Wrapper: Undisclosed
Binder: Undisclosed
Filler: Undisclosed
Vitola: Toro (6 x 50)
Purchase Link: Avo Unexpected Passion
UNEXPECTED PASSION REVIEW – CALIFORNIA
Summary: Holy smokes. I'm in love with this cigar from the first puff. Cedar, red pepper spice, and caramel sweetness. Butterscotch, baby! There's so much sweetness coming out of this thing it's insane. Unsalted nuts.
Great burn line heading into the second third. S'mores and s'more nuts. Ash is top-notch.
The final third remains complex and perfectly balanced. Cloves. Kettle corn. I'm in my happy place. The spice kicks up at the end with green pepper. One heck of a ripsnorter.
If You Like That, You Might Like This: Bob Ross before bed.
Pairing Suggestion: Adult chocolate milk.
Purchase Recommendation to a Friend: Box.
UNEXPECTED PASSION REVIEW – WISCONSIN
Summary: This cigar's cold draw was loose as could be, so I gave it some squeezes to learn more about what I should expect. It had quite a bit of give, especially in some places. I thought that would play a role in my experience with the cigar. In the end, aside from burning quickly, it wasn't a problem at all.
I got big flavors of cocoa and nuts, joined by lighter notes of cedar, hay, coffee, and floral. As the cigar continued, the cedar flavor grew. Aside from that, it didn't change very much. It was an uncomplicated but enjoyable set of flavors.
I enjoyed this cigar and would smoke more of them. It hits this spot in my palate that I reserve for cigars like Avo - not my everyday cigar, but light and enjoyable and something I'd like to come back to.
If You Like That, You Might Like This: Keeping things uncomplicated.
Pairing Suggestion: Ale or lager.
Purchase Recommendation to a Friend: Single - try this to see if it's in your wheelhouse like it is in mine. I recognize it won't be as nice a match for everyone as it was for me. I'd personally grab a fiver.
UNEXPECTED PASSION REVIEW – OREGON
Summary: Camel hair brown and smelling like oatmeal with orange peel on the wrapper. The cold draw? As blank as your kids back to school notebook the week before school starts.
With some heat to the foot, I taste baking spices, a sweet note of almond and cashew, mild wood notes, mild earth and a little black tea hiding in the background. The profile finishes fast... gotta be quick on your feet with this one. I’m also enjoying a very mild but tingly pepper spice on the tongue. It too finishes quickly.
Middle of this smoke is creamy with honey butter and almond. Mingling with them are fresh bread, a slight pepper spice and a very slight floral bitterness... it’s not ruining anything, but it needs to leave. Smoke output and burn are spot on.
As I put the finishing touches on this cigar, things are turning south. All the flavors meld together to form flavors of dry leaves, mild tobacco, a hint of pepper spice and a long finish of leather. Too bad... this was coming along nicely.
If You Like That, You Might Like This: Finishing your veggies just to find out there’s no dessert.
Pairing Suggestion: Coffee with cream in the a.m. and Baileys on ice in the evening.
Purchase Recommendation to a Friend: 5 pack... maybe my one sample was a fluke at the end.
Participants in this blind review were completely unaware of the cigar they were evaluating until all submissions were received and processed. Each participant was asked to answer a summary paragraph, an if/than statement, a pairing suggestion, and a purchase suggestion. Cigars were provided by Small Batch with only the expectations of candid responses. All pictures, information, and formatting were completed by a Coordinator outside of the reviewing process.
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