coating my nasal passages with a fresh cedar touch
• I have to emphasize the “fresh” part of the cedar flavor, it’s not like a seasoned humidor smells but more like the aroma of a fresh, brand new humidor or freshly cut cedar plank, very pleasant!
• The woodsy and earthy notes are mixing so nicely and taking turns being prominent
• Along with those, the peat and freshness of the cedar add a very interesting and enjoyable flavor that I can’t get enough of
• Just past the halfway mark, the spices are coming in a little stronger and mixing perfectly with the fresh cedar and peat flavors, this cigar keeps getting better!
• The body has stayed more or less in the medium range and it’s still maintaining a very smooth retrohale
• Despite the wrapper pretty much falling off the cigar, I still managed to enjoy the last bit of spice, cedar and peat right to the end

Final Thoughts:
Right from the start, the AVO Companero was bringing me a bright and flavorful profile that instantly caught my attention. Each of the tastes were very full flavored and easily discernible making for a very enjoyable smoke. Even with my fat-fingered fall to the floor and some wrapper cracks, this cigar burned perfectly. I’m also very surprised to say the wrapper falling off didn’t change the cigars flavor too much and I was still able to enjoy it. That’s a sign of a well balanced cigar in my eyes, the flavor was not “all in the wrapper” as some people might think. This showed me that the cigar had a very good balance of wrapper, binder and filler. I’d actually even say this experience made me appreciate the blending that went into this cigar even more than I normally would have!

Pairings:
I’ve only ever come across the peat flavors in the AVO cigars so I knew heading into this review that I had to pair it with a nice Scotch. So I looked into what I had and decided to finish off this bottle of The Singleton 12 year Single Malt Scotch Whisky. Well, I was right! The smokey and peat flavors of the Scotch paired perfectly with the fresh cedar and matching peat flavors on the cigar. I would definitely recommend having a nice scotch with this cigar, so give it a try next time you pick up this cigar or pretty much anything in the AVO lineup.

The post AVO Companero LE09 appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The cigar we are reviewing today is the Cuba Aliados Miami. This is a special edition cigar that is rolled in the Miami, Florida factory. Each cigar comes packaged in cellophane and wrapper with a stamped cedar sheet. One thing I found odd was that the cedar was not secured in anyway, so as soon as it came out of the cellophane the cedar fell off.

There isn’t too much information out there on this cigar. What little I did find was that the rest of the Cuba Aliados line is produced in Honduras and this special edition cigar is the only one rolled in the Miami factory. I do know we don’t really talk much about the Reyes Family of cigars but they are a fairly large producer and have a strong variety of lines. I’ve had a chance to smoke a few from their selections and although none have really stood out, none have been poor either. So let’s see how this one does and get on to the review.

Cigar: Cuba Aliados Limited Miami Edition
Drink: RocketFuelCoffee.com Kona Kaze
Vitola: Robusto (5 x 50)
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Nicaraguan
Price: $7.00
Burn Time: 1.5 hours

Construction:
• The cigar is very evenly rounded from cap to foot
• The wrapper is a honey-brown color and has some visible veins running through it but none appear large enough to pose any problems
• The foot appears fairly well packed but not cut evenly
• The top of the cigar is finished with a super clean triple cap
• The entire body of this cigar is fairly firm with almost no spring
• The wrapper did have some parts that chipped off even though I’ve never removed it from the cellophane
• The cap cut off cleanly but the draw on pre-light seems a bit tight
• The cigar expanded quickly after the first inch and caused a nice size crack in the wrapper
• Surprisingly, the crack did not get any larger and posed no issues

Burn:
• Toasted was fairly quick but it refused to glow evenly, hopefully it doesn’t affect the burn too much
• The uneven toasting did affect the initial burn of the cigar and required a quick touch up
• Burn has been very good through the first half after my small correction
• Another small correction needed near the end as it seems the wrapper stopped burning and it started tunneling on me, killing the flavors

Smoke & Ash:
• Each draw offers a moderate amount of smoke, a little more would have been preferred
• The ash is very clean and tight, color is very light grey
• The resting smoke here is consistent, nothing overpowering but the stream of smoke rising off the cigar is steady
• The ash held strong for nearly 2 inches before tumbling into the ashtray

Tasting Notes:
• The wrapper gives off a sweet cedar and tobacco aroma
• The foot offers more sweet woodsiness and a touch of spice on the nose
• The pre-light draw brings with it a lot of cedar flavors
• Initial draws have some light and very flavorful cedar and tart notes
• The cedar and tart flavors are giving a nice creamy finish as the cigar progresses past the first third
• So far it’s been fairly mild with no bite as I pass the smoke through my nose, finish is still nice and creamy
• As I approach the half-way mark, I’m getting a light coffee flavor sneaking into the mix now and again
• As I get into the last third, the flavors haven’t changed much but the body has increased a bit, landing in the medium range now
• As the body continues to ramp up slowly, the other flavors are slowly becoming less noticeable and it’s becoming more of a burning wood flavor
• A strong bitterness started creeping in towards the last 1.5inches, a big change from early parts of the cigar here
• After a small touch up to the wrapper the bitterness subsided a tad
• Some of the bitterness came back so I had to set this down early

Final Thoughts:
I’m on the fence with this cigar. It started out as a nice smooth and fairly mild cigar with some good cedar flavors. As the body picked up near the end of the cigar I found that the balance was thrown off a bit. The flavor profile suggested a light early day cigar but the stronger body started to drown out or overpower the flavors. They also didn’t change a whole lot and the bitterness at the end was a disappointment. I’ll note that the intensity of this bitterness wasn’t the same as my previous experiences with this cigar, but it was always present. I think this cigar would have been a much better smoke if it stayed mild or if it had some more intense or flavorful notes to balance it out. that’s not to say I didn’t like most of what it had, it just didn’t seem to be as balanced as I would have hoped. It’s still worth trying a few of these as the construction was nice and the price isn’t bad either.

Pairings:
It was earlier in the day when I went outside to enjoy this cigar so I decided to sit down with some coffee. I also brewed a pot for review with the Carmelo Red Label not too long ago. It’s an interesting light and bold blend of Hawaiin Kona and Espresso beans making for a mouthful of flavor. It paired nicely with most of this cigar but I think something more bold would have been better near the end as the body of this cigar ramped up. But a strong coffee would have overpowered the beginning of this cigar. This goes back to the whole unbalanced thing I mention above. I think this would have also paired well with a nice stout or tasty Amber beer.

The post Cuba Aliados Miami appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

Monte Pascoal is made by the Tabacos Mata Fina Ltda company and is part of the Orsi Family Group. The tobacco portion of the Orsi’s company was established very recently in 2007 but they also have business in Wine, Steel, and Real Estate. The Monte Pascoal name comes from a part of Brazil where the first Portugeuse explorer landed in Brazil. As with the Dona Flor, the Monte Pascoal is a Brazilian Puro Cigar.

The Monte Pascoal line is available in 6 Vitolas and are all made with the same blend of Mata Fina and Mata Norte leaves. The blend of tobacco sounds very interesting and I’m hoping to get a lot of the expected cocoa and coffee notes that I typically get from Brazilian wrappers. Let’s light this cigar up and see how it stands. As always, I’m going into this review completely unbiased and will be giving my wholly honest opinion as I burn away.

Cigar: Monte Pascoal
Drink: Quinta do Tedo Fine Tawny
Vitola: Corona (5.623 x 42)
Wrapper: Brazilian Mata Fina
Binder: Brazilian Mata Fina
Filler: Brazilian Mata Fina and Mata Norte
Price: About $6
Burn Time: Just over 1 hour

Construction:
• A slender rough looking cigar with a medium brown wrapper and some dark brown accents
• There is a fair bit of bumpiness on the wrapper and a few prominent veins but none look problematic to the burn
• The entire cigar is consistenly soft and springy
• The triple cap is finished tightly and clean
• The foot looks moderately packed, a couple open spots can be seen
• Cutting the cigar was effortless and fairly clean and didn’t cause any wrapper damage
• Draw it spot on, lots of air but just enough resistence

Burn:
• The small corona sized cigar toasted easily to a nicely glowing foot
• The burn line glows brightly with each draw, staying nice and straight but it seems to be moving quickly
• The burnline is still razor sharp through half the cigar and has started to burn a bit slower
• This burn is perfect, absolutely no waves or retouches from start to finish!

Smoke & Ash:
• Each draw is offering up a hefty mouthful of smoke
• Very little resting smoke but it gives off a mild and pleasent woddsy aroma
• Ash is fairly strong and clean, colouring is light gray with lots of black accents
• Ash held on just past an inch before I gently tapped it off
• Subsequent ashes all held on around an inch and stayed clean and tight

Tasting Notes:
• The wrapper has a sweet cocoa and tobacco aroma to it, very inviting
• The foor brings different aromas of woodsiness and a bit of mild spice, possibly nutmeg
• Pre-light draw brings a bit more cocoa and woodsiness, this time I get a bit of nuttiness too
• Initial draws are mostly woodsiness and some tobacco flavors
• Retrohale is faily mild with just the smallest bite a woodsy finish
• As I approach the halfway mark I haven’t gotten many new flavors, maybe just a bit of nuttiness, sorta like raw almonds
• The existing flavors are well balanced but I’d like to have a bit more variety/dimensions soon…
• I’m getting slightly more body and bite as the cigar progresses near the last third
• Some slight bitter coffee notes started near the end of the cigar. At first it was enjoyable but then the bitterness took over

Final Thoughts:
Similar to the Dona Flor (also from CigarsFromBrazil.com) this cigar ranked in the mild-medium range. It would be a good early day cigar with your morning coffee or something light after lunch. Unfortunately the flavors never “wowed” me on this stick. The were tasteful and well balanced but didn’t offer enough variation or complexity to keep it interesting. With a shorter vitola like a corona I wouldn’t expect tons of dimensionality but I usually like to see at least one noticable change in flavor direction as it smokes. The cigar itself burned very well and is worth trying if the woodsy and tobacco flavors are in your favorite profile. The initial aromas on the wrapper and foot promised some more interesting flavors that never came to fruition.

Pairings:
I haven’t paired a port for a review in quite some time. Not sure why, I’ve been enjoying some Port with cigars but it never fell in line with one of my reviews. Today I’m pairing with a bottle that’s new to me. I saw it at the store and decided to give it a try. It’s a 2004 Late Bottled Vintage from Quinta Do Tedo in Portugal. It ranks in at 19% alc./vol. but it tastes no where near that. This particular Tawny Port is a bit sweeter then I’d usually like. It has lots of bright and fruity flavors such as blackberries and a tartness akin to cranberries. It also has a presence of a Merlot like wine to it. It’s very tasty and great for anyone looking to just start into tasting Tawny Port. In this particular pairing I think the port was too sweet for this mild cigar and would have been more enjoyable with a stronger cigar pairing. This cigar would have paired much better with a cup of coffee, dark cola or an amber beer.

The post Monte Pascoal Corona appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

Currently, Berger & Argenti offer 3 lines, the Entubar, Classico and Mooch. Today’s review will focus on the Classico line which is currently offered in 3 sizes, a Rothschild, Belicoso, and Churchill. Berger & Argenti hails from Miami, Florida and began business only in 2009. The Argenti brothers that started this company have quickly released some quality products and made a name for themselves in the cigar market. They are associated with Tabacalera Esteli in Nicaragua which is run by Enrique Berger. And that’s how the name was born!

A little warning here, it’s crazy cold outside here! Temp is dipping around -12 Celsius (10 Farenheit) and dropping. Although I have a propane heater here, the dry and cold air can suck the humidity out of some cigars. With that in mind, lets see how this cigar stacks up!

Cigar: Berger & Argenti Classico
Drink: Rickards Dark Ale
Vitola: Rothschild (5 x 50)
Wrapper: Equadorian Desflorado Connecticut
Binder: Nicaraguan Corojo
Filler: Nicaraguan
Price: $5.50
Burn Time: 1.5 Hours

Construction:
• A smooth and oily medium brown wrapper holds this cigar together
• There are some visible veins but they are all smooth to the touch, no large ones at all
• The triple cap is cleanly applied and secure
• There is a slight spring throughout the cigar, not too soft and not too firm
• The foot appears well packed except for one fair sized hole, hoping it doesn’t cause any issues
• A couple of the wrappers I’ve had have dark spots on them, possible just some water spots
• The cut left a nice clean edge but exploded into a million pieces in my ashtray

Burn:
• Toasting was fairly painless, evenly glowed with minimal effort
• The burn started off nice and even and has stayed razor sharp through the first few inches
• No issues in the burn department as I hit the last third, I love it when cigars burn like this
• Great burn the whole way through right up to the nub

Smoke & Ash:
• Initial draws offered a moderate mouthful of smoke
• Resting smoke is almost non-existent, but still gives off a pleasant cedar aroma
• The ash is coming out with a nice white finish and some small zebra striping
• It is staying clean and tightly bound so far, a very nice ash
• Ash fell off into the ashtray while it was resting there after about 1.5 inches
• Second ash still held strong past an inch, this time it fell in my lap but it still held together and I was able to pick it up and toss it back in the ashtray

Tasting Notes:
• The wrapper has a soft woodsy aroma to it with a touch of nutmeg spice that tingles on the nose
• The foot has similar notes to the wrapper but a much more prominent spice is noticeable, maybe some pepper thrown in there now
• Pre-light draw was mostly cedar but I did get an odd bitter taste on my tongue, let’s hope it doesn’t stick around
• Initial draws are packed with more cedar and some subtle nutmeg notes
• I immediately noticed a fair amount of dryness on this cigar
• Body is in the mild-medium range and the retrohale has a touch of bite and a cedar finish, not too smooth at this point
• As the cigar progresses, I’m picking up a small licorice like flavor, i hope this develops more
• As I pass the first third, I’m picking up a hint of coffee now, all the flavors are starting to balance together nicely now
• I’m happy to find that the licorice flavors are sticking around and fighting back and forth with the coffee
• At the half-way point, some of the spice is starting to re-appear, more pepper then nutmeg now
• The spice and body definitely started to pick up after passing the half-way mark, thankfully the dryness has disappeared
• The licorice has mostly disappeared now and the spices are balancing well with the coffee and woodsy flavors that remain
• The woodsy and peppery notes have mostly taken control now, I’m getting the nutmeg poking in here once in awhile to change it up
• The cigar finished up in the lower end of the full range

Final Thoughts:
I was pleasantly surprised with this cigar. I’m always hesitant when trying new brands, especially from such a young company. But it seems that the backing of the experienced factory in Nicaragua has proven to be a wonderful partnership. The cigar had an interesting and enjoyable flavor profile with a fair bit of dimensionality. I think the factor here was the Connectcut wrapper bringing some sweet and smooth creaminess and the Corojo binder adding some spice and body. It made for a well balanced cigar. The construction was also spot-on with great burn and ash throughout. This cigar is definitely worth giving a try, and since it’s priced fairly, could easily make an entry into your regular rotation.

Pairings:
I’ve enjoyed this brew with a few cigars and so far it has not let me down. It is a very smooth drinking dark ale that is modelled after English porters. The Rickard’s brewery is based out of Canada, and in true Canadian form it is brewed with Maple Syrup. The syrup flavors are not overly intense but they are definitely there and taste great along with the coffee and malt flavors. It paired very well with the spicy, coffee and licorice notes of the cigar and helped bring them out. Other good pairings for this cigar would include port, other dark porters or stouts, or a nice strong coffee.

The post Berger and Argenti Classico appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

Illusione ~mk~

The particular cigar up for review today is the Illusione ~mk~ The Teaching Machine. This particular cigar has a very interesting back story. Here’s a little excerpt from the Illusion site:

Project MKULTRA was a government experiment in creating “zombie soldiers” if you will, through experimentation with LSD and subconscious suggestion when under the influence. MKULTRA was also referred to as the “teaching machine.” The classic corona size is the teaching machine vitola. It is the perfect vehicle for delivery of flavor, if the blend is right.

Needless to say, this cigar did not disappoint. Let me point out to skeptics now, do not underestimate this cigars flavor and complexity based on its smaller vitola. As Dion’s description perfectly says, “It is the perfect vehicle for delivery of flavor”.

Illusione ~mk~

Cigar: Illusione ~mk~ The Teaching Machine
Drink: Diet Dr. Pepper / Water
Vitola: Petit Corona (5.125 x 42)
Wrapper: Nicaragua Café Colorado
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Price: Gifted from Tony – Thanks! (Sells for about $6.50)
Burn Time: About 1 hour

Construction:
• Medium brown in color
• One medium sized vein, shouldn’t cause problems
• Even and symmetrical throughout with a good spring to it
• Very clean triple cap
• Foot looks well packed

Burn:
• Very easy and even toasting
• Staying lit easily, no extra attention required
• Razor sharp and even burn throughout the cigar, no issues
• No complaints at all in this department

Illusione ~mk~

Illusione ~mk~

Illusione ~mk~

Pairings:
The complexity of this cigar deserves a good pairing that doesn’t over power the delicate balance of flavors here. I’d probably recommend something as simple as water for this cigar. I started off with Diet Dr. Pepper and switched to my backup bottle of water that I always keep handy. I found the cigar had more than enough flavors that the soda was taking away from the cigar, water made my enjoyment go way up. Definitely seek out a very mild pairing with this cigar. I think most alcoholic beverages will drown out the flavors too much to enjoy, but you could try a mild red wine.

Illusione ~mk~

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