Cigar Review: Avo XO Intermezzo

Vitola: “Intermezzo” Robusto
Size: 5.5″ x 50 ring gauge
Price $12.50
Purchased from Smoke & Ale

Everyone once in a while we happen upon things that make us want to do a double-take.  Maybe it’s something we’ve seen before, but took for granted, or maybe it’s something that just didn’t interest us at the time.  Then one day, it catches your eye and you delve into it to learn its secrets.  That happened to me just the other day when I saw the Avo XO line at Smoke & Ale in Brentwood, TN.  I’ve smoked one a couple of years ago that a friend gave me to try, but I never sat down to review one.   I didn’t remember it being reviewed here on Leaf Enthusiast. I researched and found that it also hadn’t been reviewed on the old Tiki Bar Online site either.  So I grabbed one at the shop and set out to review of the Avo XO.  I went back home to drop a couple of things off before I ventured out to one of my favourite cigar hangs in Nashville, The Standard.

The first thing you’ll notice is that the AVO XO comes in an orange tube.  Convenient for those who like to carry a cigar in a jacket pocket, or even pants pocket.    When you unscrew the foot of the tube, you see a neatly wrapped cigar with a few veins, rather small, in a nice gentle dull brown with a single band hearalding it’s maker.  You immediately smell notes of hay and grass, with some cedar.

Toasting the foot yielded a nice creamy taste with plenty of smoke.  A woody presence was there, but it wasn’t heavy, and mixed in was a subtle spiciness with a clove underbelly.  The ash held on pretty well, lasting just shy of a couple of inches before falling.

Heading into the mid section, the flavour became a bit more floral, and I experienced an occasional hit of pepper.  The cigar burned evenly, and the smoke remained to be constant.

Finishing up the cigar, an earthiness and nuttiness revealed itself until near the nub when it became a bit more leathery.  The burn and smokiness remained constant throughout the evening, never needing a touch up.

I enjoyed this smoke, but it was definitely in a mild to medium bodied cigar, so I would either introduce this to someone who was looking for a milder cigar, say for breakfast, or maybe with a nice wine or dessert.  The construction was solid, and nothing was out of kilter.  It was a very good cigar, but not at the price, even with the Avo name.  In my opinion, if it was beneath $10, then I would revisit it.  There’s definitely tastier at this price point.

The Numbers:

Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 3.5/5
Value: .5/1
Total: 8/10