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.
Sancho Panza Extra Fuerte Barcelona Cigar Review
I recently posted a Sancho Panza review and I thought it was a good cigar. It got 88 points. This will be my first Sancho Panza Extra Fuerte review and this one is better than it’s conventional brethren.
It has pretty good construction. Box pressed cigar with an imperfect cap. Deep, chocolate brown wrapper. Supposed to be a really full bodied powerhouse of a cigar from what I’ve heard. We’ll see. Drinking Wild Turkey and a Cherry Coke.
Cigar Stats
Toro
Length: 6 1/2″
Ring Gauge: 48
Wrapper: Honduras
Binder: Honduras
Filler: Honduras, Nicaragua
Price: $4.00
Late Night Fire!
It is not overly full bodied – not nearly as strong as I was led to believe. Draw is a little tight but not too bad. Mellow maple syrup flavor. Smoky flavor as well.
Not burning evenly. Some kind of licorice tinged spice coming to the fore in this cigar.
A third of the way through and there is a mild sweetness to it. It really is beginning to smell like a barnyard. The burn has thankfully evened out though.
Two-thirds of the way through now and I have found that retrohaling it makes it a lot better, much more enjoyable. I was already retrohaling it (blowing the smoke through my nose) but now I’m concentrating on it more. When I retrohale I get mocha and some spicy notes. I’m glad I concentrated on retrohaling this cigar.
Nearing the end and I am getting chocolate notes when I retrohale. Very complex flavor profile. The flavors, individually, are not great but when you add them all up it becomes very, very good.
90 points
I had a hard time giving this cigar 90 points. But, after careful consideration, the total grouping of flavors added up to something special. The imperfect burn and draw prevents me from going any higher than that.
Here’s what others have to say:
A Cigar Smoker’s Journal: This was actually a guest reviewer on Barry’s blog, who went by the name of TriMarkC (either a nickname or he had some mean parents, just kidding). He found that the cigar had pepper and leather notes. It was medium-full bodied for him and he gave the cigar, the Madrid, 87 points mostly because it had a horrible burn to it. “A lot of variety in flavor as you progress through the cigar. The inconsistent burn was an issue, and the constant relighting might have added to some of the bitterness I tasted at the end.” Great review, you need to read it.
Cigarfan: He noted the spice and “It starts out with a nice woody bang and a pungent aroma, like being next to a camp fire. The flavor is slightly sweet and quite woody with very little aftertaste.” He also said that it was kind of a boring smoke. He was smoking that Pamplona (robusto).
Sancho Panza Toledo Cigar Review
This is a cigar I smoked quite a while ago but I do have some notes on. It’s a gigantic cigar and very black. Box pressed with a good amount of oils. There is one minor blemish on the wrapper.
Cigar Stats
Toro
Length: 6″
Ring Gauge: 60
Wrapper: USA/Connecticut
Binder: USA/Connecticut
Filler: Dom. Rep., Honduras, Nicaragua
Price: $6.00
Big Flame!
It has a tight draw and a slow burn. Fruity flavors and it seems quite mild at the beginning.
Now an inch in. The draw is much better. The flavors have also changed. There’s more cocoa, earth, grass, and even a bit of spice. Rich flavors. Lots of smoke with a strong ash. More of a medium bodied cigar at this point.
There’s just something special missing from this cigar. I don’t think I will be looking back on this cigar and yearn for another. It is a perfectly fine cigar though.
88 points
I probably smoked this cigar a couple of months ago and since then I haven’t thought about it until now. It was a very big cigar with good flavors.
One last thing, I searched for about fifteen minutes trying to find other reviews of this line and couldn’t find one, which is disappointing. I did, however, find a lot of reviews for the Sancho Panza Double Maduro and Extra Fuerte lines.
CAO Criollo Pato Cigar Review
It’s been a couple of days since I smoked this cigar and the thing I really remember about it is the pig tail on the cap. I guess I’ve already given away the fact that I didn’t absolutely love this cigar but it was pretty good. Here’s my review:
I smoked this cigar during the AFC Championship game between the Ravens and the Steelers. I am glad I finished it before that brutal hit on McGehee because after that happened I wasn’t in the mood for anything fun. Seriously, McGehee could have died but, thanks to God, he’s alive and will probably be fine.
This cigar shines with oil and has that aforementioned curly head. Perfect construction except for a tiny hole near the foot of the cigar. Medium brown color. Drinking a Cherry Coke.
Cigar Stats
Robusto
Length: 4 7/8″
Ring Gauge: 50
Wrapper: Nicaragua
Binder: Nic
Filler: Nic
Price: $6.00
Steel Curtain Fire!
Slight tug needed to get a draw. My lips and tongue are numb from the cigar and I’m only a couple of pulls into it. Very moist cigar, earthy flavors.
Mild sweetness to it. Medium-full bodied. Less than an inch in and the burn is already a little off. There just aren’t that many flavors in this cigar. Maybe the flavors are just more subtle and I’m missing them.
The one main flavor I’m getting an inch in is a chalky cocoa one. It’s a good flavor. There’s also a black cherry flavor. These are just subtle flavors after all; maybe too subtle though.
About halfway through and the cigar is getting better. The flavors are coming out more. There are some more problems with the burn.
Three-quarters of the way through now and that black cherry flavor is really coming through now. The draw has opened up and it’s great.
Overall, this is a good cigar. The flavors get stronger as time goes on but, in the end, it won’t be one of my favorite cigars.
88 points
OTHER REVIEWS:
CAO Brazilia Samba Cigar Review
One of the things I try to do when doing a cigar review is tell you what I think without being biased by something I have heard or read. This can be difficult because if you go into a cigar knowing that others think very highly of it you will be thinking that that cigar will be very good. Hopefully I do not fall into that trap and I think that this will be an example of that. Onto the review.
Dark cigar with very little oil, which is a point of concern. It does look perfect though. I am drinking Wild Turkey, a Cherry Coke and some water to cleanse my palate. Just to let you know my frame of mind going into this cigar I know that this is supposed to be a very good cigar and full bodied.
Cigar Stats
Torpedo
Lenght: 6 1/4″
Ring Guage: 54
Wrapper: Brazil
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Price: $7.00
Go Fire!
Odd draw. It’s almost like the outer ring of this cigar has a tight draw but there is a good draw in the center of the cigar. Never had that happen before. Overall the cigar has a decent draw.
I am getting an earthy flavor with some spice. I may also be getting some wood notes as well. This is a medium-full bodied cigar.
About an inch in the draw opens up a little bit. The spice is trying to take over but the earthiness is still very strong.
I have to say that these flavors are not all that strong. If I am smoking a great cigar the flavors will just flood my mouth. This isn’t the case here. The flavors here are very subtle. Also, halfway through this cigar becomes more full bodied, however, it isn’t solidly full bodied yet.
Three quarters of the way through and the draw unfortunately worsens. That means the flavors weaken even more and, overall, the cigar just gets worse. I just didn’t like this one all that much.
85 points
