CAO Cx2 Cigar Review
First off, thanks to Famous Smoke Shop for supplying the stogies for this cigar review.
One of the good things about this cigar is that it’s pretty easy to figure out what is in it. The “Cx2″ refers to the fact that both the wrapper and the binder are from Cameroon. If for no other reason the fact that there is so much Cameroonian tobacco in this cigar should make you want to try it out. How else will you get to know what Cameroonian tobacco tastes like?
It’s a decent enough looking cigar. There are a couple of pin-sized holes on the wrapper but other than that I don’t see any problems with it. Not very oily, not veiny, nicely packed, smells spicy at the foot and the prelight draw is open.
Cigar Stats
Robusto
Length: 5″
Ring Gauge: 52
Wrapper: Cameroon
Binder: Cameroon
Filler: Columbia & Nicaragua
Price: $100.00/box of 20 | $5.70/single
Civic Flame!
This sample from the stable of CAO Cx2 Cigars starts off very earthy. Lurking in the background is a little bit of spice – just a pinch for flavor – but the secondary flavor to the earth is a mildly sweet woody flavor.
Actually, this is a very relaxing cigar. There is just enough spice in there to give the earthy and woody core an extra kick. Medium bodied for sure.
Comfortably into the second third now and there have been some changes in the flavor profile. That earthiness has faded a great deal. In it’s place the wood and spice have melded together quite nicely.
The final third of the cigar transitions back to the sweet wood flavor. The earthiness is still sticking around but isn’t a major flavor. The spice is all but gone. A new sweetness, basically a floral sweetness, comes on a little nearer the end.
It is a tasty cigar with some good flavors. The draw and the burn are both excellent. Very good cigar.
89 points
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.
CAO Criollo Pato Cigar Review
Pigtails. Who does not love pigtails? But, if you do, this cigar might not be the one for you because it does have a pigtail on the cap. Alright, other than the pigtail there is a good amount of oils. The construction looks fine but I have to say that it is visibly lopsided. That is a little bit disconcerting but, as long as the cigar smokes fine, I’m OK with it.
My Previous Review of this Cigar
Cigar Stats
Robusto
Length: 4 7/8″
Ring Gauge: 50
Wrapper: Nicaragua
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Price: $6.00
Chuck Light!
Oats, wheat and charred wood. There is also a nutty flavor going on here. Medium-full bodied and burns evenly. I like these flavors and they work well together.
I’m halfway through now and the flavors are still very, very good. Loving everything about this cigar. Good flavors, good draw and a decent burn. It’s definitely better than the last one of these I smoked (Which I gave 88 points to).
It does not end very well though. There is an ashiness to it as it gets close to the nub. However, I don’t think that this needs to overshadow what is good about this cigar and there is a lot that is good about it. Still, these bad flavors do last for a half an inch or so and that does hurt my score for this cigar a little bit.
Hmmm. The bad notes leave as soon as they came. That’s good. What is also a good thing is that those enjoyable flavors come back.
91 points
CAO L’Anniversaire 1968-1998 Maduro Belicoso Cigar Review
Before I took a couple of months off from posting reviews I had forgotten about all the CAOs I had smoked. I’m looking through my review book and there is only this one and one more from CAO and then there are some really interesting reviews after that.
The maduro wrapper looks mostly good. There are some spots on it and there is a tear near the foot. It’s a box pressed cigar. The cap looks a little misshapen but there is a good amount of oils on this cigar.
Cigar Stats
Torpedo
Length: 6″
Ring Gauge: 54
Wrapper: USA/Connecticut
Binder: Ecuador
Filler: Dominican Republic, Nicaragua
Price: $8.00
OC Lights!
First impressions: decent draw, mild earthiness, a gritty cocoa flavor as well. Medium-full bodied. Nothing really special.
The cigar is burning evenly and there is a mild sweetness. But my overall impression of these flavors? So-so. Nothing to write home about.
Halfway through and things have not changed all that much. There’s a slight chocolate flavor that is coming through but, besides the chocolate, it’s boring. I also have to mention that it is medium bodied at this point and has been for about an inch.
Perhaps the only good thing about this cigar is that I am smoking it while watching the movie “Orange County.” It’s a hilarious movie and you should watch it. If you do pick up the DVD then the best parts, besides the movie itself, are found in the “Interstitials.” Oh, yeah, I’m still smoking a cigar.
The cigar doesn’t get harsh but it does get bitter after the halfway point. Specifically, it’s a chalky bitterness that completely ruins any good feelings I may have had about this cigar. The previous CAO L’Anniversaire Maduro I had was much, much better.
84 points
The price point for this cigar demands a higher quality cigar than this one. It’s also worth pointing out that the previous one I had scored 93 points. There really shouldn’t be this kind of disparity between scores for the same vitola of the same cigar. For my money the Cameroon line is a better choice than the maduro one.
CAO Mx2 Beli Cigar Review
Maduro wrapper and binder. Tightly packed with only a couple of soft spots near the cap. Bumpy and somewhat lopsided. Small amount of oil. This is a very thick cigar.
One of the many reasons why people like CAOs is because they are just interesting and the CAO marketing staff is great at telling a good story about their cigars. Having two maduro leaves for the wrapper and the binder is unique and does create a certain amount of interest just due to the novelty of the whole thing. What keeps people coming back is that CAO cigars are just plain good.
Flame!
Cigar Stats
Torpedo
Length: 7″
Ring Gauge: 56
Wrapper: USA/Connecticut
Binder: Brazil
Filler: Dominican Republic, Honduras, Nicaragua, Peru
Price: $5.00
Medium bodied cigar with some sweetness and earthiness. There is also a chocolate flavor as well. It has a good draw. I would have to say that the main flavor in this cigar, so far, is a grassy earthiness.
There’s also this bitterness; something akin to cocoa but not quite. In my estimation it’s a good accompaniment with the sweet and earthy flavors. It does smell like a barnyard though. [Side Note: If this is what all cigars smell like to you non-smokers I can kind of understand why you don't like being around smokers. Well, kind of, sort of - not really though. Have you non-smokers never smoked a cigar? What's wrong with you!]
Very, very slow burning. Very good as well. Pure flavors, creamy smoke and an even burn. Halfway through and chocolate has become the predominant flavor. I have to note that the bitterness is still there.
Nearing the end now and it’s still a good cigar. The purity of the flavors, however, has been muddled. A bad bitterness has taken place of the good bitterness that was present during the first half, three-quarters of the cigar. Too bad – was really liking this cigar. I’m still getting the chocolate flavor on the retrohale.
Takes a long time to smoke this cigar. Flavors are mostly very good, however, nearing the end of the cigar the flavors do take a wrong turn. Overall, I liked this cigar. The badness was isolated to the last inch and, since it is a rather longish cigar, it only deducts three or four points from my overall score.
88 points
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