I was very hesitant to fire this up seeing as how I've never seen these for sale and the gentleman who gifted me this stick (Papajohn of course!) only had 1 other. Afterall, I have a very hard time lighting a cigar that does not have a replacement (yes that's strange, I know).

Either way, I was very excited to try it after being totally bowled over by the sublime Avo LE 2007 that I recently had the pleasure to smoke.

Wrapped in a really nice sun-grown Ecuadorian wrapper, it's a robusto and carries no band (apparently as an homage to the cigars that Avo recalled from his youth). Somewhat of a dry wrapper with no real sheen to speak of, this has been in my humi for probably a week though it could have done with a few more in order to further stabilize. I have a feeling this sucker is going to split on me...

Lit up, it has a really pronounced strength and a very interesting aroma. At first, this is very un-Avo/un-Davidoff in its taste profile. Not off-putting; just much different than what I've come to recognize from them. In fact, the flavor is very oak-like, and has a sort of tannic undertone much like a full-bodied red wine does.

About halfway down, the wrapper split 6 ways from Sunday to the point that it looked like I was smoking origami :-). No biggie - rarely do construction/burn problems/humidity issues phase me. It really begins to pick up momentum in the strength department but also begins to take on a very faint sweetness. It also has an interesting earthiness to it that I can't quite describe. Not really the typical chocolate/coffee/roasted nuts kind of thing - more herbal perhaps. Interesting but I can't put my finger on what it is.

During the finale of the cigar, the complexity really begins to show. The finish begins to take on a sharp spiciness, the flavors intensify, the faint sweetness remains but becomes more pronounced, and the wrapper continues to fall apart faster than the housing market. :-)

All-in-all, an solid Avo LE cigar! Far from my favorite Avo (that slot belonging to the LE 07), I would definately go back in time and snag a box if I could :-)
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Thanks for the great review. Brings back memories of a great cigar. It sounds like your cigar may have been off a bit. I've noticed these to be richer and bolder than the LE7s, however the LE7s are coming around. The presentation on the LE5 was beautiful. If you can find a box for less than 250, it's worth the price.

These photos are from a split I did back in 06.

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You are exactly right Ji. One of the few NC's that I miss having in my Humi.

And the 22s of course, but I still have some of those. :-)
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wow purdy!
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