100 years of Avo Uvezian - a cigar at Zigarren.Zone, a look back and the anticipation of 2026

He would have been 100 years old: Avo Uvezian. I'm pretty excited to see what's in store for us this year. When someone celebrates a birthday like this and even has a cigar brand named after them, something usually happens. And with AVO anyway. Today I'm honouring Avo Uvezian in my own personal way: with one of his cigars.

I'm sitting in my office - the Headquarters of Zigarren.Zone, to put it in a «slightly» boastful way - and let my mind wander a little. I listen to one of his albums. As the smoke slowly drifts through the room, my thoughts go back. Twelve years. That's how long Zigarren.Zone has been around. A lot has happened since it was founded in 2014. An incredible amount.

And as I sit here, this moment fits surprisingly well with Avo Uvezian himself. Because his story was never just a story about cigars either.

A man who was more than just a cigar maker

In 2026, Avo Uvezian would therefore have reached its 100th birthday celebrated. AVO Cigars is honouring this anniversary worldwide with various moments and encounters - a tribute to a man whose influence can still be felt today. Avo Uvezian was much more than just the founder of a cigar brand.

He was a classically trained pianist. Jazz musician. A composer. A citizen of the world. And above all, someone who was convinced that the best things in life are created where Combining craftsmanship and emotion. 

Whether he was sitting at the piano or working on a new cigar blend - for him it was always about harmony. It was precisely this idea that ultimately characterised the cigars that bear his name. When you look into it, you quickly realise: Avo didn't just produce cigars. He composed them.

A legacy that lives on

The AVO brand not only wants to celebrate this legacy in its anniversary year, but also bring it to life. Bringing people together, creating moments together, sharing creativity and inspiration - all in the spirit of the man behind the brand. The first chapter of these celebrations will take place in April 2026 at the Premium Cigar Association Trade Show in New Orleans will be presented. The first details will be revealed there. In other words: We are only at the beginning.

A living flame

One hundred years after his birth, Avo Uvezian's influence continues to have an impact. Not as a nostalgic memory, but as a living inspiration for how cigars can be created, shared and experienced together. Or, as Javier González from Oettinger Davidoff puts it: «Avo Uvezian began his career as a musician and developed from a cigar lover to a cigar composer - a man whose legacy continues to this day.»

A quiet moment in the Cigars.Zone office

I take another drag on my AVO. The smoke is soft, calm, almost meditative. And as I sit here in the Zigarren.Zone office, I realise that twelve years have passed since I founded this platform. Twelve years full of stories, encounters, interviews, travelling and cigar moments.

Avo would probably have said: «The decisive factor is not the cigar itself. It's the moment it accompanies.»

And that's exactly how this moment feels right now. Now I'm all the more curious to see what else this anniversary year will bring. Because when a brand celebrates its founder - and this founder Avo Uvezian means - then you can be sure:

Something is coming! I'm really looking forward to it - and you? His music album, which I was listening to during this smoke, is almost finished. The cigar is also almost finished. It's nice to be able to reminisce like this ☺️