The Grande Realm of the Mighty Domaine

Cigar Name: Avo Domaine #20 (4 5/8 x 50)

Cigar Description: Dominican Republic filler with Ecuadorian wrapper

Cigar Strength: Full

Review of the Cigar itself: I look outside to a grey-white sky and trees in the midst of changing their colour. The morning noise of Queens waking up trickles in from the outside. Buses, cars and trucks jockey for positions on the narrow, parked-car lined roads. And a sense of hurry as people move this way and that. It seems like a normal day of regular busy but there is an underlying importance to today. It is election day and regardless of which way one votes, it will be a day of history. It seems apropos to have a special cigar for a day like today. And so I pulled out an AVODomaine #20. The sun-grown tobacco, a light creamy coffee colour, wrapped beautiful around the perfecto form.

Toasting the cigar, I didn't quite expect much but the first draw was very pleasant. Many full flavoured cigars try to overwhelm you with flavours but this one hinted at the creaminess in the background of a myriad of flavours: suggestions of cedar, tinges of nuts, allusions of leather. It's hard to distinguish all the distinct flavours as they meld well together as one, dancing and playing on the taste buds. At one point, I stopped trying to find the flavours and just enjoyed the smoke. It is a great way to start the day. I was nearly at the half-way point of the cigar when the ash finally fell off, the sign, IMO, of a well constructed cigar art form.

The smoke that came from the cigar was a mixture of dry cedar and roasted nuts, very pleasant and without the deluge that some present. The one downside was that there was so much glue used on the band that I could barely get it off without ripping the wrapper. I did eventually get it off but I could visibly see where the glue had overflowed. It was the only thing that marred this wonderful cigar. I sat in front of my laptop watching the sun peak out as my students started trickling in for my online class.

As I got towards the end of the cigar, whiffs of mint hit the tip of my tongue while pepper hit the top of my mouth. The combination created a pleasantwake-up call for the start of the day. I took a deep draw and watched the smoke sway along the tiny tick of cigar I had left, not quite a nub but not quite a third. The city's sound were starting to meld into arhythm as I finished off the cigar and wished I had another, the reflection of the full flavour still hinted on my tongue and taste buds as I started class.

Enjoyed with: Water and coffee with vanilla flavoured soy creamer

Smoke time: approximately an hour and a half

Final Review Rating: 8.75/10