CAO Lx2 Rosado Especial Cigar Rights of America Limited Edition

At just a little over seven inches, this Cigar Rights of America Special Edition cigar from CAO is a great looking cigar. The first thing you notice is that there is a heavy sheen of oil glistening on the reddish brown wrapper. Even the feel of it is slippery.

There are some veins, it is a smidge misshapen in places and it is packed very tightly. As I pull out my cutter I find myself thinking about how oily this cigar is again. It truly is one of the oilier cigars that I have ever seen. Fighting through my awe and wonderment I successfully cut the cigar and take a pre-light draw. The draw is good and the flavors center on a core of spice.

Upon lighting the CAO Lx2 Rosado Especial you are hit with just a ton of robust cigar flavors and (unfortunately for my eyes) a ton of cigar smoke as well. The flavors are awesome. A spice that kind of tastes like a candy cane but manlier and a whole lot spicier and there are also some leather flavors.

While I do love the flavors the burn is atrocious at times. A couple of major touch ups have been made and I am barely at the halfway point. Another nit that needs picking is the poisonous smoke that wafts from this cigar. Never have had a cigar that actually made my eyes water. Well, at least no cigar that has made my eyes water this much.

After the halfway point the robust spice becomes somewhat less robust. Of course by less robust I mean still very robust but not as glaringly so. Actually, with the power backing off ever so slightly it has become a much more complex cigar.

The final throes of this cigar have a cherry oak flavor mixed in with the peppermint spiciness. It really is a very good cigar, very enjoyable. Full bodied with a nice draw (bad burn though) is always good for something in my book. And this CAO Lx2 has great flavors as well.

As is the case with all the other cigars from the Cigar Rights of America sampler I will not be scoring this one.

Partagas Black Label Short Cigar Review

Pre-Smoke: It’s a big, dark and oily cigar that looks a little rustic. Oh, and by “oily” I mean really, really oily. Almost to the point of being too oily. This Partagas Black feels a little too soft to the touch. I am smoking the Magnifico (6″ x 54) vitola.

Smoke: Unfortunately, the draw is intermittently too tight. During those pockets when this cigar has a decent draw I do get some good flavors coming through. Chocolate, burnt pistachio and a robust earthiness. There is a salty sweetness that is left on my lips and that lingers in my mouth. It is also extremely bitter. A medium bodied cigar with a horrific burn.

After-Smoke: The funny thing about the Partagas Black Label is that all of this has happened to me before. In January I smoked one of the Partagas Black Label Magnificos and I gave it 82 points. The really befuddling thing about this line is that I gave the Partagas Black Label Piramide (6″ x 60 torpedo) 93 points.

1 point

Price Range: $5.50 – $7.50

Partagas Black Label webpage

Victor Sinclair 10th Aniversario | Short Cigar Review

Looks good with its cedar sheath and the actual cigars looks good as well. Not very oily nor are there any raised veins. Solidly packed.

The draw takes a little bit of a tug and the burn isn’t exactly even. It burns a little hot and the flavors aren’t all that emotive but they aren’t exactly bad either. Somewhat sweet on the aftertaste with spice up front and a mushy graham cracker flavor. It’s not a horrible cigar but…. To tell you the truth I am a little bit conflicted. It has some good complexity to it and is a little interesting. It’s probably worth smoking again.

3 points

Victor Sinclair 10th Aniversario Page

Price Range: $5.00 – $6.00

Rocky Patel Vintage 1990 | Short Cigar Review

Not very oily but well constructed. Box pressed. It’s a medium bodied cigar that is a little salty with meaty flavors. The draw is very good but the burn isn’t. This is a fine cigar with decent flavors, not something I want to smoke all the time but the occasional one would be fine.

2 points

Padron 4000 (Natural) Cigar Review

The Padron 1964 Anniversary is my favorite cigar to date so I must admit that I do have high hopes for this cigar. No, I do not think it’s going to even come close to the 1964 Anni but I do expect great things from this one. But the presentation of this cigar has me a little worried. This cigar is very bumpy with some raised veins. There is also this small stretch mark near the foot. Very little amount of oils. Drinking Wild Turkey and a Cherry Coke.

Cigar Stats
Toro
Length: 6 1/2″
Ring Gauge: 54
Wrapper: Nicaragua
Binder: Nic
Filler: Nic
Price: $7.00

Ball of Fire!

Leather and spice and everything nice. Perfect draw. More spice than leather, I have to say. Not burning evenly though. Wow, very spicy cigar and, as you may know, I really do like spicy cigars.

There’s also a steak flavor with this cigar. Meaty and slightly salty. Juicy even. Not a sweet cigar at all. Not as good as the 1964 but it is still a very good cigar. The burn isn’t even after 1 1/2″ but it isn’t too bad either.

Halfway through the cigar now. Had to correct the burn a little bit. That spicy flavor is almost gone now and I am a little disappointed about that. The meaty taste is what is strong now. Full bodied. The saltiness is even more pronounced at this point, which I am not ecstatic about. It’s not a big negative but it is a minor annoyance that the salt is coming through stronger.

Three quarters of the way through and the saltiness has, thankfully, vanished leaving the meaty flavor to take over. It’s a great cigar and I will definitely be smoking more of these in the future.

90 points