Avowed Awakening is a Limited Edition cigar made in the Dominican Republic.
It’s always an exciting time when a new cigar company is formed especially when it is done by some well known players in the industry. Such is the case with Avowed which will see sales, outreach and design managed by Andrew Considine and Dave West. If those names are familiar, congratulations you like myself are a cigar geek. For those of you not in the knew they are the dynamic duo behind Maxamar Ultimate Cigars and Small Batch Cigars.
This new line of cigars is being made at Kelner Cigars S.A.S located in Santiago, Dominican Republic. According to Andrew Considine, “It’s been a pleasure laboring with Klaas Kelner to fulfill both of our dreams and creating a shared legacy. A legacy of opportunity that provides for untold amounts of individuals and families. I hope that every time you enjoy one of our creations, you are transported to a realm of possibility, reflection, and inspiration just like I am.”
We will be reviewing all three releases over the next month or so but first we start with the limited edition, Awakening
Cigar Review: Avowed Awakening
Size: Gran Robusto 5.5 x 52
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Hybrid
Binder: Ecuadorian Habano
Filler Piloto Cubano, San Vicente, Criollo 98, Pennsylvania
Factory: Kelner Cigars S.A.S.
Release Date: February, 2025
Production: Limited Edition, 2,000 boxes
Box Size: 10 Cigars
The Cigar: The elaborate band has an orient feel to it with colors of red, white and gold and an abstract A serving as the logo on the primary band. A secondary band denotes Awakening the name of this limited edition entry. The hybrid wrapper from Ecuador has a nice amount of oils and subtle mottling. In the hand the cigar is firm with no voids of tobacco and a hefty weight for its size.
The Taste: The cold draw of the Avowed Awakening serves up notes of whole wheat and coffee with a subtle amount of molasses which has me hopeful some of the notes transcend to the smoking experience. The foot of the cigar has a bouquet of rich molasses that reminds me of another cigar from the Dominican Republic that has been well aged. Once the cigar is toasted and lit there is a subtle cinnamon that begins to take hold.
Moving into the first third the cigar has a wonderful sweetness to it with notes of stone fruits, cinnamon and molasses to start. As we approach the 1″ mark the stone fruit sweetness begins to fade slightly as notes of wheat begin to develop with a subtle coffee and vanilla creme. The retrohale sees additional wheat and touch of anise.
Moving into the second third notes of wheat become dominant with a creamy mouthfeel and a touch of oak. As we move past the halfway point anise makes its way to the palate where it shines next to the hearty wood notes. As the second third comes to a close some pepper begins to develop which is enhanced on the retrohale along with a touch of leather.
There are a lot of cigars I review that I reach the final third and am happy it is coming to a close. This is not one of those cigars. The last third sees oak become dominant with a touch of leather and continued wheat. As we approach the primary band the notes of anise become dominant with wheat and oak sliding into the background. Those background notes become more noticeable with the help of the retrohale.
Conclusion: You can definitely see that influence Henke Kelner had on his son Klaus who is the owner of the factory that produces this brand. The blend which has San Vicente in its filler was in my mind made famous by the Kelner family. If your familiar with Davidoff you are familiar with the tobacco as it was utilized often by Henke. Going into the brand I expected that there would be a lot of similarities but there isn’t many other then a familiarity from aforementioned tobacco that is fleeting at best.
As someone who has been very vocal about the pricing of cigars pushing away the blue collar worker who lives paycheck to paycheck I find it difficult to gripe about the pricetag on the Limited Edition Avowed Awakening. Simply put it’s worth every penny and then some.
Score: 95
Price: $30.00
