Avo 2nd Movement TAA Limited Release

At the Tobacconists Association of America’s (TAA) 2014 Annual Meeting, Avo Cigars unveiled their contribution to the TAA’s Exclusive Series of cigars, the Avo 2nd Movement TAA Limited Release. The Avo 2nd Movement is one of eight exclusive cigars made available to TAA retailers by various manufacturers for 2014. The Avo 2nd Movement marks the second consecutive year that Avo has provided a TAA cigar.  Last year’s release, the Avo Movement was the #5 Cigar Coop Cigar of the Year for 2013.  While the Avo 2nd Movement delivers a good cigar experience, overall I found this to be a cigar that fell short of last year’s masterpiece.

The TAA is a small group of retailers (at press time the TAA web-site lists a total of 75 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.“

The Avo 2nd Movement is a different blend and a different size than the original Avo Movement. Both the Avo Movement and Avo 2nd Movement pay homage to brand ambassador Avo Uvezian’s roots in the music industry. A “movement” is a musical component that part of a larger musical performance that can stand on its own. A 2nd movement typically follows a first movement when played in succession.

Avo Movement (Top), Avo 2nd Movement (Bottom)

At this time, let’s take a closer look at the Avo 2nd Movement TAA Limited Release and see what this cigar brings to the table:

Blend Profile

While the components remain similar to 2013’s Avo Movement, this is being positioned as a different blend.

Wrapper: Ecuadorian
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican

Vitolas Available

The Avo Movement is a rounded vitola made in one size – a 6 1/4 x 47 vitola.

Appearance

The Ecuadorian wrapper to the Avo 2nd Movement has a medium to dark brown color with a colorado red tint to it.  I didn’t find much 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. There is a slight bumpiness and ruggedness to the wrapper.  While it wasn’t the smoothest wrapper, I found it gave the wrapper some charm.

The band used on the Avo Movement is pretty much the same as the primary band on the Avo 88. 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 “LE14″ also in gold font. The band has gold and white trim going around it.

A secondary band has a similar color scheme. It has the same brown color with white trim. on the band it says “2nd | MOVEMENT” in gold font.  2013’s Avo Movement did not have a secondary band.

Preparation for the Cigar Experience

Prior to lighting up my Avo 2nd Movement, I went with my usual choice of a straight cut to start things off.  Once the cap was removed, I proceeded with the pre-light draw.  The dry draw provided notes of sweet natural tobacco, cedar, coffee, and a slight twangy spice.  Overall, I considered the pre-light draw to the Avo 2nd Movement to be satisfactory.  At this point, I was ready to light up this cigar and see what the smoking phase would have in store.

Flavor Profile

There was a quick pepper hit at the start of the Avo 2nd Movement.  This gave way to flavors of natural tobacco, grass, coffee, and a tangy (almost barbecue, but not “fire-cured”-like spice). As the flavors progressed through the first third, the tangy spice moved into the forefront along with the natural tobacco flavors.  The grass and coffee notes were secondary.  Meanwhile on the retro-hale, the spice was more of a classic black pepper.

During the second third, the coffee notes joined the natural tobacco and the tangy spice in the forefront. The spice dailed back slightly during this stage.  I found the grass notes to be a little more prominent and they were joined by a slight bready component.

In the latter part of the second third, I found the tangy spice moved into the background.  The grass notes replaced the natural tobacco in the forefront.  The coffee notes that were present earlier on became earthy

In the last third, I found the flavor profile the natural tobacco had now diminished.  The flavors were earthy at the end.  The tangy spice now was a little more pepper-like. Overall I found the flavors muted in the last stages.  This is the way the flavor profile came to a close.  The resulting nub was outstanding – cool in temperature and firm to the touch.

Burn and Draw

I found the burn to the Avo 2nd Movement to perform nicely.  The burn remained relatively straight from start to finish.  The burn line itself had some curvature to it, but it was never in danger of tunneling or canoeing.  The resulting ash was tight and firm with a nice gray color to it.  The burn rate and burn temperature were ideal.

Burn of the Avo 2nd Movement

The draw had a slight resistance to it.  This is something I like on the draw – and it made for a a nice cigar experience with this cigar.

Strength and Body

I assessed the Avo 2nd Movement as being a cigar that has medium strength and medium body throughout the smoking experience.  From a strength perspective, I did find the Avo 2nd Movement to have slightly more strength than its predecessor, the Avo Movement.  Meanwhile I found in terms of the body, I actually found the Avo 2nd Movement a little more dialed back from the first Avo Movement.  Overall I will say the Avo 2nd Movement did a nice job at balancing strength versus body.

Final Thoughts

Prior to smoking this, I have found the cigars I have smoked in 2014 TAA Exclusive Series to be underwhelming to say the least.  Normally I expect much more “wow” factor in a TAA release and this year’s has seemed to lack that.  Most of the series has been good smokes, but not anything that really stands out.  The Avo 2nd Movement is a cigar that falls into that category.  It’s a cigar I’d smoke from time to time – and its one I would recommend for any cigar enthusiast to try.  However, in my case, I would consider this more of a cigar to have from time to time as opposed to a regular rotation smoke.  It’s definitely still worth a “Try One”.

Summary

Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: High
Strength: Medium
Body: Medium
Finish: Good
Assessment: 2.5 – Try One
Score: 89

References

News: Avo 2nd Movement TAA Limited Release Heads to Retailers (Cigar Preview)
Price: $11.00
Source: Purchased
Stogie Geeks Podcast: n/a
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