My innaugural Review at the Asylum is the third in my triple threat. I started the day with an SCdlH Oficios (Thanks Tony) in the afternoon, then retreated to Highland Cigar in the evening and smoked a 50's Blue Ribbon Perfecto.
I just registered to the asylum when it was time to light up my third for the day. What better way to celebrate a new forum than to light up one of my favorites, the AVO 22.
I'd been sipping on Bailey's and Coffee when I lit up this cigar. As I've come to expect with AVO products, the construction of the Ecuadorian Sun Grown wrapped Perfecto is flawless.
After my tastebuds had been numbed a bit by the Blue Ribbon and Coffee, I immediately noticed the great medley of caramel, mocha, and dried fruit the AVO produced in the first half inch.
This builds up to a crescendo at the halfway mark, producing a great volume of smoke that tempts you to take a bite of the perfecto and start chewing. I changed venues right before this point.
I moved onward to the Independent in Atlanta, my favorite Pool Hall. The Bar was lively. I was greeted by a friend of mine who had just finished up playing the Trivia for the evening. He told me I'd appreciate the final question of the night. What Fast Food Establishments are known for the following burgers, the Chubby Decker, the Baconator, the BA Burger, and the Big Buford. I couldn't concentrate because I was out of touch with reality lost in a great cigar. I could only muster up the answer to two of these.
The burn and draw are flawless. This cigar puts me in a bliss approaching Cigar Nirvana.
The flavors hold steady through the remainder of the cigar. I put this down probably 45 minutes ago. I'm just now coming out of my stupor.
:-) :-) <~~ that's a two thumbs up Review from Ji.
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A more detailed Review follows of the First one that I smoked..
This review was posted on 10/17/2007
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There is a strong blast of nut on the draw with the slightest cool spice on the tongue. I'm a little over the half way point and there is a blast of honey on the draw. What a great evening. The Green Tea is a perfect pairing for this cigar in the early evening before dinner. I'm getting hungry.
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I smell Candy Canes blowing smoke through the nose. This cigar definately does not suck. The burn on an AVo in itself is a beautiful thing. When you add the flavor profile of this cigar, it's exhilirating. The body is still mild approaching the medium spectrum. I'm getting antsy because I do not want this cigar to end. I'm an hour into the burn. This thing keeps picking up in flavor intensity the further you get into the burn.
2 inches left on the cigar, I need to slow it down. It's picking up the slightest bit of harshness, but I'm burning it hotter and faster. The flavor mix is exhilirating. It's hard to smoke this one slow. The cigar is a solid medium in body now.
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The nutty/creamy profile has disappered to be overtaken with a honey sweet tobacco flavor. The cigar finishes minty sweet in the last inch. Well all good things must come to an end. I could continue on this cigar down to the nub, but I don't want to ruin a good experience picking up any hot harsh smoke which this is tending towards.
Summation:
This is an excellent cigar that burned for an hour and 50 minutes. The best of the best in the AVO line. It's a shame Kelner can't recreate this blend. I'll enjoy the remainder that I have and hope that I can find more before none can be found. This has been a best smoking experience I've had in awhile. I believe the solitude and green tea had much to do with the experience as well. I'm going to eat my bowl of shrimp stir fry now.
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My Scale for rating is as follows:
Appearance: 1-10
Construction: 1-10
Burn: 1-10
Taste: 1-10
Overall Experience: 1-60
For this cigar:
A- 8
C- 10
B- 10
T- 10
O- 60 (doesn't get much better than this)
For a total score of: 98
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