5 CAO Reviews (including my first cigar review ever, from 2 years ago)

[Tobias Lutz]

Disclaimer: These are reviews I did for another site, in another time. The photos no longer exist, but the information will hopefully remain useful to some.

Note: The Mx2 review was published around two years ago and holds a special place in my heart because it is the first time I ever wrote my impressions of a cigar for posting on the internet. The CAO Award was also the first of almost 50 I earned at a now defunct forum.

I. CAO Mx2 Belicoso Review
Let me preface by saying I have never reviewed a cigar before. I have recorded my contemplation of pipe blends, but until just this week I never purchased more than one cigar at a time and never thought beyond “I enjoy it” or “I don’t”. That said, I ordered a number of sticks to start a very modest coolidor and smoked one this evening with a pen in hand to see what I could come up with. If you have smoked this cigar and consider my opinion way out in left field, please say so because I think finding flavors in a cigar is much more challenging than finding them in pipe tobacco. That said- here I go:
Wrapper: Brazilian, Connecticut Broadleaf
Origin: Nicaragua
Shape: Belicoso
Filler: Honduran, Nicaraguan, Dominican, Peruvian

Before lighting I thought the cigar had a mellow earthiness that was not as pungent as wet garden soil, but almost like the scent that would linger in a garden shed after all the pots have been removed. When I first lit it I got a nuance similar to an espresso bean but this dissipated some and blended in with the rest of the flavors after the first inch or so of the stick. I found it to burn very evenly and stay lit with 60-90 seconds between puffs. I think the cigar had a medium body with only the slightest hint of sweetness. On the retrohale I picked up what seemed like leather. Not a damp cowhide, but a crisp new wallet sort of essence. At no point was the cigar unpleasant, but the body was such that I think I would prefer it during the day and in a warm time of year. I generally like a bolder flavor when I pair a smoke with a drink for a holistic evening experience. Overall I would say it was a 8 on a scale of 1 to 10, with the price per stick seeming pretty reasonable for the smoking experience.

(Note: Revisting the cigar a few more times, it quickly became (and remains) one of my favorites in its price range. Just goes to show you shouldn’t always stick completely with your first impressions)

II. Cao Maduro Robusto- A review
Strength:
Medium
Size:
5 x 50
Country of Origin:
Nicaragua
Wrapper Color:
Maduro
Wrapper Origin:
Connecticut
Wrapper Leaf Type:
Broadleaf

Initial odor: Dark coffee and chocolate.
Toasted with a torch and then lit with soft flame. Punched rather than cut.

1st third:
The initial flavor is smoky and rich. Earthy and dark, the first inch is a solid unforgiving profile. Once the preliminary flavors settle down you can pick up in a faintly sweet leather taste. If you have ever dipped your baseball glove in molasses and then taken a bite you would know what I’m talking about.

2nd third:
As it continues on this smoke maintains its earthiness and picks up a little flavor of cedar. While the darker taste is consistent I didn’t find the cigar to become harsh. Sometimes I have had the experience of a Maduro stick growing in its bitterness as it progresses but this one does not and in turn I think it doesn’t necessarily have to be considered an evening smoke. It may be too heavy for the tastes of some in the morning, but I would say if you like a shot of espresso in the AM now and again you might like starting your day with this cigar.

The nub:
Normally the nub is not my favorite part of a smoke. I enjoy the way a cigar develops, but usually I like the middle the best. This smoke really got good at the end. The wrapper became oily with a beautiful sheen and the flavor reminded me of the black walnuts my grandmother used to use in her fudge recipe. There is a toasty astringent nuance to it that is not overwhelming, but instead very pleasant. It made me glad that I chose to drink water while smoking this cigar as opposed to something else. The taste is very clean and doesn’t hang on your tongue for forever and a day. As it approached its demise the cigar continued to burn evenly and drew well.

Pros: Nice construction with zero touch ups it burned well. The flavors were interesting and well balanced.
Cons: I can’t say this stick had any that stood out. The closest I could get to a complaint was that the band came apart and fell off about 2 minutes into it (but it didn’t damage the wrapper when it did.
Overall: 8.5/10

III. CAO VR Moby Review
Size: Toro
Wrapper: Brazilian
Filler: Nicaraguan & Mexican
Binder: Nicaraguan

I smoked this one right off the truck. Punched it, torched it, and finished with a soft flame.

The pre-light draw was strong and I could pick up on a faint peppery flavor. The wrapper odor was pleasing, but not very pronounced.

THE FIRST 1/3:
The initial ½” was very woody and strong before it toned down to be much earthier- like moist soil but while still maintaining a muted wood flavor. It was almost 90* on the day I smoked it and I have to admit I dug having a milder stick instead of the full bodied maduro I almost lit up. There was a hint of sweetness, but it was like the sweetness you infuse into meat when you smoke it over good woodchips.

THE SECOND 1/3:
As I moved on into the next part of the cigar it developed more body and also took on an interesting chocolate taste. It wasn’t like normal chocolate but instead reminded me of the chocolate covered orange slices I buy at Christmas time. Cocoa with slight citrus was evident with the retrohale. In this section of the stick I also got more of the peppery taste I noticed on the initial draw.

THE NUB:
The final third is where I felt somewhat rewarded for my patience. The cocoa, wood, and pepper married together and elevated the flavor profile of the cigar into the medium range while it retained its smooth nature. The pepper never became overbearing but the smoke became richer.

Pros- Mild but balanced. Well constructed with a very even burn.
Cons- Good flavor throughout but not terribly interesting for most of the stick.
Overall a 7 of 10. A nice stick for driving around on a hot summer’s day or enjoying at a cookout.

IV. CAO L'Anniversaire Cameroon Review
CAO L'Anniversaire Cameroon Belicoso (6" x 54)
Strength: Medium
Wrapper: Cameroon
Origin: Nicaragua

After taking it from the wrapper I notice that the scent is unassuming and mild. The cigar is rolled well and box pressed. It has a firm pack but draws very smoothly.
It lit well (and stayed lit for the hour+ that I enjoyed it)

The first third is very mild with faint hints of sweetness on the retrohale. The smoke is light and nutty. At this point it seems like a pleasant smoke for a newcomer because it is smooth and satisfying.

As I smoke into the second third of the stick I pick up more sweetness like that of currants. There is also a hint of a bright blend coffee.

The final third is the most interesting. This is where the cigar becomes very earthy and the smoke more rich and velvety. Flavors like charred cocoa appear and there is a peppery nuance that was absent before but now leaves a slight tingle on my tongue.It is only in the final section that the profile seems to become the “medium” body that the cigar is described as having.
The last 1 ½” is unique in that the flavors tone back down as if the pendulum is coming to a rest as you smoke through the nub.

Overall: 6/10
Pros: Flavor development
Cons: Had to touch-up with my lighter three times because the burn did not stay even.

Continued in next post...

[Tobias Lutz]

V. CAO Vision Catalyst Review
• Shape: Robusto
• Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
• Wrapper Color: Natural
• Wrapper Origin: Dominican
• Wrapper Leaf Type: Corojo

I got a couple of these as part of a sampler last month and low and behold another couple popped up in my coolidor from somewhere so I figured it was time to give one a shot. The foot smelled faintly woody and a little like baking bread. After toasting it seemed to smell more like coffee. Prior to lighting I would say it was a pleasant, but underwhelming in the scent department. The draw through my punch was good and it turned out to burn pretty evenly down to the nub.

The first third:
The initial light was bitter but it quickly recovered and developed the coffee flavor from the toasting as well as a little cocoa. The sweetness was very similar to molasses with an inherent richness that is balanced with bitter. The retrohale after the 1st 1” burned through had a taste that reminded me of a freshly mowed lawn (which was pleasant, but surprising because it almost came out of left field flavor-wise). At this point I would call the Vision a very mild cigar, but an interesting one.

The second third:
The cigar stayed mild and consistently presented the flavors from the 1st 1/3rd. Honestly, I am accustomed to a stick’s flavor profile changing as it burns down and while in one way the lack of mutation made this cigar less dynamic, there was a novelty to the integrity of flavor through the first 2/3rds.

The nub:
Unlike every other CAO I’ve smoked there was not a huge turn in the flavor as I approached the nub. A woody flavor became more prevalent but the strength of the stick remained mild-medium. As it came to the very end I could taste a flavor that I would describe simply as well blended tobacco. I couldn’t put my finger on food or smell descriptions so I’ll just go with balanced tobacco. It was somewhat bright and still toasty. One issue I did encounter towards the finish was the way the wrapper began to shed itself in the last 1 1/2”. It didn’t really affect my ability to finish the cigar though.

Pros: Balanced, consistent flavor. Even burn.
Cons: No real surprises. I like depth in a cigar and for the flavors to mutate some over my hour+ of smoking it.
Overall 6.5/10
Even though these are supposed to be of “limited quantity” (min was 580k ) they are perfect for a new smoker to enjoy a steady flavored milder smoke.

Post Note: I wrote this review a few days ago and as I'm finally posting it I am smoking a second of these and have found the burn to be pretty uneven this time around. I'm not sure which of the two experiences is more common, but since I smoke a fair number of CAOs and rarely have this issue I tend to believe the one I'm burning right now is the exception. It has needed touching up 3 different times and started to tunnel at one point.