Too Hot for the Porch: AVO Syncro Nicaragua in the Lounge

I generally don’t mind the summer heat and can usually tolerate it well enough to enjoy a cigar most evenings. But this week was especially brutal, and an afternoon smoke meant a trip to Hogshead Cigar Lounge. I wasn’t surprised to see a few more folks inside than usual for a weekday afternoon.

I picked up a few extra cigars for my humidor and chose an AVO Syncro Nicaragua Special Toro to enjoy during my stay.

This version of the Syncro Nicaragua is an impressive 6 x 60 box-pressed treat. I don’t often reach for large ring gauge cigars, but the box-press shape made it feel more manageable in the hand. The cap was quite flat, and I didn’t want to risk over-cutting it with a straight cut. Fortunately, I carry a small cigar punch on my keyring, which worked well to open it up. Even through the small punch, the draw was very open — almost too much so. I’ve often found that large ring gauge cigars tend to be loosely packed and have exceedingly open draws.

The cigar features a reddish-brown Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper over a Dominican binder, with a filler blend of Dominican, Nicaraguan, and Peruvian tobaccos.

From the first few puffs, the AVO Syncro Nicaragua Special produced copious amounts of flavorful smoke. Initial notes included cedar, cocoa, and a sweet raisin-like note, later joined by hints of dark chocolate and roasted coffee.

Unfortunately, the burn was persistently uneven, with large peaks of unburned wrapper. I had to touch it up multiple times — really the only frustrating aspect of an otherwise enjoyable smoke. Despite the burn issues, the cigar lasted a solid 95 minutes.

Each time someone entered or exited the lounge, a blast of scorching air followed them in, a stark reminder of the 100°+ temperatures outside. It also reminded me to use the remote start on my car a few minutes before leaving.

Thankfully, the forecast calls for temperatures to drop into the mid-90s over the next few days, which means I’ll likely be able to return to the screened porch for a proper smoke and beverage pairing.

Cheers!

Center of the Universe Oktoberfest and AVO Syncro Nicaragua Fogata

Our annual celebration of "all beers Oktoberfest" continued with beer, a cigar, and a fire. Despite a late afternoon temperature of 80°, it wasn't raining for a change, so we decided to get in the first fire of the season. Center of the Universe Oktoberfest Märzen and a AVO Syncro Nicaragua Fogata made for a wonderful pairing.

We have enjoyed the Center of the Universe Oktoberfest Märzen on a few occasions this season. The copper-hued beer has a thin, short-lived white head and a bread-like aroma. The flavor profile is malt forward, with biscuit and caramel notes. There's a hint of hop bitterness rounding out the sweet notes. This is an enjoyable Märzen that is as well done as some the "native" Oktoberfests.

The AVO Syncro Nicaragua Fogata was something I picked up a couple months ago on a whim. I've not smoked too many AVO releases but this one did intrigue me. The 6 x 54 Torpedo sports an Ecuadorian Habano 2000 Clara wrapper with a Mexican San Andrés binder underneath. The filler is a complex blend of Dominicana Yamasa viso, Dominican Piloto, Dominican San Vicente ligero, Nicaraguan Esteli ligero, Nicaraguan Condega viso, and Nicaraguan Ometepe tobaccos. With that many interesting leaves, not to mention syllables in the recipe, it's got to be good.

The Fogata kicks off with a bit of pepper as I expected from the binder variety. As the cigar heats up, the profile morphs into one featuring cedar, an interesting toasted caramel, and sweat cream. There's an also somewhat of a malty bread undertone. 

Strength falls to the high side of medium. This is a quite flavorful smoke that kept my interest all the way through — just like the first one I smoked recently. The flavor notes of the Oktoberfest beer and the cigar complimented one another very well.

Soon the fire, the cigar, the beers, were finished. It was a fun afternoon repast, enjoying one of the rare sunny days we've seen in the past couple weeks.

Cheers!

AVO Unexpected Celebration and Courage & Conviction Double Cask Reserve

I don't try to age cigars for long periods in general. The oldest cigars in my humidor are around five years old. Most are two years old or less. "Smoke 'em if you got 'em" I say. There was one AVO Unexpected Celebration in there from my purchase in August 2019.

When the AVO Unexpected line was released it was touted as a new line of specially crafted cigars. In reality the cigars appear to be rebranded prior releases. The Celebration is the same as the AVO XO. Probably not the best PR that AVO could do, but that marketing technique is probably not unique to them.

The Celebration is rolled with an Ecuadoran wrapper, and binder and filler tobaccos from the Dominican Republic. The cigars were aged for six years before being released. So I'll see what 10 years of aging bring.

This cigar was about the same as I remember. Mild, with sweet chocolate and cedar. Probably the last time I smoked the AVO Celebration was the fall of 2020. I recall it was a smooth, mild cigar, that went well with my morning coffee. This time I decided to pair an American Single Malt Whisky that I had never tasted. I had an airplane bottle Courage & Conviction Double Cask Reserve from Virginia Distilling on hand. I had grabbed the bottle to try out the whiskey before investing in a larger bottle. 

The Double Cask Reserve consists of a blend of 50% Bourbon cask aged, 25% Sherry cask, and 25% Cuvée cask aged whisky. (Whisky is the distiller's preferred spelling.) The flavor made me think of a scotch or irish whisky. It had a mild flavor, with hints of hay, oak, with a hint of pepper and fruit sweetness. The 96 proof was easy on the palate. 

I enjoyed the Courage & Conviction Double Cask Reserve quite a bit. It was well-matched with the cigar's profile. I lamented not having a bit more than the little 50 ml bottle. Coincidently about the same time I was preparing to enjoying this pour, a friend messaged me about the Px Sherry finish Courage & Conviction he was enjoying. It would appear I need look for some more offerings in this lineup.

Cheers!

Morning Coffee and AVO Cigar

An early morning cigar is a rare treat. An early morning cigar, and a view like this is an even more special time. During a recent long weekend "escape" to a mountain farmhouse, I rose before the rest of the house, made a cup of coffee, and sat down to enjoy the view and watch (and listen to) the cows arrive in the fields.

Among the cigars packed for the trip was this AVO Unexpected Celebration. The Unexpected lineup consisted of four "new" releases that AVO shipped last year. As was later revealed, the cigars were actually a rebanding of existing blends. Celebration is a 6" x 54 Toro with an Ecuadoran wrapper and binder and filler tobaccos from the Dominican Republic. After rolling, the cigars were aged for six years before being released. As it was later deduced, the blend is actually a relabeled AVO XO. 

The Celebration is a medium-bodied smoke that surprised me with a bit more flavor than its appearance indicated. The flavors off the bat were creamy and earthy with some light bitter chocolate and cedar. As the smoke progressed toward the middle, the flavors mellowed a bit, and I was thinking I was in for a boring smoke the second half. However, as the last third approached both the spice and sweetness ramped up a bit and kept things interesting. The hour plus smoke was enough for a couple cups of rich, black coffee. 

Soon the cows had moved on to other pastures and the household was stirring. It was time for breakfast and whatever the day's activities had in store. I do long for more mornings like that though.