Today we have a very special cigar review planned for you. There are two things that make this review special, the most important being that Jerry and I had the pleasure of being in the company of Bob and Dale from the Dog Watch Social Club. The other matter of importance is the cigar itself. All four of us sat around Friday evening in the comfort of our homes and had ourselves a virtual herf, smoking the AVO 80th Anniversary Belicoso. We did this using the Skype software, and had a great time.

Before the show got underway, we were all just sitting back shooting the breeze about this cigar we were about to smoke. During our little banter session all four of us began to talk about how attractive this cigar was.

The wrapper had a milk chocolate like color to it with an excellent aroma. The texture was smooth, having only small veins. The feel was firm but had some spring to it which typically is a sign of a good cigar.

A few moments later we all began our own little pre light rituals preparing to set this cigar ablaze. Bob, Dale, and I used our Palio cutters to slice the cap, while Jerry was being rebellious and used his Xikar cutter. The cutter made absolutely no difference at this point because between the four of us, the result was a clean, easy cut.

As I lit my cigar the first puff led way to an earth base with some spice lying in the background. Along with a pleasant taste, this cigar produced loads of smoke. The smoke just seemed to pour into my mouth with every puff and left me with a creamy, flavorful taste.

After a few short puffs as well as a short few comments of how much we enjoyed this cigar on the start, we began the show.

As we moved into the first inch of the cigar we all began to talk about the crisp spice this stick was producing. Along with the spice we were greeted by countless little nuances of complex and subtle flavors. At this point it is safe to say that we were all enjoying our cigars and were excited to see what the rest of the stick had to offer.

As the show went on and we smoked more, I found myself being distracted by the enjoyment I was getting out of this stick. The draw was excellent in that it produced lots of smoke yet had a slight resistance. The burn was slow as well as nice and even making for a long and memorable smoking experience. Right around this time Bob and I made mention that we were having some issues with the ash being a little flaky and loose, while Jerry and Dale did not have this problem.

As we closed in on the end of the show we all felt that this cigar was very consistent from front to back. Even with the consistency of the smoke the complexity of the flavors were subtly changing. The body of this cigar was in the Medium to Full spectrum and left you with a buzz while smoking. The flavors were most definitely well into the Full range, offering something appealing for everyone. The finish was creamy and soft on the pallet while leaving you with a quick sharp spice that was very enjoyable.

We began to wrap up the show and form a general consensus about this smoke. The AVO 80th Anniversary received a hands down approval from all four of us. This cigar is a little out of our comfort zone in terms of price ($13.00-$15.00 per stick) but we all felt that the price was justified with the quality and overall enjoyment we received.

The only issue I had with this cigar had to do with the bands. I spoke with Jerry after the show and it seems that we both ended up doing some damage to our cigars trying to get the bands off. I tried to tear mine at the seam but they were just attached too well and fit tightly around the cigar. I was left with no option but to slide the band down off the head of the cigar, which caused a couple slices in the wrapper. The slices didn’t make a difference in the way this cigar performed, but was just one of those common annoyances that you have with any cigar.

On a side note, Jerry and I would like to thank Bob and Dale for allowing us to sit in on the show once again. We can not express how much fun we had and will be counting down the days until we can to doing in again.

Take the time and check out the show by downloading at The Dog Watch Social Club website.