Avowed New Dawn – Toro (6 x 52)
The Particulars
| wdt_created_by | cigarkey | brand | cigarname | vitola | strength | wrapper | binder | filler | infused | sweettip | origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| mcclossm | Avowed New Dawn - Toro (6 x 52) | Avowed | New Dawn | Toro - 6.00" x 52 | Mellow - Medium | Ecuadorian Connecticut, Natural (ASP, Dark, Vintage 2016) | Ecuador (Habano) | Dominican Republic (Criollo 98, Piloto Cubano, San Vicente) | No | No | Kelner Cigars S.A.S., Dominican Republic |
| COMPANY / BRAND: | Avowed |
| CIGAR: | New Dawn |
| VITOLA: | Toro - 6.00" x 52 |
| STRENGTH: | Mellow - Medium |
| WRAPPER: | Ecuadorian Connecticut, Natural (ASP, Dark, Vintage 2016) |
| BINDER: | Ecuador (Habano) |
| FILLER: | Dominican Republic (Criollo 98, Piloto Cubano, San Vicente) |
| INFUSED: | No |
| SWEET TIP: | No |
| ORIGIN: | Kelner Cigars S.A.S., Dominican Republic |
Prolegomenon and Other Random Thoughts
Avowed is a new brand that’s been created by some of the good folks from Maxamar Ultimate Cigars / Small Batch Cigars but its not owned by or exclusive to their brick and mortar or online stores. It appears to be akin to how Robert Levin owns both Ashton Cigars and Holt’s but they’re separate entities and those cigar lines are available to other retailers. Production is partnered with Klaas Kelner and these are made in his new factory in the DR that opened in 2023. The New Dawn is one of the launch cigars from Avowed and the first from them I’ll be reviewing.
In the meantime, here’s an introductory video from the team at Avowed if you’d like to know more about them.
| Journaling Date | Cigar | Appearance | Draw | Burn | Flavors | Overall Experience | Base Rating | Buy Again? | Final Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-05-13 | Avowed New Dawn - Toro (6 x 52) | Good | Good | Great | Excellent | Excellent | 5.00 | Signs point to yes (recommended) | 9.50 |
| 2025-06-08 | Avowed New Dawn - Toro (6 x 52) | Good | Good | Great | Excellent | Excellent | 5.00 | Without a doubt (box worthy) | 10.00 |
| 2025-08-08 | Avowed New Dawn - Toro (6 x 52) | Good | Good | Great | Excellent | Excellent | 5.00 | Signs point to yes (recommended) | 9.50 |
| 2025-11-29 | Avowed New Dawn - Toro (6 x 52) | Good | Good | Great | Excellent | Excellent | 5.00 | Without a doubt (box worthy) | 10.00 |
The Review
This review for the Avowed New Dawn - Toro (6 x 52) is based on the journal entry dated 2025-05-13
Appearance & Construction (0-3): Good (3)
They say this is a “dark” Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper, but I’ve never seen one that looked like this. It’s not the usual anemic yellowish tan. This is a warm, light brown with some oil and mottling to it. Maybe it’s Sun Grown or just a higher priming, though they say the wrapper gets additional aging time, so it might be darker from additional fermentation. But either way, I’m digging it.
There’s a handful of veins, but they do create ridges, and the seams are tight but obvious. The leaf seems to be thicker than your normal ECT. Firm, good construction, even and clean edges—all good stuff with the roll. I like the label design and colors as well. Overall, it’s a really nice presentation.
Draw (0-3) & Burn (0-4): Good (3) / Great (4)
The draw is perfect and the burn starts beautifully. An inch in and the char line is dead even. The ash is a light gray that’s tight and holds well. The ash reaches about the halfway point before falling.
Flavor Profile (0-5): Excellent (5)
Immediate flavors are cedar, nuts, bread, and sweet with a little saltiness. There’s a little cocoa, baking spice, a citrus zest, and some honey sweetness rounding it out in the first third. Super creamy—it’s like spraying a can of whipped cream in your mouth with each draw. I can’t tell if there’s a hint of coffee, or I’m just craving it. This would be a fantastic pairing with a light roast or mocha, if I actually drank coffee. 😅
In the second third, flavors just swirl and increase in intensity. The complexity here is great. If you have ever done cinnamon graham crackers with honey, that’s where I’m at right now. Add in the roasted nuttiness and it’s 🤌. Really no leather or earth, just a hint of must, and still no harshness or bitterness. Just a fantastic blend of flavors that continue and build through the end.
Overall Experience (0-5): Excellent (5)
It’s funny because I would describe a lot of the flavors in yesterday’s Isla del Cocodrilo as similar, but this pulls them all together in a really delightful way that cigar didn’t. This is a perfect morning cigar. Great complexity, beautiful warm and light flavors, no bitterness or harshness at all. I’m definitely going to have to get more and will need to try out their other two blends as well. 🔥
Review Base Rating (0-5):
5.00
Would I Buy It Again?
Signs point to yes (recommended)
Review Final Score (0-10):
9.50
Postscript
I smoked this example on November 29th, 2025 and LOOK AT THIS INSANE STACK.
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!
| Times Journaled | Base Rating | Buy Again? | Final Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 5.00 | Signs point to yes (recommended) | 9.75 |
| Journaling Date | Cigar | Appearance | Draw | Burn | Flavors | Overall Experience | Base Rating | Buy Again? | Final Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-05-13 | Avowed New Dawn - Toro (6 x 52) | Good | Good | Great | Excellent | Excellent | 5.00 | Signs point to yes (recommended) | 9.50 |
| 2025-06-08 | Avowed New Dawn - Toro (6 x 52) | Good | Good | Great | Excellent | Excellent | 5.00 | Without a doubt (box worthy) | 10.00 |
| 2025-08-08 | Avowed New Dawn - Toro (6 x 52) | Good | Good | Great | Excellent | Excellent | 5.00 | Signs point to yes (recommended) | 9.50 |
| 2025-11-29 | Avowed New Dawn - Toro (6 x 52) | Good | Good | Great | Excellent | Excellent | 5.00 | Without a doubt (box worthy) | 10.00 |
Journaling Photos
The Flavor Wheel
| Category | Strength |
|---|---|
| Baking Spice | 2.50 |
| Pepper | 1.50 |
| Coffee / Espresso | 1.50 |
| Anise / Licorice | 0.00 |
| Sweet | 2.25 |
| Chocolate | 1.75 |
| Bready / Toasty | 3.00 |
| Woody / Charred | 2.25 |
| Grass / Hay | 0.75 |
| Earth | 0.50 |
| Leather | 0.00 |
| Floral / Aromatic | 0.50 |
| Fruity | 2.50 |
| Nutty | 2.00 |
| Salty / Mineral | 1.00 |
| Creamy | 3.00 |
| Musty / Barnyard | 0.25 |
| Bitter | 0.00 |
| Smooth | 3.00 |
| Harsh | 0.00 |
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.
| Category | Strength |
|---|---|
| Baking Spice | 2.50 |
| Pepper | 1.50 |
| Coffee / Espresso | 1.50 |
| Anise / Licorice | 0.00 |
| Sweet | 2.25 |
| Chocolate | 1.75 |
| Bready / Toasty | 3.00 |
| Woody / Charred | 2.25 |
| Grass / Hay | 0.75 |
| Earth | 0.50 |
| Leather | 0.00 |
| Floral / Aromatic | 0.50 |
| Fruity | 2.50 |
| Nutty | 2.00 |
| Salty / Mineral | 1.00 |
| Creamy | 3.00 |
| Musty / Barnyard | 0.25 |
| Bitter | 0.00 |
| Smooth | 3.00 |
| Harsh | 0.00 |
Questions on how the ratings work?
Check out the detailed explanation here.
Want to Comment?
Leave a comment on the source IG post
