cigar review
BRAND: Avalon
NAME: Honeyboy Edwards
TYPE: Figurado
LENGTH/RING GAUGE: 4.5 x 38
WRAPPER: Cameroon
DATE OF PURCHASE: 6/2/2007
DATE OF RATING: 6/24/2007
TIME IN HUMIDOR (MONTHS): .7
LOOK AND FEEL: 87
FLAVOR AND AROMA: 90
BURN: 88
OVERALL SCORE: 88.6
STORAGE CONDITIONS: After receiving these cigars, I put them together in a singles drawer of my Aristocrat mini cabinet humidor. The cabinet is set at 67%RH and has been varying between 68-72 degrees F.
These cigars come un-cello’d and I stacked them together so the oils from the cigars could mix and “marry.” This is the first in a series of reviews of this pint-sized Perfecto.
These cigars come un-cello’d and I stacked them together so the oils from the cigars could mix and “marry.” This is the first in a series of reviews of this pint-sized Perfecto.
TASTING NOTES: Deep in the heart of the Mississippi Delta blues music region, exists a relative newcomer to the cigar industry: Avalon Cigars. Founded by Tom Ramsey and Gary Hilton, Avalon Cigars uses a proprietary process to age their cigars as well as a fresh marketing approach.
The Honeyboy Edwards is part of the Masters Series cigars, which are each named after a great blues artist. The cigars are aged for a minimum of 12 weeks using a proprietary, pecan aging process. That’s right, instead of the more commonly used Spanish Cedar, Avalon uses crates and hulls from Pecan trees of the Mississippi Delta to impart a distinctive taste to their tobacco. This lends a unique characteristic to the flavor of the cigar.
The company sources the tobacco from Honduras, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. The cigars are rolled in a Miami factory and then shipped to Clarksdale for aging and packaging.
Though the composition of the filler tobacco in the Honeyboy is unclear, what is known is that it has a Cameroon wrapper. The Cameroon wrapper is thin and somewhat fragile; I would recommend that you store these in close to 70%RH, if possible. You always run a fine line with Cameroon wrapped cigars. If the wrapper is too dry, it will crack, but if the filler is too wet, it will swell and the wrapper will also split.
The cigar is a perfecto with a nipple bottom and a fairly flat head. This means that besides using a guillotine cutter, you could probably use a V-cutter with success. The wrapper is not especially good-looking, but that’s not too unsettling. There is a feint yet pleasant note of nuts on the wrapper leaf.
After a trim and a light I sit back and enjoy a blast of Pecan flavor. The first few puffs are full of raw nuts and the result of the Pecan aging is quite evident. As the smoke progresses, the spicy character of the Cameroon wrapper takes precedence.
The burn line was meandering and slightly blistered, but the ash was firm. I tapped off the ash at the 1/2-inch mark because it was a little flaky. I think that, because of the way the foot of the cigar is rolled (kind of an inverted nipple), the ash has a tendency to flake more at the beginning.
As I approach the halfway mark and beyond, I enjoy some sweetness in the tobacco, which, blended with the nutty flavors, is really nice. The final third of the cigar displays some light wood, nuts and a continuing sweetness, all in a medium-bodied smoke.
This is a pleasant smoke and, if you are patient in smoking it, is a good 40 minute smoke. I would recommend this cigar to a wide audience. It is approachable because of its medium body and is flavorful enough to enjoy with a wide range of beverages.
~Doc
The Honeyboy Edwards is part of the Masters Series cigars, which are each named after a great blues artist. The cigars are aged for a minimum of 12 weeks using a proprietary, pecan aging process. That’s right, instead of the more commonly used Spanish Cedar, Avalon uses crates and hulls from Pecan trees of the Mississippi Delta to impart a distinctive taste to their tobacco. This lends a unique characteristic to the flavor of the cigar.
The company sources the tobacco from Honduras, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. The cigars are rolled in a Miami factory and then shipped to Clarksdale for aging and packaging.
Though the composition of the filler tobacco in the Honeyboy is unclear, what is known is that it has a Cameroon wrapper. The Cameroon wrapper is thin and somewhat fragile; I would recommend that you store these in close to 70%RH, if possible. You always run a fine line with Cameroon wrapped cigars. If the wrapper is too dry, it will crack, but if the filler is too wet, it will swell and the wrapper will also split.
The cigar is a perfecto with a nipple bottom and a fairly flat head. This means that besides using a guillotine cutter, you could probably use a V-cutter with success. The wrapper is not especially good-looking, but that’s not too unsettling. There is a feint yet pleasant note of nuts on the wrapper leaf.
After a trim and a light I sit back and enjoy a blast of Pecan flavor. The first few puffs are full of raw nuts and the result of the Pecan aging is quite evident. As the smoke progresses, the spicy character of the Cameroon wrapper takes precedence.
The burn line was meandering and slightly blistered, but the ash was firm. I tapped off the ash at the 1/2-inch mark because it was a little flaky. I think that, because of the way the foot of the cigar is rolled (kind of an inverted nipple), the ash has a tendency to flake more at the beginning.
As I approach the halfway mark and beyond, I enjoy some sweetness in the tobacco, which, blended with the nutty flavors, is really nice. The final third of the cigar displays some light wood, nuts and a continuing sweetness, all in a medium-bodied smoke.
This is a pleasant smoke and, if you are patient in smoking it, is a good 40 minute smoke. I would recommend this cigar to a wide audience. It is approachable because of its medium body and is flavorful enough to enjoy with a wide range of beverages.
~Doc
Avalon: Honeyboy Edwards, Figurado
Sunday, June 24, 2007
