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Avo — The Art of Turning Music into Cigars

Founded in 1988 by Armenian-Lebanese pianist Avo Uvezian — one of the cigar industry's most distinctive legends of an "artist entering the cigar industry".

Avo Uvezian (1926-2017) did not come from a cigar family — he was a world-class pianist and composer:

• He once wrote songs for Frank Sinatra — the song "Broken Promises", made famous by Sinatra in 1949, was partly composed by Avo
• He composed music for Hollywood films — working with Henry Mancini (composer of The Pink Panther)
• In 1947, he fled from Soviet Red Army-occupied Armenia to Lebanon — building his music career in Beirut
• In 1965, he immigrated to the United States — continuing his music career in New York

If Davidoff represents "Swiss elegance", Padrón represents "family dynasty", and Camacho represents "Honduran spice" — then Avo represents "music art transformed into cigars".

Origin: The 1983 Sinatra Cigar Story

In 1983, Avo opened a piano bar called The Penthouse in the Old San Juan district of Puerto Rico — frequently visited by celebrities such as Frank Sinatra, Bob Hope, and Jerry Lewis.

Sinatra was a cigar enthusiast — every time he came to The Penthouse, he would ask Avo: "Do you have Cuban cigars?" To satisfy his distinguished guest Sinatra, Avo began personally searching for top-grade cigars — but since the U.S. embargo against Cuba began in 1962, Cuban cigars were illegal.

Avo decided to make his own cigars — and approached Dominican Davidoff cigar master Hendrik "Henke" Kelner:

• Henke Kelner is one of the most respected masters in the cigar industry — Dominican Davidoff, Avo, and the later Davidoff Master Series were all led by him
• Kelner agreed to design an exclusive blend for Avo — the origin of "Avo Classic"

1988: Avo Classic Launches

In 1988, Avo Classic officially launched — the founding series of the brand:

• Wrapper: Ecuador Connecticut Shade (light-colored)
• Binder + Filler: Dominican
• Strength: Medium
• Characteristics: "Creamy floral aroma, cedar, light coffee — as elegant as piano chords"

Avo Classic immediately received 90+ points from Cigar Aficionado — a rare rapid success in the history of a new brand.

The name "Avo" itself became the brand — Avo Uvezian printed his personal signature and silhouette portrait on every cigar box.

1995: Davidoff Acquisition

In 1995, Oettinger Davidoff, the Swiss parent company of Davidoff, acquired Avo — this acquisition was the most important turning point in the brand's history:

• Avo entered Davidoff's global distribution network — allowing the brand to reach the world's top cigar markets
• Avo Uvezian remained the brand ambassador — until his passing in 2017, he still personally attended cigar events every year
• The blends and quality were fully preserved — Henke Kelner continued to lead all Avo lines

This "founder + acquirer" relationship continued for 22 years — one of the most moving collaborations in the cigar industry.

Flagship Series: XO, Heritage, Syncro

Avo's complete spectrum of series:

Avo XO — Medium-Strength Flagship (Upgraded Version of Avo Classic)

"XO" pays tribute to the XO grade of Cognac:

• Wrapper: Ecuador Connecticut Shade
• Strength: Medium
• Characteristics: Creamy floral aroma, cedar, light coffee — "perfect piano tone"

Avo Heritage — Medium to Full-Strength Advancement

Launched in 2007 — the advanced version of Avo Classic:

• Wrapper: Ecuador Habano Rosado
• Strength: Medium to full
• Characteristics: Creamy coffee cocoa, deep cedar — "the symphonic version of the piano"

Avo Syncro — Multi-Origin Fusion Series

Syncro is Avo's most innovative series — with three regional versions:

• Avo Syncro Nicaragua (launched in 2014): Nicaraguan blend
• Avo Syncro Caribe (launched in 2017): Caribbean blend
• Avo Syncro South America (launched in 2017): South American blend

Avo Syncro Nicaragua Especial was Cigar Aficionado's 2016 Cigar of the Year #1 (96 points) — a historic victory for the brand.

Avo Limited Edition — Birthday Commemorative Limited Editions

Every year on March 22, Avo Uvezian's birthday, the brand releases a limited commemorative edition — a tradition pursued by Avo collectors:

• Avo LE10 (2010): Commemorating Avo's 84th birthday
• Avo LE15 (2015): Commemorating Avo's 89th birthday
• Avo LE21 (2021): Commemorating Avo's 95th birthday (Avo passed away in 2017; this is a subsequent commemorative edition)

Each LE version has a different blend, different vitola, and different packaging — a continuation of the "musical artwork".

Avo Domaine — Dominican Tobacco Exclusive Series

The Avo Domaine series uses special tobacco produced from Avo's own "Domaine" tobacco fields in the Dominican Republic — representing the brand's "purest Dominican terroir".

The Personal Legend of Avo Uvezian

Avo Uvezian was not only the founder of a cigar brand — he was one of the most distinctive musicians of the 20th century:

• Born in Beirut, Lebanon, in 1926 (to an Armenian family)
• In 1947, after the Soviet Red Army occupied Armenia, he fled from the Soviet Union to Lebanon
• From 1947 through the 1960s, he built his music career in Beirut
• He wrote songs for Frank Sinatra — "Broken Promises" is his most famous work
• He collaborated with Henry Mancini on Hollywood film scores
• In 1965, he immigrated to New York, United States — continuing his music career
• In 1983, he opened the piano bar The Penthouse in Puerto Rico — where his connection with Sinatra began
• In 1988, at the age of 62, he founded Avo Cigars — a "second spring in life"
• He passed away on March 25, 2017, at the age of 91 — only 3 days after celebrating his 91st birthday

He printed his own signature and portrait on every Avo cigar box — making it one of the cigar industry's most "personal-brand-driven" brands.

Why Taiwan Enthusiasts Should Smoke Avo

3 reasons:

1. "Artist's cigar": Smoking Avo = smoking the "art of turning music into cigars" — one of the most distinctive founding stories in the cigar industry
2. 2016 Cigar of the Year #1: Avo Syncro Nicaragua Especial, 96 points — smoking it is smoking history
3. Davidoff quality assurance: Led by Henke Kelner for 30+ years — ensuring every Avo is "top-grade Dominican elegance"

Pairing suggestions:

• Avo XO + Cognac (Hennessy XO) + piano jazz
• Avo Syncro Nicaragua + aged bourbon (Pappy Van Winkle 15 Year) + classic Sinatra songs
• Avo Heritage + aged single malt whisky (Lagavulin 16 Year)

Welcome to W Cigar Bar in Da'an District, where Cigar Prince Wilson Tsai personally accompanies you in experiencing Avo's legend of "music art transformed into cigars".

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Further Reading: Avo's Complete Product Spectrum

Avo XO (Formerly Avo Classic) — Medium-Strength Flagship

Classic sizes:

• Maestoso (5⅝" × 56)
• Intermezzo (5½" × 50)
• Notturno (4⅞" × 50)
• Preludio (6" × 40)

Avo Heritage — Medium to Full-Strength Advancement

Classic sizes:

• Heritage Robusto (5" × 50)
• Heritage Toro (6" × 50)
• Heritage Special Toro (6" × 60)

Avo Syncro Nicaragua — 2016 Cigar of the Year

Classic sizes:

• Syncro Nicaragua Especial (5½" × 50) — 2016 Cigar of the Year #1
• Syncro Nicaragua Toro (6" × 50)
• Syncro Nicaragua Robusto (5" × 50)

Avo Syncro Caribe — Caribbean Version

Classic sizes:

• Syncro Caribe Robusto
• Syncro Caribe Toro

Avo Syncro South America — South American Version

Classic sizes:

• Syncro South America Ritmo

Avo Domaine — Dominican Tobacco Exclusive

Classic sizes:

• Domaine No.10
• Domaine No.20
• Domaine No.30

Avo Limited Edition — Annual Birthday Commemoratives

• LE10 (2010), LE13 (2013), LE15 (2015), LE17 (2017, commemorating the year of Avo's passing), LE19 (2019), LE21 (2021), LE25 (2025)

Avo Improvisation Series

A limited series paying tribute to Avo's piano improvisation — an extension of the brand philosophy of "musical art".

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Collecting and Aging Suggestions

Entry Level (NT$5,000-15,000)

• Avo XO Notturno × 5
• Avo Classic Robusto × 5

Advanced (NT$30,000-80,000)

• Avo Syncro Nicaragua Especial × 5 (2016 Cigar of the Year #1)
• Avo Heritage Toro × 5
• Avo XO Maestoso × 3

Collectors (NT$200,000+)

• Complete year collection of Avo Limited Edition
• Complete Avo Domaine No.10/20/30 set
• 2017 LE commemorating the year of Avo's passing — extremely scarce in the market

Aging Suggestions

• Avo XO: Can be smoked immediately — fresh and full with creamy floral aroma
• Avo Heritage: Recommended aging of 1-2 years — allowing the medium to full strength to unfold
• Avo Syncro Nicaragua: Recommended aging of 2-3 years — allowing the multi-origin blend to integrate deeply

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The Cigar Prince's "Avo Advanced Appreciation Path"

Stage 1: Understanding (Cigars 1-3)

Start with Avo XO Notturno — experience the brand's elegant starting point of "piano chords". Pairing: Piano jazz (Bill Evans, Oscar Peterson).

Stage 2: Advancing in Strength (Cigars 4-6)

Move into Avo Heritage Toro — experience the depth of the brand's "symphonic version".

Stage 3: Cigar of the Year (Cigars 7-10)

Smoke Avo Syncro Nicaragua Especial — experience a work at the level of 2016 Cigar of the Year #1.

Stage 4: Limited-Edition Collecting (Cigar 10+)

Collect different years of Avo Limited Edition — enter the complete world of Avo Uvezian's "music art transformed into cigars".

Welcome to W Cigar Bar in Da'an District, and experience the "Dominican cigar dream of an Armenian pianist" together with the Cigar Prince.

W Cigar Bar is a PCC Pacific Cigar authorized dealer (PCC is the official regular import channel of Habanos S.A. Cuba in Taiwan) — and also provides the complete Avo spectrum experience in Taipei.