AUGUST2001

6" x 44

AvoUvezian was born in 1926, the son of a family of musicians in Beirutwho dreamed of becoming a great musician.   Avo worked hard at becoming a pianist and eventually moved toNew York where he studied at the famous Julliard School of Music.Avo’s dream had come true - he had established his career as amusician. In the early 80s Avo opened a restaurant and piano bar inPuerto Rico and discovered his love for cigars. In about 1982 he metthe master cigar producer Hendrik Kelner in the Dominican Republic andby 1988 the first AVO had been sold in New York. Kelner and Uvezianhad started with 100,000 cigars in the first year, and in the thirdthe number had already risen to 750,000. Today they sell over threemillion cigars worldwide. 

Strenth: 5
Panel Rating:  91

5" x 50

Boy, sometimes governments make somereally stupid laws.   TakeMexico, for instance, where cigar companies were required by law toonly use Mexican tobacco in their cigars.   The result of this law was that most Mexican cigars werefull-bodied, but had no complexity.   Well, luckily for the cigar companies (and cigar smokers), thatlaw recently changed and the taste of many Mexican cigars did as well.   Cruz Real was the first Mexican brand to change their blend oftobaccos and the result has been phenomenal.   People who once snubbed their noses at Cruz Real are now makingit a must in their humidor.    While they still use Mexican binder, they now mixDominican and Mexican filler and use a Connecticut Shade wrapper.    

Strenth: 8
Panel Rating:  90

5.5" x 52

Last year a small brand fromMiami was quietly one of the most popular “boutique” brands on themarket.   Most people hopedthat the devoted followers of La Luna Cigars, appropriately called“Lunatics”, would continue to keep quiet about these fantasticcigars so that there remained enough to go around.   Sorry folks, but the word is now out.   Gaelde Courtivron, who owns La Luna, doesn’t exactly have a long familyhistory in the cigar industry.   Infact, there’s no history at all.   Gael does have twenty years as a professional drummer behindhim, though, which means he’s good with his hands, making him theperfect candidate to own a cigar company.   Not buying the theory, huh?   Well, when you smoke this bad boy you’ll know that drummingdid something for Gael, ‘cause these cigars are no joke.    

What abeautiful cigar!   Sometimesthere are cigars that you know, just from looking them, are going toput a big ol’ smile on your face.   This is certainly one of them.   A box pressed maduro with a nice oily wrapper (which was a goodindication that it was well aged); this is one of those cigars thatyou only want to pull out on special occasions.   Everyone agreed they would smoke 2 or 3 of these a day if ourwives would let us.

Strenth: 7
Panel Rating:  92

6" x50

When Christopher Columbus discoveredthe Americas, he also discovered cigars. The Mayan Indians of CentralAmerica were the first to smoke cigars and their creation is availabletoday in Maya cigars. Maya is imported from Honduras and hand-madewith Honduran, Havana-seed tobaccos, and a Connecticut-seed,Ecuadorian grown wrapper. 

Holy smoke!   Who picked the cigars this month?   Were they trying to blow our heads off with a bunch offull-bodied cigars, strong cigars?   Oh yeah, we picked ‘em!   A cigar that, strangely enough, smells like Tabasco sauce,it’s almost as spicy and powerful as the famous red stuff.    The wrapper is pristine and the draw is perfect.   You’re in for a real flavor packed experience!

Strenth: 9
Panel Rating:  90

61/4" x 50

Oliveros Perez, originally from Spainand founder of Oliveros Cigars, began his cigar-manufacturing careerin Cuba in 1927. In 1962, Oliveros left Cuba after the communisttakeover of the nation. He left behind his dreams and the country hecalled his second home, but he took with him selected premium tobaccoseeds from his own crop to continue his work. Those seeds were plantedin the Dominican Republic and cared for with the same determinationand skill that characterized his personality. His work was recognizedthe world over and he was invited to join the Institute del Tobacco toinstruct others in the process of "piloto cubano", thegermination and development of Cuban tobacco seeds. Oliveros’ legacydemands that tobaccos be selected and aged with care before the experttorcedors perform their mastery and create this premium cigar.  

Strenth: 5
Panel Rating:  89

Tobacco Bits
 

HUNGOUT TO DRY - Once the premium leaveshave been sorted out, they are threaded in bunches, or hands, of 20leaves and hung on long poles.   These poles are left in curing barns for one to three months,where they will mature, developing a light brown color.   This is a result of the chlorophyll leaving the leaf, becauseit lacks the sunlight needed to maintain its deep green color. It isin this process that the tobacco leaf shrinks in size and thickness,and the flavors are initially concentrated in the individual leaf. 

NOTOBACCO BEFORE ITS TIME - One type ofyoung tobacco is a leaf that has not been properly fermented.   The fermentation process, which releases ammonia and decreasesnicotine content, usually takes 40 days or longer for strong tobacco.   Cigars made with improperly fermented tobacco often will noteburn properly, can smell of ammonia, and become mushy after lighting.   They will taste sharp, hot, and bitter, with little complexityin flavor.   Cigars that were made with improperly fermented tobacco are soflawed that they'll never improve.  

HARVESTTIME - Tobacco seedlings are readyfor the first harvest, or priming, 45 days after they are placed intothe ground.   At that time, 2 to 4 leaves are removed by hand from the plant.   An average tobacco plant will undergo roughly six primings inits growth period, eventually yielding anywhere from 8 to 16 leavesthat will be made into cigars.