Avo Movement TAA Limited Release

The Avo Movement TAA Limited Release marks not only the first cigar that the Avo cigar brand has released for the Tobacconist Association of America, but it marks the first box-press cigar by Avo.  It joins the Avo Dominant 13 as the second limited edition to be released by the Avo brand this year.  Add to the fact that Avo Cigars also announced plans at the 2013 IPCPR for its new core line Serenta in 2014 and no doubt this has been a more active year for the brand.  I have recently had an opportunity to smoke the Avo Movement.  The TAA has received its share of many excellent releases by top manufacturers.  Not only does this cigar rank right at the top of this list, but it could be one of the best cigars to be released in the industry this year.

The TAA is a small group of retailers (at press time the TAA web-site lists a total of 71 members). For the past several years many manufacturers have made available cigars that are exclusive to TAA member retail shops.  As per their web-site, the TAA is defined as:


The Tobacconists’ Association of America, Ltd. is a trade organization established in 1968 by visionary retail tobacconists. By providing education, communication, research, advocacy, and member discount programs, The TAA works with our members and the industry they support to offer the tools and relationship building opportunities needed to maximize professionalism and success.”


At this time, let’s take a closer look at the Avo Movement TAA Limited Release and see what this cigar brings to the table:


Blend Profile

There are not a lot of specifics on the tobaccos in this blend.  Numerous retailers are reporting the blend as follows:

Wrapper: Ecuadorian
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican

Vitolas Available

The Avo Movement is a box-pressed vitola made in one size – a 6 x 52 toro.  The box-press is what I would categorize as a soft-press meaning there is some subtle rounding to this box-press.   The cigars are packaged 20 per box.

Appearance

As mentioned the Avo Movement has more of a soft press design to it.  It features a medium brown-bag colored wrapper with a little bit of dark marbling mixed in.  There is a slight amount of oil on the surface of the wrapper.  For the most part the wrapper seams are well hidden. There were also a couple of veins that were visible on the cigars I smoked.

The band used on the Avo Movement is pretty much the same as the primary band on the Avo Dominant 13.  This band is the brown, gold, black, and white band that has been seen the past few years on the Avo Limited Edition series. The background to the band is brown in color.  The Avo logo is front and center on that bend.  To the left of the logo is the text “Avo Uvezian” in gold font.  To the right of the logo is the text “LE13” also in gold font.   The band has gold and white trim going around it.

Preparation for the Cigar Experience

Prior to firing up the Avo Movement, I opted for my usual choice of a straight cut.  Once the cap was clipped, I proceeded to move on to the pre-light draw.  The dry draw notes provided a mix of pepper and a little caramel sweetness.  While it wasn’t the most overly complex dry draw, I found it to be extremely flavorful – and this would be a sign of things to come.  With an excellent pre-light draw experience completed, I was ready to light up my Avo Movement TAA Limited Release and see what this cigar had in store.

Flavor Profile

The start to the Avo Movement TAA Limited Release provided a mix of black pepper, natural tobacco, and a very interesting sweetness that seemed to be a cross of citrus and caramel.   The pepper was prominent, but not overbearing on the retro-hale.  As the cigar moved moved through the first few minutes, the natural tobacco and caramel notes moved to the forefront.  The pepper notes became more of a secondary note.  I also detected some signature Davidoff hay notes in the background.

Throughout the first half, there was a very interesting pattern to the way the flavors were drawn from this cigar.  The caramel sweetness was definitely more present on the draw.  On the after-draw, I detected more black pepper.  Once the flavors finished on the pallet, I detected the hay notes.  The natural tobacco was omnipresent throughout the draw.  Overall I found each puff to deliver some incredible complexity.

While there was some nice complexity on each draw, the flavor profile did not undergo a lot of serious transitions.  There were some small changes in the second half.  The caramel sweetness took on some dried fruit characteristics.  At the same time the pepper became a little more prominent.  This is the way the flavors held until the end.   The very end of this cigar was as flavorful as the beginning – with no harshness whatsoever.  The resulting nub was ideal – cool in temperature and firm to the touch.

Burn and Draw

If there is an award for “best burn” on a cigar, the Avo Movement TAA Limited Release should win that award in 2013.  This was one of the best burning cigars I’ve smoked not just this year, but in any year.  This was a true low maintenance burn as it required virtually no touch-ups to keep the burn line straight.  The resulting ash was tight and firm with no flaking.  The ash had a mostly salt and pepper color slanted a little more on the gray side.  The burn rate and burn temperature were ideal.

Burn of the Avo Movement (Early stages)

Burn of the Avo Movement (Later Stages)

The draw was excellent as while.  It was not too tight and not too loose – making for a very enjoyable smoke to puff on.

Strength and Body

With a few exceptions, Avo Cigars are not known for being overpowering when it comes to their nicotine level.  The Avo Movement TAA Limited Release follows suit here.  This is a cigar that I categorized as medium strength.  I did find the strength ramps up a bit in the latter stages of the smoking experience, but it does not cross the line into medium to full strength.

The flavors have some nice depth to them.  I assessed the Avo Movement as being medium to full-bodied.  The depth of the flavors does increase and by the last third the Avo Movement could be considered a full-bodied cigar.  In terms of strength versus body, with the Avo Movement the body is going to win out here easily.

Final Thoughts

Avo Cigars have certainly done very well on Cigar Coop – especially when it comes to their limited editions.  The Avo Limited Edition 2010 was our 2010 Cigar of the Year while the Avo Limited Edition 2011 85th Anniversary was our #5 Cigar of the Year for 2011.  This past year, the release of the Avo Dominant 13  scored a 94.  In the case of the Avo Movement, this stands among some elite company as this is one very good cigar.  This is the kind of cigar I’d recommend to a novice or experienced cigar enthusiast.  As for myself, this is not only a cigar I’d smoke again, but I’d easly fight Chuck Norris for a box.

Summary

Burn:Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Medium
Body: Medium to Full (First 2/3), Full (Last 1/3)
Finish: Excellent
Assessment: 4.5 – Fight Chuck Norris for Them
Score: 95

Source: The cigars for this assessment were purchased by Tinder Box of the Carolinas in Charlotte, NC.