Smoked: Avo Classic No. 2

Smoked at: West Chester, Ohio

Avo Classic No. 2 uses Dominican tobacco with an oily grey-brown Ecuadoran Connecticut Shade wrapper on the dark side of Connecticut (“Help me, Obi-Won”). There are a few visible veins and barely noticeable seams.

Wood, earth, creamy sweetness, hazelnuts, mild pepper, raisins (some sort of dried fruit) but also a menthol taste I didn’t care for in the mix. There are occasional hints of chocolate or cocoa and vegetal notes.

Construction scoreboard: decent draw, could have a little less resistance for my taste, solid smoke output, the ash was a little flaky and didn’t hold well. The burn line was slightly wavy requiring a couple of touchups to even it out.

I have never been knocked out by an Avo. This one fits that experience. It’s not bad. Just not in my wheelhouse. Friends have told me Avo is a good introduction cigar for newbies. Perhaps they’re right.