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Avo LE 12 La Trompeta

j0z3rj0z3r Posts: 9,403 ✭✭
I was working on a fairly detailed review of this cigar on my phone while smoking it when my browser decided to close the window and all was lost. I'll do my best going on memory, will probably be considerably shorter. Oh well, c'est la vie.

6.5"x54 belicoso, very pointed tip.

First off, my thanks to SleevePlz for gifting me this cigar.

This is a very nice looking cigar sporting a reddish brown, oily wrapper with three trumpet keys made of a lighter shade wrapper. Construction is perfect, not soft or hard spots and the draw has just the right amount of resistance for me.

Aroma at cold gives a spicy, sweet smell, the closest I can compare it to is cayenne pepper. The cold draw produces a sweet character with some underlying spiciness. There is an odd sensation on the lips from the slightly wet wrapper, a mild tingly, numbing sensation.

The first third displays a dominant oak character with some bitter nut and musk hiding in the background. It starts off medium strength and increases towards the end of the first third to a solid medium+. Some light pepper through the nose.

Into the second third and the strength keeps building, the finish is also getting longer. Starting out the smoke was a bit thin, and I would describe the body as medium, approaching the midway point the smoke has thickened considerable and taken on a velvety mouth feel, at this point I'd say it was full strength and full bodied. First ash drops at the second trumpet key. The second third has seen the addition of a cocoa flavor to the mix as well as an increase in nasal pepper. Burn is razor sharp.

Entering the final third, not much has changed, there are slight shifts in the flavor profile but the main flavors are oak, cocoa, musk, and a toasted tobacco note that crept in with the final third. There is a lingering sweetness on the finish as well that had been noticeable since somewhere around the mid-point. Things stay pretty steady to the end.

Final thoughts: This cigar had immaculate construction, and all the tobaccos had very good combustion characteristics. I needed no touch-ups over the almost 2 hour smoke time and the ash dropped twice...one my shirt, but that was my own fault.

Bottom Line: In general, I've been pretty impressed with the Avo LE offerings, last year saw a tremendous cigar in the Avo 85th. While this was a good cigar and I enjoyed it, I can't help but be a little let down by it. Why this is I can't quite say, but to me it had no wow factor, and at $15+ each I don't feel it did enough to be considered a good value. Of course that's my opinion and should be taken as such.

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Comments

  • BigT06BigT06 Posts: 3,899
    Nice review, Joe! I haven't had this particular stick, but I have generally been a fan of most of what AVO puts out. Their standard lines are, to me, one of the strongest line ups of any manufacturer.
  • MessickMessick Posts: 86
    Could not agree more. I love the avo line and was very excited to try this but I did not think it was that great. Good but not great. I did have an avo maduro that I liked a lot more. Thanks for the review.
  • SleevePlzSleevePlz Posts: 6,249 ✭✭✭✭
    Thanks for the review j0z3r. Great work. I had a feeling that following up the 85th was going to be rather difficult.
    LLA - Lancero Lovers of America
  • gmill880gmill880 Posts: 5,947
    Good review Joe , good work .
  • HeavyHeavy Posts: 1,591 ✭✭✭
    Nice review joz3r. I got one of these a few weeks ago on a whim - it was the last one in the store at a local B&M. I almost never buy limited edition sticks or something in this price range, so i'm kinda dissapointed to hear it didn't wow you. But i'm still looking forward to smoking it - we all have different tastes, right?

    Anyway, I have two questions:

    1. What to do you think about its aging potential? Med to Med-full is usually in my wheelhouse, so I'll probably give this one a year either way based on it's described full body to let it mellow a touch.

    2. Could you detect the trumpet keys flavorwise at all when you burned through them?
  • 90+_Irishman90+_Irishman Posts: 12,408 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Joe, great review my friend and it really gave a complete picture on the objective points, ie. draw body, construction, and profile. It also gave a great insight on how your experience with it was and that really helped to paint the complete picture for me. Thanks for a great review and I will certainly be on the lookout for some of these, thanks!!!
    "When walking in open territory bother no one. If someone bothers you, ask them to stop. If they do not stop, destroy them."
  • catfishbluezzcatfishbluezz Posts: 7,000 ✭✭✭
    Hmm...I guess I'l have to buy a few more of the the LE11's then. Bummer it was average... I agree with Todd to on the line. While I am not into every cigar they produce, my lord the line is consistently excellent.
  • j0z3rj0z3r Posts: 9,403 ✭✭
    Heavy:
    Anyway, I have two questions:

    1. What to do you think about its aging potential? Med to Med-full is usually in my wheelhouse, so I'll probably give this one a year either way based on it's described full body to let it mellow a touch.

    2. Could you detect the trumpet keys flavorwise at all when you burned through them?
    1: I would say it definitely has some aging potential. Just to be clear, this is not an in your face strength I'm talking about, it creeps up one you. So just know that there is no harshness to age out of the cigar. But yes, I can see this standing up to a few years pretty easily.

    2: No, I could not detect anything from the trumpet keys. I had wondered the same thing starting out.

    Lastly, you've got to keep in mind that this is just one cigar on one day, I could have a different experience with it tomorrow and you're almost guaranteed to have a different experience than me. Reviews are quite subjective, so I'd caution you to take any review with a grain of salt.
  • 415415 Posts: 951
    j0z3r:
    Lastly, you've got to keep in mind that this is just one cigar on one day, I could have a different experience with it tomorrow and you're almost guaranteed to have a different experience than me. Reviews are quite subjective, so I'd caution you to take any review with a grain of salt.
    ive read similar reviews and was not wowed by the one i smoked either.
  • HeavyHeavy Posts: 1,591 ✭✭✭
    Thanks for the response joz3r. And I get the whole subjective thing. I've seen plenty of reviews for cigars that I've had which have been spot on with my experience, and others where it's almost like we didn't even smoke the same cigar.
  • Russ55Russ55 Posts: 2,765 ✭✭
    Thanks for the review Joe. You have a PM.
  • j0z3rj0z3r Posts: 9,403 ✭✭
    Heavy:
    Thanks for the response joz3r. And I get the whole subjective thing. I've seen plenty of reviews for cigars that I've had which have been spot on with my experience, and others where it's almost like we didn't even smoke the same cigar.
    Just wanted to be sure I put that out there. I'd hate for someone to take my opinions and perceptions as the final word on anything...I certainly don't have that kind of confidence in my palate.
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