CAO Pipe Tobacco

I. Moontrance

I'm actually a fan of the occasional infused cigar, and Moontrance is my favorite of the CAO Flavours. For some reason I expected this to be a black Cavendish blend, but instead it is a variegated mix of ribbon cut Virginias and Cavendish. The Vanilla is strong, as is the alcohol scent of the bourbon. The fruit note in the tin is more nuanced, something between orange (think Triple Sec) and plum. It is moist in the tin and definitely needs to dry out a bit. The first impressions I had of this upon lighting we vanilla beans scraped out into a shot glass of cheap bourbon. Then I got a floral note (something like orange blossoms) and a generic fruit flavor that I will stab in the dark and say was apricot with a splash of citrus. The let down was that the tobacco burned pretty hot, regardless of how I sipped, and the flavors soon became nothing but a mildly sweet Cavendish taste. I'm not sold on this one- particularly since it's cigar version is more enjoyable, but it did stay lit easily and refused to bite.

II. Black

This is a very unique smelling tobacco in the tin. It is the closest I've ever come to finding a tobacco that had a candy scent. It has a "tuttifruti" scent like a gourmet lollipop, with only the faintest hint of tobacco behind it all. It is also some of the wettest tobacco I've ever found in a tin. I had it out to dry for a few hours and it barely made a dent in the moisture level. There is some Virginia in there somewhere but it amounts to the equivalent of a straw of hay in a loaded raspberry thicket. Surprisingly, it packed well without turning into a goopy ball, and the cold draw on my pipe tasted like kool-aid. This was a somewhat odd experience because there was a very big schism between what I smelled and what I got when I lit this up. The berry flavor was present, but I had to sip very carefully to really enjoy it. I found a predominant flavor of cocoa and vanilla to be the norm, in spite of the tin note. The flavor was pretty mild and it was somewhat hard to keep lit. I think this is one of those blends where the PG is just a little too much. I will say that regardless of moisture or how hard I puffed- it refused to bite. I might let this sit out for a couple days and see if it performs any better,

III. Eileen's Dream

This smelled the least topped of the blends. The Virginias actually come through with nice earthiness. The Cavendish is sweet, but not overwhelming. It is a dark blend, cut into fine ribbons and pretty wet in the tin (not like the Black, though). The Virginia can be rubbed out a little more to make it fold better with the Cavendish. Almond milk and hay are the best pre-light descriptors. This reminded me of a coconut, chocolate bon-bon. It was cool burning with zero bite. It did produce a very dry smoke with little body to it. The Virginias contributed modestly, amounting to a cocoa hay flavor. This wasn't outstanding, but nothing to realy scoff at either.

IV. Cherry Bomb

This one is aptly named, at least for the tin note. The tobacco is a medium ribbon, and not nearly as wet as some of the other CAO offerings. It is a fairly natural cherry scent- not chemical, but maybe a little boozy. The Virginias can be found hiding backstage, but the Cavendish with it's fruity and vanilla notes are front and center. I didn't feel the need to dry this one very much before packing it- maybe 30 minutes. This was actually an excellent cherry blend. It was not at all overwhelming, and reminded me of maraschino cherries in vanilla ice cream. The vanilla takes away any "sharpness" the fruit topping might otherwise have. The Virginias even peek through a bit to ground the blend and keep it from being overly sweet. It had a good burn, and no bite- I liked it.

V. Bella Vanilla

This is similar to the Cherry Bomb tobacco in the sense that the topping is not overwhelming, and the Virginias are contributors so that the tin note is not that of a goopy, heavy aromatic mess. It is definitely stronger than something like Dan’s Sweet Vanilla Honeydew, but not too potent or artificial smelling. The Vanilla reminds me of Licor 43. The tin is moist, but only required sitting the bowl’s worth out for a half hour. It also benefits from being rubbed out a bit more. It started off mildly sweet with a nuttiness and faint vanilla bean. The Virginias provided a hay-like undergirding to the Cavendish, which when combined, the two offered a pseudo-cocoa flavor like a Burley might. It did burn a little hot and so I had to sip slowly. There was no tongue bite and the smoke had a pleasant amount of body to it. This is not a heavy aromatic, and would make a nice transition blend for someone expanding their horizons.