In 2022, Davidoff announced that AVO Cigars would be retiring the annual AVO Limited Edition series as we know it. The series started in 2001 when the cigar was released as a commemorative birthday release for brand founder Avo Uzevian. In 2015, the series was morphed into the AVO Improvisation Series, which also were limited editions (“improvised” or based on existing AVO products). Many of them coincided with Uzevian’s March 22 birthday. While annual AVO limited edition releases are gone for now, Davidoff has not abandoned the concept of AVO limited editions. In 2023, it announced the inaugural AVO Seasons Limited Edition series – a series of four cigars that each pays homage to one of the four seasons: spring, summer, fall (autumn), and winter. Today, we look at the first installment of the AVO Seasons Limited Edition Series 2023, the AVO Seasons Spring.

Each of the four cigars features a different blend offered in a Diadema vitola format. The idea is that each cigar blend is meant to be enjoyed in the season for which it was named. The following are the four AVO Seasons Limited Edition cigars being released for 2023 (with the wrapper in parentheses). Each cigar has a unique and distinct blend.

AVO Seasons Spring (Ecuadorian Corojo)
AVO Seasons Summer (Ecuadorian Corojo)
AVO Seasons Fall (Mexican San Andres)
AVO Seasons Winter (Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade)

The idea of a limited edition cigar series named and released for each of the four seasons is not new. Back in 2008, Rocky Patel Premium Cigars introduced a similar concept.

Let’s turn our attention back to the AVO Seasons Spring Limited Edition 2023 cigar and see what it brings to the table.

SPECIFICATIONS

Blend and Origin

The AVO Seasons Spring Limited Edition 2023 is highlighted by an Ecuadorian Corojo wrapper. The remainder of the blend is all-Dominican tobaccos. Davidoff says one of the Dominican tobaccos aged up to 14 years (a common characteristic on the four AVO Seasons 2023 blends). Production is handled at the O.K. Cigars factory in the Dominican Republic.

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Corojo
Binder: Dominican (San Vincente Seco)
Filler: Dominican (San Vincente Seco, San Vincente Visus, Piloto Seco, and Hybrid 192 Visus)
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Factory: O.K. Cigars

Vitolas Offered

The AVO Seasons Spring Limited Edition 2023 comes in one size – a 50 x 6 5/8 Diadema. The cigars are presented in ten-count boxes. A total of 4,000 boxes were produced.

Appearance

The Ecuadorian Corojo wrapper of the AVO Seasons Spring Limited Edition 2023 has a dark cinnamon color. There wasn’t much in the way of oil on the surface of this wrapper. There were some visible veins, but any wrapper seams were not very noticeable. The Diadema has two gentle tapers on each end of the cigar. The head of the cigar has a cap on it while the footer is open.

PERFORMANCE

Pre-Light Draw

A straight cut was used to remove the AVO Seasons Spring Limited Edition 2023 cap. Once the cap was removed, it was time to commence with the pre-light draw. The cold draw was a mix of cinnamon and citrus. This was a satisfactory pre-light draw. At this point, it was time to toast up the AVO Seasons Spring Limited Edition 2023 footer and see what the smoking phase would have in store.

Tasting Notes

The AVO Seasons Spring Limited Edition 2023 continued where the pre-light draw left off, offering more notes of cinnamon and citrus. This time, there were also some classic wood notes. The classic wood notes quickly moved into the forefront. The cinnamon and citrus settled into the background. Meanwhile, the retro-hale delivered layers of cedar and black pepper.

The wood notes became more prominent during the second third of the AVO Seasons Spring Limited Edition 2023. There still were secondary notes of cinnamon and citrus in the background. In addition, cedar and mixed pepper also emerged in the background. These notes slowly began to increase in intensity in the second half.

In the final third, the wood notes continued to dominate. The pepper and cedar notes were now more prominent, but the cinnamon and citrus were still present to round out the flavor profile. This is how the AVO Seasons Spring Limited Edition 2023 smoking experience ended. The resulting nub was soft to the touch and cool in temperature.

Burn

The burn of the AVO Seasons Spring Limited Edition 2023 performed exceptionally well. The cigar maintained a straight burn path and straight burn line, requiring minimal touch-ups. The resulting ash had a salt and pepper color to it. This was an ash that was on the firmer side. Meanwhile, the burn rate and burn temperature both maintained ideal levels.

Draw

I usually prefer a touch of resistance on my draw. In the case of the AVO Seasons Spring Limited Edition 2023, the resistance was a little more than I like. While the cigar never went out or got plugged, I still had to work much harder to taste the flavors.

Strength and Body

The AVO Seasons Spring Limited Edition 2023 is not a powerhouse of a cigar in terms of strength and body. It started out mild to medium in strength and body. The intensity level picked up slightly, and by the second half, both the strength and body moved into the lower end of the medium range of the spectrum.

In terms of strength versus body, both attributes balanced each other nicely, with neither attribute overpowering the other.

BANDING AND PACKAGING NOTES

As with many AVO Cigars, the AVO Seasons Spring Limited Edition 2023 bands are extremely difficult to remove. This has been something I’ve encountered with many cigars over the years. Since banding and packaging aren’t scored, there is no loss of points here.

Packaging of the AVO Seasons Spring Limited Edition 2023 (Photo Credit: Davidoff of Geneva)

That said, I really liked the visual presentation of the AVO Seasons Spring Limited Edition 2023. The white, silver, and black AVO primary band is very nice. The AVO Seasons name is on the left side of the band. The bold green colors of the secondary band fit in with the spring season. The colors also look very pleasant on the box.

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

I found the AVO Spring Limited Edition a solid cigar. Although the flavor profile somewhat tailed off in the final third, the first two thirds were quite enjoyable. There is one point I want to bring up about the flavors that didn’t affect the cigar. This was a cigar geared for the spring season, but to me, the flavors delivered seemed in line for a Christmastime cigar.

In the end, while it’s not at the level of the AVO Limited Editions from over a decade ago, it’s still a cigar I recommend to any enthusiast. As for myself, I can see myself buying and smoking this cigar again.

Summary

Key Flavors: Wood, Cinnamon, Citrus, Cedar, Pepper
Burn: Excellent
Draw: Very Good
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Mild to Medium (1st Half), Medium (2nd Half)
Body: Mild to Medium (1st Half), Medium (2nd Half)
Finish: Very Good