I had originally planned to review another unusual looking cigar. I don’t know why, but I seem to be drawn to the odd looking smokes. As you probably remember, I reviewed the Felipe Gregorio Icon Einstein last week. And then there’s the Inmenso by Perdomo I reviewed back on Halloween. Who can forget my smoking adventures with multiple wrappers, the Gurkha Grand Master Dos Capas and the Indian Tabac Split Decision Quad Toro. (Actually, come to think of it, you’d be better off to forget those last two.) But then I remembered the AVO Tesoro Limited Edition 2008 I picked up a few weeks back. Jeez, a new cigar, and I was just sitting on it? That’s just nuts.

I guess that’s par for the course when it comes to the AVO Tesoro Limited Edition 2008. It was released back in late March to a great deal of fanfare in New York, but it seemed to be quickly eclipsed by all the other new cigars coming out. I remembered reading about them, and then being surprised to find them so quickly in one of my local shops. (Which, I might add, still doesn’t have Nubs or my much loved Arganese cigars.) Or maybe it’s just me. When I put up the decision to a scientific Twitter poll, the calls for the new AVO were overwhelming.

Here’s the scoop on the cigar. It was released to celebrate Avo Uvezian’s 82nd birthday. And before you go hitting up a web translator to get the scoop on the name, Tesoro means “treasure”. The Dominican tobacco that makes up the majority of the cigar is a combination of Piloto, San Vicente and Olor tobaccos. But wait a second, this cigar is a little unusual looking too, which pleases me in a odd way. It bears a foot band instead of your standard band. And get this, it’s displayed standing on its head with its banded foot peaking out of the top of the box. Cool, huh?

And with that, let’s light it up.

Cigar Stats:
Size: 5 3/4 x 50
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sun Grown
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Dominican Republic
Smoking Time: 1 3/4 hours
Beverage: Water
Price: ~$13

The Pre-Smoke
It’s hard for me to look at this cigar and not think “Edge”. But the one nice thing is a foot band answers the age old question: take the band off when you light it, or leave it on? At least for this cigar. Anyway, it’s a pretty nice looking band, looking a bit more utilitarian than decorative, at least to me.

Inspecting the wrapper, I almost immediately noticed a greenish hued area near the head of one cigar, which surprised me a bit. But it is light enough that it would probably be easy to overlook. (And it might be a little hard to see in the picture.)

Other than that spot, I didn’t notice any other visual defects. The cigar was firm, covered with a number of spidery veins and just a little lumpy.

The scent on the wrapper was a really pungent, sickly sweet compost (which generally bodes well in the flavor department). I found the cold taste to a sweeter pruney flavor.

The Burn
Aside from a little unevenness initially and a little bit at the end, this cigar burned beautifully. It formed long lengths of solid white ash without a problem. The draw was also perfect. I did have to relight both smokes toward the end of the second third, but definitely not a big deal.

The Flavor
The cigar started off with a nice syrupy-sweet combination of nuts and wood. I did also detect a bit of spice in the cigar also. Throughout the remainder of the first third woodiness and a bit of that sweetness predominated.

In the second third the flavors were a bit different between the cigars. The first I smoked had a caramel and paper flavor, while the second was more of a dry wood with more of that spiciness. I did also get some cinnamon in this third out of both and bit of a grain flavor.

The final third seemed to pick up some earthiness and a bit of leather to accompany the woodiness and cinnamon. There was a bit of sweetness at points in this third for both cigars.

I’m not sure how it happened, but it seemed that the second cigar was a bit dry over all. Both were stored in identically, and were bought from the same store, from the same box.

The Price
Tracking down the price on the AVO Tesoro Limited Edition 2008 is a little difficult. I looked around, and didn’t see them listed for sale anywhere online. At least not with an advertised price. My understanding is that their MSRP is around the $13 mark, which about what I paid for mine. That puts the cigar in the price range where I’m not likely to buy more unless I really enjoyed it.

The Verdict
I enjoyed the first third of both cigars the most. As each burned into the second third, I found myself not very into the flavors. That dry woodiness just doesn’t gel with my palate right now. And I’ve never been a big fan of a paper flavor in a cigar.

But my verdict might surprise you, I think this a good cigar. I just think it’s not the right one for me. I am certain that AVO fans will enjoy this smoke, and would definitely recommend trying it out. It’s less expensive than the 787 I reviewed earlier and I like it a lot more. If I can find them, I will likely buy more in the future, because my preferred flavor profile is ever in the state of flux. And next time, I think I’m gonna pair it with some coffee or port.

Liked It: No
Buy It Again: Probably, because I could be into it down the road.
Recommend It: Yes

Tower of Burn
Here for your viewing pleasure is my trademark Tower of Burn.