The Particulars

The Review

This review for the Avo Syncro Nicaragua 10th Anniversary Limited Edition - Diadema (Box Press) (6.63 x 50) is based on the journal entry dated 2025-06-12

Appearance & Construction (0-3):  Average (2)

Medium chocolate brown, it has a very light sheen, almost no mottling and no tooth. There are a number of veins but most are light and a couple are more predominant. The thicker ones do create edge lift with the wrapper and the seams are quite visible. The double bands are nicely done as Avo always does

Draw (0-3) & Burn (0-4):  Average (2) / Good (3)

The draw is very open with minimal resistance, and the burn is wavy to start. The ash covers the full range with some sections light and others very dark. It’s very flaky and crumbly, with bits falling off almost immediately. Although the burn line is correcting and getting to a nice even line, the ash is still a flaky mess. That said, the ash holds nicely to almost the halfway point.

Flavor Profile (0-5):  Poor (1)

Heavy on the espresso, earth and wood, very salty and sweet as well. I immediately go for my water to make sure it’s not my own mouth and clean my palate, but the salty and sweet immediately return in the next draw. Leather starts to increase with the cedar woodiness getting a charred taste to it. Not really getting any pepper but the back of my throat is already feeling a harsh burn in the first inch.

Into the second third and no major changes, there’s a very sour sourdough breadiness that’s crept in. Finally getting some pepper, though it’s more cinnamon. This is a slightly weird blend of flavors and there’s really no good explanation for the harsh burning feel at the back of my soft palate and throat. There’s a lot of espresso bitterness and only mild creaminess on the finish.

No real changes into the final third. Salt, earth, leather and coffee dominate. This tastes like an angry stepdad. 😅

Overall Experience (0-5):  Average (2)

This was disappointing because I really like the standard Syncro Nicaragua and this is pricey at $22 per. Who knows, maybe this one just needs a ton of aging. I have three more and they’ll definitely get it to see if it improves. There’s an inherent irony here in that most of the Avo line has good blends and insistent burns, and this is the total opportunity.

I’m not sure what the team did to screw the pooch here, but the special blend and vitola just did not not find harmony. Though maybe the master blenders at Davidoff were trying to do the ultimate Avo Uvezian tribute being that he was a jazz pianist. This cigar was discordant, off tempo and jarring at times. Just like jazz! 😅

Review Base Rating (0-5):

2.50

Would I Buy It Again?

Outlook not so good (skip it)

Review Final Score (0-10):

4.00

Overall Score and Individual Journal Entries

While the review is based off one instance of journaling this cigar; there’s a number of reasons you can have different experiences smoking the same cigar multiple times. A blend can evolve with age (for better or worse), palates evolves, preferences change, and sometimes you just get a bad example!  This section captures the ratings from each journal entry and the related journal photo.  Below you’ll find an aggregate score based on every time the cigar has been journaled. Unless it was a gift or on-off smoke, this section will be updated every time I journal this cigar!

The Flavor Wheel

With every cigar I journal, I capture simple ratings of the basic flavor categories that I experience.  These are more generalized than what you would see in a review, but a distinct profile can still be built out.  When multiple instances of the same cigar have been journaled, the scores are averaged out in an attempt to build a reliable flavor profile based on my palate.

The values entered for the strength of each flavor range from 0 to 3.

• 0:   No flavor detected
• 1:   Mild flavor
• 2:   Medium flavor
• 3:   Strong flavor

Note: desktop / large screens will see a flavor wheel while mobile / small screens will see a bar chart.

With every cigar I journal, I capture simple ratings of the basic flavor categories that I experience.  These are more generalized than what you would see in a review, but a distinct profile can still be built out.  When multiple instances of the same cigar have been journaled, the scores are averaged out in an attempt to build a reliable flavor profile based on my palate.

The values entered for the strength of each flavor range from 0 to 3.

• 0:   No flavor detected
• 1:   Mild flavor
• 2:   Medium flavor
• 3:   Strong flavor

Note: desktop / large screens will see a flavor wheel while mobile / small screens will see a bar chart.