IPCPR's annual trade show has come and gone, you know what that means? This blog is about to get very busy, I love this time of year because all the new stuff is out and I make it a point to smoke and review as much of it as I can get my hands on. I just love the smell of new cigars in August!
I have been long told by people in the industry that the face of CAO was changing. I was skeptical, CAO just does not do it for me anymore, their offerings just don't have what I'm looking for in a cigar. In fact, I have always thought they were just plain and kind of boring. Well my opinion started to change last year when Osa came to market, I smoked several of them and found some consistency problems, but the ones that I smoked that performed well were very good. Bearing this in mind I was excited to have a chance at this new offering which debuted just this past weekend at the show.
The cigar presents very nicely, CAO eschewed their normal fancy colors and adornments and went with a simple band in two tones and I found that refreshing. The visual flair here was that, when unbanded, the band turns into a little guitar, paying homage to the cigar's Tennessee roots, very clever indeed. The wrapper is a nice dark brown, and it is applied very well. There are few veins and the oils of the wrapper appear to be natural and not artificially enhanced in any way. The construction has me concerned as I detect some very tight spots in the bunch near the foot and this leads me to have some concerns about draw issues that could arise. The pre light aroma has some delightful dark wood and earth tones. The pre light draw shows some hints of coffee and wood.
The cigar opens with a profile that is neither complex or deep, but the flavor is bold and delivering very nice flavors of coffee, nuts and wood. At the back of the palate there is a very satisfying and rich earthy flavor that props up the front of the profile beautifully. This is not your standard CAO cigar, and it really has my interest from the get go. Is it complex? No. Is it deep? No. However, it does deliver nice flavors from the start and sometimes that is all a cigar needs, a simple profile that is easily identifiable can be very tasty and refreshing. The draw is a little tight, but better tight than loose I always say (yes I'm still talking about cigars, dirty perverts). The burn is a touch off, but I'm thinking it will even out on it's own.
The first half of the cigar really continues to impress me. I'm as shocked as all of you, the Czar likes a CAO! The core profile continues to show excellent flavors of dark wood and a very clean and pleasant tobacco flavor has come into the picture here as well. I reiterate, this cigar is not complex or deep, but it continues to deliver flavors that are robust and tantalizing just the same. The back of the palate continues to show rich, earthy flavors and there is a very solid flavor of coffee coming through in this portion of the experience. The draw continues to be a touch too tight, but it is not causing me any issues. The burn evens out and goes off again on an alternating basis, but touch ups are not required yet.
The final half of the cigar does not show much more development and that is my only disappointment in the cigar, in order to really climb in points some complexity and depth would have to be showing through, but the cigar stays very solid. The core profile is still very satisfying, showing nice flavors of wood and tobacco. The back of the palate continues to deliver nice earth and coffee flavors right to the end. The draw stays tight and becomes more difficult in the closing moments as I approach the tight spots I mentioned earlier, but it is not unsmokeable. The burn goes off in the final third requiring a minor touch up to regulate heat and the possibility of a run.
The finish was long and held nice flavors of dark wood and tobacco for several minutes.
If this is a sign of what's to come from CAO I can say I'm excited to see where the CAO train takes me in the next couple of years.
Appearance- 91 simple and clean, very refreshing form a frontmark known for visually jarring packaging and branding
Taste- 88 a nice profile that could have done with some extra development
Construction- 87 some draw and burn problems reduce the score
Strength- 91 very complementary medium
Overall- 88.75 a very good cigar
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