AVO Seasons Summer Limited Edition 2023

Today, we review the AVO Seasons Summer Limited Edition 2023. The AVO Seasons Summer is the second installment of the 2023 AVO Seasons series.

Ever since 2001, AVO Cigars has done an annual limited edition cigar. The Seasons series marked a significant change to the limited edition series. It was back in 2022 that Davidoff announced that AVO Cigars would be retiring the annual AVO Limited Edition series as we know it. From 2001 to 2014, the series was used for commemorative birthday releases for brand founder Avo Uvezian. 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 Uvezian’s March 22 birthday. In 2023, the inaugural AVO Seasons Limited Edition series was launched. As the name indicates, this a series of four cigars that each pays homage to one of the four seasons: spring, summer, fall (autumn), and winter. Today, we look closer at the AVO Seasons Summer.

Each of the four Seasons 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 Summer Limited Edition 2023 cigar and see what it brings to the table.

AVO Seasons Summer Limited Edition 2023 Cigar Review

SPECIFICATIONS

Blend and Origin

The AVO Seasons Summer Limited Edition 2023 features an Ecuadorian Corojo wrapper with a Mexican San Andres wrapper and all-Dominican fillers. It should be noted the AVO Seasons Spring cigar also used the Ecuadorian Corojo wrapper. The 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 Summer 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 Summer Limited Edition 2023 has a dark cinnamon color. There wasn’t much in the way of oil on the surface of this wrapper. The surface of the wrapper had a slight amount of mottling on it. In addition, the surface also had some toothiness to it. There were some visible veins and some visible wrapper seams. 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

Before lighting up the AVO Seasons Summer Limited Edition 2023 cap, a straight was cut was used to remove the cap. Once the cap was removed, it was on to the pre-light draw. The cold draw was a mix of wood, cedar, and natural tobacco. This was a satisfactory pre-light draw. At this point, it was time to toast up the AVO Seasons Summer and see what the smoking phase would have in store.

Tasting Notes

The AVO Seasons Summer opened up with notes of natural tobacco and licorice. These notes became the primary ones right out of the gate. Notes of wood, baker’s spice, and black pepper surfaced in the background. On the retro-hale, there were additional layers of licorice and pepper.

The second third of the AVO Seasons Summer opened up with the natural tobacco and licorice notes still primary. The licorice component diminished as the cigar progressed through this segment, and the wood notes increased. By midway, natural tobacco was now the sole primary note. Once the cigar was in the second third, the pepper notes also increased in intensity. There were also still notes of baker’s spice in the background.

The final third saw the natural tobacco still grounded in the forefront. The wood and pepper notes had closed in. Meanwhile, notes of licorice and baker’s spice remained, rounding out the profile. This is the way the AVO Seasons Summer came to a close. The resulting nub was slightly soft to the touch and cool in temperature.

Burn

While there was some occasional jaggedness on the burn line, the AVO Season Summer had little problem maintaining a straight burn path. For the most part, any touch-ups were more cosmetic. The resulting ash had a silver-gray color. The ash was on the firm side. Meanwhile, the burn rate and burn temperature maintained ideal levels.

Draw

The draw of the AVO Seasons Summer had a touch of resistance to it, which is something that I like. At the same time, this was a low-maintenance cigar from which to derive flavor.

Strength and Body

The AVO Seasons Summer started out with medium-strength and medium-bodied flavors. For the most part, the strength level stayed relatively constant. By the second half, the body increased where it was in the medium to full range. In terms of strength versus body, the body held the edge – especially in the second half.

BANDING AND PACKAGING NOTES

Regarding the bands, the AVO Seasons Summer Limited Edition 2023 has the same problem as most AVO cigars – namely, the band is difficult to remove. We do not score banding and packaging; there is no loss of points here.

Box of the AVO Seasons Summer Limited Edition 2024 (Photo Credit: Davidoff of Geneva)

I’ve been quite impressed with the visual presentation of the AVO Seasons Spring Limited Edition 2023 overall. The white, silver, and black AVO primary band is very nice. The AVO Seasons name is on the left side of the band. The blue and yellow on the box and the secondary band effectively convey a summer vibe.

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

Thus far, I’ve found the AVO Seasons series quite impressive. While I didn’t think the AVO Seasons Spring cigar smoked like a springtime cigar, the AVO Seasons Summer is a cigar that I could see fitting in with summertime. While the Spring and Summer blends look close on paper, they smoke very differently. The Summer cigar is bolder than the Spring cigar – and has a very different flavor profile. Ultimately, I could recommend the AVO Seasons Summer to any cigar enthusiast. If I can find it, the AVO Seasons Summer Limited Edition 2023 is a cigar I can see myself buying and smoking again.

Summary

Key Flavors: Natural Tobacco, Licorice, Wood, Baker’s Spice, Pepper
Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Medium
Body: Medium (1st Half), Medium to Full (2nd Half)
Finish: Very Good