CAO La Traviata Maduro Cigar Review
I sit here wearing my CAO La Traviata Maduro hat given to me by Keith from Tiki Bar Online. Even though you might not think that is pertinent information I recall some English teacher I once had preaching about the importance of setting the scene. So there; the scene is set.
This is a perfect looking cigar. Black-brown wrapper with two very minor veins visible. Oily feel to the wrapper, it’s also slightly fuzzy. The cigar feels well packed, hard even. Can’t wait to smoke this cigar after resting it in my humidor for many months.
Cigar Stats
Length: 5″
Ring Gauge: 50
Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro
Binder: Cameroon
Filler: Nicaragua & Dominican Republic
Price: $115.00/Box of 24
Canton Tower Flame!
If you are wondering whether or not I have smoked the CAO La Traviata with the Ecuadorian Habano wrapper you can take a look at this. If you don’t want to go through the bother of clicking on another link and reading another review then you should know that I liked that cigar, giving it 91 points. Leather, oak and spice were some of the flavors that I noticed and it was pleasantly full bodied.
The CAO La Traviata Maduro starts out with a dark and powerful flavor profile. Beef jerky is the center of the flavor profile surrounded by mahogany, salt and bitter chocolate. While the draw is a little tight in the early goings of this cigar it has not become much of a problem.
Smokiness along with dark flavors are pervasive coming into the second third. Beef jerky and smoky mesquite are the big flavors that I’m picking up now. It’s fine.
The somewhat tight draw becomes somewhat bothersome in the final third, but not in terms of flavor. That jerky flavor has receded into the background while the smoky mesquite has gotten stronger. Heavy cigar.
Without the tight draw, which I got over and over again with each of these cigars that I tried, this would be a 90+ point cigar in my estimation. Even with the tight draw it was an enjoyable cigar but, I have to say, the original La Traviata is my favorite. Medium bodied with a burn that does require some touch ups along the way, this is a cigar that maduro fans might want to give a try.
88 points
Perdomo Habano Corojo Cigar Review
A rather thickish-looking robusto, this cigar has no visible malformations. Of course, like nearly all cigars, it has the stray bump but even those seem to be less bumpy than the average cigar’s bumps. Plus it is oily and nicely packed.
Cigar Stats
Length: 5″
Ring Gauge: 50
Wrapper: Nicaragua
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Price: $90.00/Box of 20
Gaiman Flame!
After getting it lit, which took longer than usual, I am welcomed with a bouquet of goodness. There’s a little bit of a zing followed by a floral sweetness, a bit of a cookie dough flavor, a touch of citrus and some barnyard for good measure. This is definitely a unique mix of flavors and, even though this cigar is in its infancy, it is shaping up to be a good cigar.
Now that I am a little more than an inch into this cigar I can still say that I like it. Citrus is playing the lead right now, which, while interesting, is a little odd. It’s not like the citrus flavor is bad but, well, it’s just unexpected. On the other side of the coin is a dash of spice; thankfully. That barnyard flavor, more like hay, is still present. That cookie dough flavor is not.
After the halfway point this cigar becomes a little bland. Citrus is gone and in its place is a full-throated hay flavor, which is boring. I had higher hopes at the beginning of this cigar but all my hopes seem to have gone down the drain after the halfway point.
It’s a medium bodied cigar with a good draw and a good enough burn (a couple of touchups were necessary during the middle third).
Three quarters of the way through and it does improve a little bit. A doughy flavor starts to come through and the hay takes on a burnt quality. Additionally, a nutty flavor has also entered the mix.
Alright, it is a fine cigar but it’s just nothing special. Like most other Perdomos it falls into that solid category.
88 points
San Lotano Maduro Cigar Review
I like the look and smell of this cigar. It’s dark brown, almost black, and the tobacco gives a distinctive barnyard aroma to it. There is some spice in the smell as well, gives it a bit of zest.
The San Lotano Maduro is a box pressed beauty. From what I can see there is nothing more than a pittance of a flaw on the wrapper and that “flaw” is just a minor stretch mark about 1.5″ down from the foot. When you feel the wrapper it’s extremely oily and very smooth.
Here is what the cigar maker has to say about the meaning of this cigar:
San Lotano meaning “from San Lius” refers to Pinar del Rio´s most famous city and the birthplace of A.J. Fernandez. The San Lotano brand originated in pre-Castro Cuba under the direction of A.J.´s grandfather. Today the tradition continues in Nicaragua where San Lotano is made with the choisest, aged Cuban seed tobaccos all fermented using the secret Fernandez family process, wich has been passed on for over three generations. Let San Lotano gives you a glimpse into what real cigar making is all about, a atradition you can taste.
Now let’s smoke this baby!
Cigar Stats
Length: 6″
Ring Gauge: 52
Wrapper: Mexican Maduro
Binder: Dual – Honduran & Dominican
Filler: Honduras & Nicaragua
Price: ~$7.00/Single
Movie Maker Flame!
This is another one of my cigars that have been resting in my humidor for a while now; this one at least seven or eight months. While the extra time maturing in my humidor has helped this cigar I don’t think it has made a tremendous difference – maybe more time would. But that doesn’t mean this is a bad cigar, not at all.
Creamy is the best way to describe the smoke’s texture. Smoke just goes everywhere and the flavors stay much longer than the flavors from most other cigars. Earth, mint, hay are chased by a small but lingering bit of strong spice. Interesting and complex at the beginning of a cigar usually portends good things for the rest of the cigar.
Some changes do happen during the second third. Sweetness begins to take over a little bit more, it kind of reminds me of caramel. Hay is still there and so is that spice on the end. Altogether, it’s still a pretty good cigar.
During the final third the sweetness basically vanishes and in its place is earth and some hay. The spice has also nearly vanished, but not completely.
Overall, it is a pretty complex cigars with some very enjoyable flavors. The draw is good but the burn does require some maintenance. This is a medium bodied cigar. My main problem with this cigar is that the flavors, while good, just are not what I am looking for in a cigar. I would have liked the spice to be a more central component to the flavor profile and less hay.
88 points
Punch Rare Corojo 10th Anniversary Cigar Review
I received some samples from General Cigar that I have used for this review. In the past when I have smoked some Punch Rare Corojos I didn’t think they were spectacular but they were solid cigars. This cigar might be a little better than solid.
The look of the wrapper is a mottled combination of mostly dark brown and some lighter brown. Box pressed, this cigar looks like the wrapper was stretched a little too much as there are a few instances of stretch marks near the veins of the wrapper. Other than that the cap cuts nicely for me and the wrapper has a moderate amount of oils on it.
Cigar Stats
Length: 5″
Ring Gauge: 50
Wrapper: Connecticut Corojo
Binder: Connecticut Broadleaf
Filler: Dominican, Nicaragua & Honduras
Price: $6.50/cigar
It starts out very nice if not a bit too aggressively. According to the cover letter that was sent along with these samples spice is something that they strive for in the formulation of these cigars. Well, they achieved what they set out to do. What is nice about this version of spice is that while it is strong it is not crazily strong. Buffeting the spice is a nice mixture of cherry and oak. Even though I rarely drink wine that is the kind of fruity/oaky flavor that I think I am getting here. (Don’t ask me what variety of wine it reminds me of – suffice it to say it’s something red. Very tanniny I think.)
During the end of the first third the burn starts to go a little off. I have corrected it and I hope that it doesn’t affect the flavors too much because I am liking this cigar. I have run into varying degrees of this problem with the previous samples I have tried, so be forewarned.
The second third presents somewhat of a reversal of the first third in that the cherry and oak flavors are now dominant and the spice is taking on a lesser role. Actually, I almost think it’s more accurate to say that all three flavors are basically on equal footing here. What I am tasting here is very enjoyable and is in line with what I have experienced with my previous samples.
Harsh is not an unfair description of the final third. The main flavor is burnt hay but the cherry flavor still peaks through from time to time. It is a medium-full bodied cigar with a good-loose draw and the burn had to be corrected a couple of times. After that first significant adjustment to the burn during the first third there were a couple of minor adjustments.
Overall, I liked this cigar. The first two thirds were very enjoyable and I think nearly everybody can find something to like from them. The final third, on the other hand, did have some problems that I have already noted. Like my memories of the Punch Rare Corojo this is likewise a solid cigar.
88 points
CAO Brazilia Cigar Review
I remember reviewing this cigar once before but it turns out I have reviewed this cigar twice before. Those two reviews were on the Samba vitola (6 ¼” x 54) but this one is on the Gol! (5” x 56), so it should provide some valuable information for you. This cigar was given to me by Cigars Direct.
Chubby cigar with a decent sheen of oils on it. The wrapper is dark with a multitude of little white specs. There are a couple of holes; one rather largish. A bunch of thin veins span the distance of the cigar. Fairly tightly packed.
Cigar Stats
Robusto
Lenght: 5″
Ring Guage: 56
Wrapper: Brazil
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Price: $33.00/5 Pack | $95.00/Box of 20
Maloof Fire!
Starts out very well. Earth, chocolate and spice are the troika that makes up the flavors in the beginning. Those flavors add on a meaty flavor after an inch or two. Some saltiness too.
It is not a very powerful cigar but I would still peg it as being full bodied. Well, medium-full bodied. The flavors are quite nice; most CAO cigars are pretty good in my estimation. The draw is good and so is the burn. Those holes that I told you about haven’t hurt the performance of the cigar.
Flavors are very lively. Maybe a little too much on the bitter side for my taste but it is definitely a very enjoyable cigar. Just as I wrote that it got a little bitterer. It’s quickly approaching the Rubicon of being too bitter.
It is a consistently good cigar and, fortunately enough, it never passed that Rubicon. Solid flavors and very enjoyable. Pick some
88 points
