AVO Maduro No. 3

Back again for another review by the greatest person you know.*

This time it's for the biggest cigar I've ever had, an AVO Maduro #3. I got this one through a Cigar Secret Santa thing that I was a part of this year, and it barely fit in my humidor. It had a beautiful color and smelled delicious, though, so I was excited to try it. Therefore, when Curt and I decided to go down to the local cigar bar, Havana Deluxe, I brought the beast along for the ride.

I do have to admit it made me feel a little stupid to be smoking such a giant cigar in public. I needed a Cadillac with horns on the front, or a thrilling tale of my oil-baron days to accompany such a ridiculous looking stogie. But it cut cleanly and lit perfectly, so away I went.

The draw and burn on this bear was perfect. We were there for hours and it never burned unevenly or was the slightest bit plugged. The taste, though, is where it really shone. It started with a nice coffee flavor right off the bat, then gradually broadened into a sweeter taste, without the slightest hint of bitterness or acrid tang that some maduros have. The end picked up steam with more coffee and a little almondy taste.

But I have had cigars with those flavors before - what really set this one apart for me was how smooth it was. The flavors were strong without being harsh, and lingered without overpowering. I paired this with a Belgian-style witbier to good effect, the sweetness countered the coffee nicely.

I probably wouldn't get this size again, it's too big. But I will definitely buy this line of cigar again. And since that is the basis of our number-scale ("Would I buy this again?"), this one gets my Walken.

AVO Maduro No. 3
Size: Churchill (7.5" x 50 ring)
Taste: Medium
Draw: Great
Burn: Perfectly Even
Flavors: Coffee, chocolate, pepper, nut
Overall Rating:
The smooth taste and interesting, changing flavors give me a fever, and the only prescription is:


*P.S. That's me

Welcome!

So, this is the beginning of our new adventure into cigar and spirit tasting/writing. Here's the background: we are not connoisseurs. We are not experts. We are barely literate. In fact, in some states we are not allowed to operate a vehicle.

What we are is a group of three guys who have decided (some recently, some not-so-recently) that we enjoy whiskey and cigars, and want to try our hand at writing about them. Our posts will include some background, some impressions of the product at hand, and some pictures. Except this one. Because I forgot my camera.

We live in different areas of the country, but starting soon we will be attempting to review the same cigars and drinks at the same time, to give you some different viewpoints on the same subject. We appreciate feedback, unless your feedback is "lol" or some kind of spam. But we do like real Spam. Mmmmm.....ham-like....



I'll start with this weekend. Curt and I went out to the local cigar bar in Raleigh, Havana Deluxe. I brought with me a Castle Hall churchill that I recieved as a gift from a generous fellow on a message board that I read. The Castle Hall is a hefty cigar compared to what I usually smoke - it's 7" long and has a 52 ring. The wrapper is a very light tan, tending towards the greenish end. The band is predominantly purple and orange, and to be honest looks a little garish. The internet tells me that it is made from Dominican and Honduran filler, with a Honduran wrapper. To be honest, that doesn't mean a lot to me.

The first thing I noticed was that the draw was really easy on this. Not as easy as the CAO Brazilia I had last week, but still ridiculously open. The flavor on first light was not great, and I got a lot of little tobacco bits in my mouth from a slightly frayed cut. However, about a quarter of the way through it really started to pick up. It had a really smooth and creamy smoke, and had a nice strong flavor without being harsh. (I define harsh as that tannic taste you get on the sides of your tongue). It definitely had a hint of sweetness to it, as well as (maybe) a nutty flavor.

However, this is a good place to put a disclaimer. I can't taste all those notes that cigar-people claim to taste. Toasted leather, honeysuckle, Scott Baio's mullet, wild rose, whatever. I can't taste them in wine, I can't taste them in scotch, and I can't taste them here. So take my opinion for what it's worth: nothing.

I paired this cigar with a really nice Old-Fashioned (Maker's Mark bourbon, sugar, orange, cherry, bitters). I find that the smell of a cigar really enhances a bourbon drink, bringing out the smokier flavors in the bourbon. Maker's is a very nice bourbon and makes for a nice old-fashioned. There are fancier bourbons, but for the price it's hard to beat Maker's. I'll have some more detailed bourbon reviews as we progress.

I also really recommend Havana Deluxe to any cigar aficionados in the area. It's members only, so you have to sign up to be a member. But because of this, it's never crowded. There are plenty of leather sofas and small tables with high-backed chairs to hang out in, and the music is low so you can talk. We sat there for 3+ hours smoking and drinking, and never were pressured to leave. I had another cigar in the evening, a Montecristo #3, but I'll review that another time.

So next time expect more pictures, and more of the same ramblings. Also, next time we will debut our unique cigar and drink rating system.