This review was posted on 3/25/2007
-----------------
I went and done it.. that slippery slope.
Well of course I had to smoke one tonight. Construction is what you'd expect from any AVO product. I really had no idea what to expect from this smoke other than the shop owner enjoyed these more than the LE-5 and reminded him of the AVO 22. That is another monster that I'd like to come across some day.
On to the review. I clipped the cap cleanly with the Palio. Pre-light aroma was on a nutty chocolate smell. Reminded me of a almond chocolate bar.
The wrapper is a silky light brown (I haven't found information on the specifics of this Vitola. Not listed on AVO's site). The construction is firm and uniform.
Pre-light draw was on the easier side. No effort required to draw on this vitola.
I toasted the foot and lit the cigar. The first draw is one white pepper. The first third remained of strong pepper with a nice leather taste from time to time.
The 2nd half picked up toasted nuts and light cream with the peppery tones reminding me of cayenne.
The last third remained peppery, nutty, slightly creamy, with a taste of a spice that I can't pinpoint. It's not licorice by something as strong that I couldn't quite place.
It's time to age these a little and see how they blend.