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HOW AVO MADE A NAME BEFORE BIG BROTHER STARTED WATCHING
by Pieter Tesch
Lloyd's List, UK
April 19 2007
Review
A legendary figure who might not exist in today's climate is lauded
WALES has gone "smoke free". Or rather, that is the government spin
on the situation. And Northern Ireland will be reunited with the rest
of Ireland next month, if only in the sense of harmonised anti-smoking
legislation.
Some might observe that legislation against personal liberty is
nothing new or particularly unusual in Irish history.
But who would have though that it would be the Celtic fringe that
led the way in passing laws that restrict personal liberties?
It might be easier to stomach if the public health had shown marked
improvement in the interim.
The initial assessment from Scotland a year after its own ban is that
people are not smoking any less and some say this is the story from
Ireland as well.
However, one result is that the pace of closure of traditional pubs
is quickening because not all old-style watering holes have space
for "smoking extensions" or the awnings springing up on the side of
Irish pubs.
The smarter alternative is to morph into the kind of gastro-pub so
beloved by the Blairite and Cameronist wings of the Islington-Notting
Hill axis.
It is no small irony that so many of our liberties - as well much of
our popular culture - were born in inns and coffee houses, and without
them one wonders whether such legendary figures as Avo Uvezian would
thrive or even exist.
It was Edward Sahakian of the Davidoff shop in St James's who told
me his story when I dropped in the other day.
A fellow Armenian born in Beirut in 1926, Uvezian has had a colourful
career and at 81 he is still going strong, "touring as a jazz pianist
and loving all the good things in life, food, wine -and he can still
charm the ladies", according to Sahakian.
Born into a family of classical performers, young Avo became a jazz
musician making his name as a pianist and band leader of the Lebanon
Boys. In 1947 he emigrated to the US and, after serving in the Korean
war, he settled in Puerto Rico.
Here he discovered his love for cigars and was soon experimenting
with different blends for his custom-made products, sharing them with
guests at his club. And so the Avo brand was established.
The step to commercial production was taken during the 1980s when
he met master producer Hendrik Kelner in the Dominican Republic,
eventually becoming part of the Davidoff stable after the producer
recognised a kindred spirit.
The Domaine Avo range is being discontinued and replaced by the
XO series, explained Sahakian. But he stressed that Avo's quality
commitment to aged and blended Dominican tobaccos was not being
compromised.
For instance the XO Trio Preludio is a lovely larger corona (15.2 cm,
40 ring gauge), selling in tube at £8.60. Likewise the XO Quartetto
Notturno, a smaller chubbier corona (12.7 cm, 42 ring), selling a
tube at £8.
They sit nicely with Davidoff's other brands such as Griffin - its
tubed robusto (£8.80) or pyramide (£9.40). There is also a smaller
robusto Griffin tubed version available at £8.80.
But to spoil oneself one can still indulge in the Davidoff Millennium
robusto at £16.40 or pyramide at £18.30. "We still have a good stock
and I am sure Avo won't mind," said Sahakian with a smile.
SmokeSignals
http://lloydslist.com/ll/new s/viewArticle.htm?articleId=1176908474510
--Bound ary_(ID_f8dPVdbnRJFFI1g2dwkj8w)--
by Pieter Tesch
Lloyd's List, UK
April 19 2007
Review
A legendary figure who might not exist in today's climate is lauded
WALES has gone "smoke free". Or rather, that is the government spin
on the situation. And Northern Ireland will be reunited with the rest
of Ireland next month, if only in the sense of harmonised anti-smoking
legislation.
Some might observe that legislation against personal liberty is
nothing new or particularly unusual in Irish history.
But who would have though that it would be the Celtic fringe that
led the way in passing laws that restrict personal liberties?
It might be easier to stomach if the public health had shown marked
improvement in the interim.
The initial assessment from Scotland a year after its own ban is that
people are not smoking any less and some say this is the story from
Ireland as well.
However, one result is that the pace of closure of traditional pubs
is quickening because not all old-style watering holes have space
for "smoking extensions" or the awnings springing up on the side of
Irish pubs.
The smarter alternative is to morph into the kind of gastro-pub so
beloved by the Blairite and Cameronist wings of the Islington-Notting
Hill axis.
It is no small irony that so many of our liberties - as well much of
our popular culture - were born in inns and coffee houses, and without
them one wonders whether such legendary figures as Avo Uvezian would
thrive or even exist.
It was Edward Sahakian of the Davidoff shop in St James's who told
me his story when I dropped in the other day.
A fellow Armenian born in Beirut in 1926, Uvezian has had a colourful
career and at 81 he is still going strong, "touring as a jazz pianist
and loving all the good things in life, food, wine -and he can still
charm the ladies", according to Sahakian.
Born into a family of classical performers, young Avo became a jazz
musician making his name as a pianist and band leader of the Lebanon
Boys. In 1947 he emigrated to the US and, after serving in the Korean
war, he settled in Puerto Rico.
Here he discovered his love for cigars and was soon experimenting
with different blends for his custom-made products, sharing them with
guests at his club. And so the Avo brand was established.
The step to commercial production was taken during the 1980s when
he met master producer Hendrik Kelner in the Dominican Republic,
eventually becoming part of the Davidoff stable after the producer
recognised a kindred spirit.
The Domaine Avo range is being discontinued and replaced by the
XO series, explained Sahakian. But he stressed that Avo's quality
commitment to aged and blended Dominican tobaccos was not being
compromised.
For instance the XO Trio Preludio is a lovely larger corona (15.2 cm,
40 ring gauge), selling in tube at £8.60. Likewise the XO Quartetto
Notturno, a smaller chubbier corona (12.7 cm, 42 ring), selling a
tube at £8.
They sit nicely with Davidoff's other brands such as Griffin - its
tubed robusto (£8.80) or pyramide (£9.40). There is also a smaller
robusto Griffin tubed version available at £8.80.
But to spoil oneself one can still indulge in the Davidoff Millennium
robusto at £16.40 or pyramide at £18.30. "We still have a good stock
and I am sure Avo won't mind," said Sahakian with a smile.
SmokeSignals
http://lloydslist.com/ll/new s/viewArticle.htm?articleId=1176908474510
--Bound ary_(ID_f8dPVdbnRJFFI1g2dwkj8w)--