Avo #2, 6x50

this is a very good, easy smoking cigar - cool draw, creamy with a hint of spice, leather, a little anise right off the bat.. goes great w/ Glenfarclas 10 year old ... any single malt with little to no peat will go well, as it will not overpower this smooth sophisticated smoke (another option would be the classic 12 yr macallan)

very even burn, blue grey smoke, going up in thick swirls

in my experience, avos are important to keep properly humidified as they tend to dry out quickly and then lose their construction / burn hot...this one I just smoked was perfect

as it gets down, it remains a mellow, I'd say a comparative medium flavor, yet rich enough to qualify as a 'real smoke', with some white pepper flavor developing but not overpowering

a little bit more, and some lemon zest / lemon cream emerges, that stops well short of that bad 'sour' flavor I have found in too many lesser cigars that cost just a little bit less

down into the 2nd half, aromas of burnt sugar emerge, with the lemon flavor trending to a caffe americano with no sweetness to take away from the underlying taste - the last third continues this trend without getting harsh

overall I'd give it a solid 87-89 rating, maybe even a 90 in the shape it was in

it comes as part of the Mike's Cigars 'Festivus for the Restivus' sampler...www.mikescigars.com who I highly recommend for their value as well as the A+ condition of all cigars I have purchased from them

cheers!