Hello to everyone out there! Today we will take a peek at two cigars from the AVO brand: the 787 Toro and the Tesoro Limited Edition 2008.

The AVO brand of cigars gets its name from its founder, Avo Uvezian.  Uvezian was a famous jazz musician who acquired a love for cigars in the 1980’s when he moved to Puerto Rico to open up a piano bar and restaurant.  Avo would give his patrons his own rolled cigars, and as demand grew, he decided to take things one step further and jump into the cigar business.  After meeting with Davidoff blender Hendrik Kelner while on a trip to the Dominican Republic in 1982, the two forged a relationship that made Uvezian’s dreams come true.  The first AVO cigars were released in New York in 1988, and the company’s operations grew from producing 100,000 stogies in their first year to recording sales of over three million cigars just ten years later.  Not bad for a musician, huh?

AVO 787 Toro

The AVO 787 line is one that was created with aficionados in mind who tend to appreciate more sophisticated cigars.  Legendary Davidoff blender Hendrik Kelner lent his expertise to the creation of this line.  In case you were wondering, the cigar’s 787 moniker comes from the way it is packaged.  The 787 comes in boxes in a 7-8-7 layered format.  It’s a pretty clever name, although one would have to wonder where that vision came to package them in such a unique manner.  The 787 is considered medium-bodied yet stronger than other lines by the manufacturer. 

The AVO 787 Toro measures 6x54, although it also comes in a Perfecto size (5.875x50) and a Robusto size (5.25x52).  It has a complex filler blend of Olor, Piloto, and San Vicente tobaccos from the Dominican Republic that gives it plenty of flavor.  It has a binder from the Dominican Republic and an Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper. 

The appearance of the AVO 787 Toro is attractive yet unassuming.  Nothing in particular stands out about it.  It has a single band near the head that is brown and gold in color and bears the AVO logo.  The wrapper is pretty smooth for the most part with few veins and is more light than it is dark.  The cigar itself is pretty tightly packed, with a few bumps here and there.  A pre-light check gives off a bit of a spicy aroma as well as a chocolaty flavor.