This is a diminutive smoke from CAO that I used to smoke frequently. It had fallen out of my rotation about four years ago as my taste and profile preferences changed, but I was recently in one of the B & M's that I frequent and I noticed that they had some and I decided to take a walk down memory lane. The cigar is as I remember, dark and oily with solid construction. All in all a very attractive visual experience. The wrapper is well applied and shows some veins, but not many. The pre light aroma is of earth and tobacco. The pre light draw shows more earth and a touch of light spice.
The cigar opens with a nice profile that contains earth and heavy notes of dark wood. At the back of the palate there are some hickory flavors that are unexpected and pleasant. The flavor profile is more than I remember at this point and I am wondering why I took this out of my rotation. The draw is fluid and produces ample smoke. The burn is even and a sharp white ash is forming.
The first half of the cigar continues to show a core profile of earth and dark wood, there are some dashes of pepper in the main body of the smoke as well. At the back of the palate there are still some hickory notes, but there is a vegetal flavor that has snuck in as well and it threatens to derail the smoke. The draw and burn continue to be superior.
The final half of the smoke deteriorates, but is still acceptable. The core profile moves into a more dirty, earthy presentation that is heavy and nearly acrid. At the back of the palate there are still some signs of hickory, but there are more vegetal notes that continue to disappoint. The complexity and depth just aren't there and I am remembering why I stopped smoking these regularly. The draw and burn perform well throughout.
The finish is middling, but shows some nice earthy tones with impressions of pepper and wood.
Appearance- 89 a nice looking smoke
Taste- 82 the final half was disappointing
Construction- 91 the cigar performed well
Strength- 86 a very non-descript medium
Overall- 86.75 this was slightly above average, but saved by construction
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