Avo and Cigar Reviews
Avo, Cigar Review, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Peru, Sun Grown, Toro Matt
12:32 pm
Country: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: Cuban Seed Ecuadorian Sun Grown
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Three types of Dominican Ligero and a Peruvian Seco leaf
Size: Toro 6.0″ x 54 ring
The Compañero is Mr. U’s 83rd Birthday Cigar. Most everyone who is into cigars knows that every year Avo releases a Limited Edition cigar to celebrate Mr. Avo Uvezian’s birthday. Last year in April of 2009 I had th honor of attending one of his many birthday parties. Even at 83 Mr.U is still touring the country celebrating his birthday with his fans. At this celebration I picked up a box of the LE09′s [l-ee-oh-nines] as they are also known as. 
Mr U was gracious enough to sign the box for me. The party was a lot of fun and many great cigars were smoked, the greatest of which was the Compañero. I decided that night that the LE09 would become my son’s birthday cigar… that is, it would be the cigar I smoked to celebrate my son’s birthday in April each year until my box was gone (there are 10 cigars in a box). As it turned out, I was sick this year for my son’s birthday so I decided to hold off and smoke the cigar to celebrate both his and my birthday, which happens to be today. So Happy Birthday to me.
It is a handsome cigar with a dark wrapper and a good draw. It starts off with a blast of pepper followed up by earth, leather, and spice. Easily the most robust Avo I have ever smoked, it does mellow a little as you near the second third of the cigar and develops notes of coffee and cream and a bit of wood/cedar. There is also a subtle sweetness now that may have been hidden by that initial onslaught of rich and peppery flavors. In the last third it really picks up again with lots of leather and earth and it finally starts to exhibit that tell-tale Kelner mustiness that is often associated with Avo cigars. It has a bit of pepper on the finish at this point as well.
The Compañero is a great smoke and easily my favorite Avo of them all. I look forward to next April when I smoke my next one.
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Cigar Reviews and CigarsDirect.com and H.Upmann
Cameroon, Cigar Review, Cigars Direct, Cigars Online, CigarsDirect.com, Dominican Republic, H. Upmann, Toro Matt
8:40 pm
Country: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: Cameroon
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Dominican, Nicaraguan and Peruvian
Size: Toro 6.0″x54 ring
Courtesy of CigarsDirect.com
H. Upmann is a cigar brand with a rich Cuban heritage. Like most American cigar smokers, I have very little experience with that storied version of the brand. Instead the H. Upmann I know best is made in the Dominican Republic. Back when I was just a fledgling cigar smoker, Upmann’s were listed among my favorites. I thought of them as a very reasonably price, excellent quality, medium to mild smoke. As I gained more experience and my palate developed, I quickly lost my taste for them. That is except for one particular line. Even after I moved on from H. Upmann to other more dynamic and robust smokes, I still continued to enjoy the H. Upmann Vintage Cameroon. At that point in my cigar smoking career I had developed a fondness for the Cameroon wrapper and the Upmann was one I continued to enjoy along with the Torano 1916 and others. Eventually I moved on from my Cameroon kick and thus stopped smoking even this line of Upmann’s. A recent conversation about Cameroon cigars brought back memories of this particular cigar and I decided I wanted to revisit it again as it has been a while since I have enjoyed one of the Vintage Cameroons.
The Dominican H. Upmann brand is owned by the tobacco giant Altadis, USA who also happens to be a stake holder in the Cuban cigar company Habanos, S.A. The Cameroon wrapper conceals a Nicaraguan binder an a three country blend of long filler from the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua and Peru. It is excessively adorned with three bright red bands and a cedar sleeve. There are just bunches of opportunities to ruin the wrapper here as you get the cigar ready to smoke. I happen to share my friend Jamie’s view on this. One band is enough, simpler is better. The more things you are gluing around a cigar the more chances there is for that glue to get on the wrapper and bring disaster as you remove them just to get the cigar into a smokable state. I did manage to get my sample unwrapped with the wrapper leaf unharmed so now on to the smoke.
The Upmann wrapper isn’t as toothy as a lot of Cameroons in my experience, but like most there are plenty of tiny veins crawling across its surface. The draw is good but the large ring gauge is awkward to me. I rarely smoke cigar this large anymore which I think makes it more noticeable to me. The burn is excellent, straight and slow and cool. The ash is a little flaky but not really a problem. My memory of this cigar is far better than the current reality. I remember enjoying this cigar a lot way back when I used to smoke them. Now it just seems flat to me. The flavor is nondescript and light, a very mild smoke. there is a hint of that sweet spice that I always liked from a Cameroon, but I think the large ring gauge and its accompanying large amounts of filler have muted it a bit making it barely detectable. Overall this smoke just doesn’t suit me any more. It is not a bad cigar, but it is just too mild and monolithic for my tastes. I have some fond memories of this cigar and perhaps that’s where this cigar will have to stay for me… A nice memory from my cigar smoking past.
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Cigar Reviews and CigarsDirect.com and Davidoff
Cigar Review, Cigars Direct, Cigars Online, CigarsDirect.com, Connecticut, Connecticut Shade, Davidoff, Dominican Republic, Robusto Matt
9:58 am
Country: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: USA Connecticut Shade
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican
Size: Robusto 47/8x50 ring
Courtesy of CigarsDirect.com
The name Davidoff is nearly synonymous with luxury. The name also has a reputation for quality and excellence. There is a lot of great information about the man and the company on their website Davidoff.com. One other commonly held perception of Davidoff is mild cigars and there are many smokers in the cigar community that mistake “mild” to mean “flavorless”. The Special <<R>> is the first Davidoff cigar I have had the pleasure of trying. No matter what line of Davidoff Cigars you might be interested in, the fact is they are all pretty expensive, almost universally costing more than $10 a piece. With my predisposition towards strong robust cigars, I admit that I allowed their mild reputation and lofty price tag keep me away up until now.
I have a friend who is a fan of Davidoff and more precisely their blender Henke Kelner. I have listened to him rail against the the idea that Davidoff only makes mild cigars and one of the lines he liked to use as an example of a more robust offering is the “Special” line of Davidoff cigars. So I was happy to receive this particular Davidoff from CigarsDirect.com for one of my February reviews. The Special <<R>> is not a mild cigar. I found it to be a solid medium bodied smoke with robust flavors balanced by excellent subtleties making for an engaging smoke. A core of smooth and chewy flavors of espresso and earth were complemented by more subtle notes of oak and nuts and an almost buttery feel on the palate. At times I picked up flashes of slightly sweet, almost caramel like notes on the finish. The construction was exquisite with a prefect burn, nice ash, and a spot on draw. I found the Davidoff Special <<R>> to be a very enjoyable, elegant smoke.
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A.Fuente and Cigar Reviews and CigarsDirect.com
A. Fuente, Cigar Review, Cigars Direct, Cigars Online, CigarsDirect.com, Dominican Republic, Hemingway Maduro, Maduro, Perfecto Matt
3:01 pm
Country: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: Broadleaf Maduro
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican
Size: Perfecto7.0″x 48 ring
Courtesy of CigarsDirect.com
With the Holiday Season just passing into the rear view I figured I’d wrap the festivities with a Hemingway Maduro Classic. The Hemingway Maduros always make an appearance on tobacconists shelves every year around the Holidays. The particular cigars for this review are from the 2008 run. The Classic seems to be one of the harder to find vitolas of the Hemingway Maduros. At least I rarely ever see them. More common at the shops in my area are the Signature Maduros and Works of Art Maduros. Even the Hemingway Between the Lines seem to be more common around here than the Classic Maduro.
I smoked two of these cigars for this review because I wanted to see if what I thought of the first one I smoked would remain consistent with another sample. The second cigar was identical to the first. There isn’t much I can say about the Hemingway Classic Maduro that I haven’t already said about the Signature Maduro. It has a dark leathery wrapper. Construction is impeccible, the burn perfect and it produces a tn of thick white smoke. It is a decently complex smoke with a heady aroma. The flavors are well balanced and defined. Rich creamy notes complimented by leather and a musty earthiness and a slight maduro sweetness. The only thing I can say that is markedly different about this cigar is that the larger size makes for a longer smoke. I always enjoy these cigars whenever I smoke them, but I feel the flavor profile is particularly well suited to the cold weather of the season. A cozy spot in a comfortable chair with a nice hot cup of coffee or even a hot chocolate makes for a great smoking experience with this cigar.
You can get Hemingway Maduros @ CigarsDirect.com
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A.Fuente and Cigar Reviews and CigarsDirect.com
A. Fuente, Cigar Review, Cigars Direct, Cigars Online, CigarsDirect.com, Connecticut, Dominican Republic, Hemingway Maduro, Maduro, Perfecto Matt
10:20 pm
Country: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: Barber Pole – Broadleaf Maduro/Connecticut Shade
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican
Size: Perfecto 41/4 x 54 ring
Courtesy of CigarsDirect.com
The Hemingway line of Fuente cigars are hugely popular and like a lot of other Fuente cigars, very limited. The Maduros are especially limited and are only released twice a year, one of those times being right around now, near the Holidays. One of the more rare of the rare is the double wrapped, barber pole Hemingway “Between the Lines”. Now plenty has been written about the background of the Hemingway cigars and I have written about them here before as well. So if you are interested to learn a little more about them, check out my review of the Hemingway Best Seller and the Hemingway Signature Maduro.
The Hemingway BTL is an eye catcher. The sharp contrast created by the light tan, shade grown wrapper and the dark, toothy broadleaf maduro wrapper intertwined like the stripes on a barber’s pole is a cool visual with a cigar. They stand out among the cigars that surround them and I think the perfecto shape only enhances the beauty of this cigar. Construction and burn characteristics are almost always a given with a Fuente cigar. The quality of their products are superb but I wondered how this stick would fare in the burn department. The shade grown and maduro wrappers are two very different beasts and have different burn characteristics. I was curious to see how they would play together with this smoke. Except for the normal oddities I experience with the burn at the beginning of a perfecto like this, the burn was even and without trouble for the duration of the smoke. The draw was excellent and it produced thick clouds of white smoke.
Flavor is where the BTL falls a bit short of its straight maduro brothers. I have always found the Hemingway Maduros to be delicious cigars, each one a treat to smoke. The introduction of the shade grown wrapper on the Between the Lines has a less than desirable effect for me. Some of the flavors I love about the Hemingway Maduros was still there. The slightly sweet maduro flavor complimented by a damp earthiness and a subtle spice were all there but often times they were over powered by a dry grassiness and an acrid finish that I am certain was coming from the Connecticut Shade wrapper. It really detracted from my enjoyment of the cigar. Given that this is one of the most expensive of the “Holiday Hemingways” it is disappointing that it just isn’t as good a smoke as the others are. It is a neat novelty, and the dual wrapper look makes it a visually appealing cigar, but flavor wise I just don’t think it lives up to the standard set by the rest of the Hemingway line.
Rating – C
Get your Hemingway & Hemingway Maduro cigars @ CigarsDirect.com
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A.Fuente and Cigar Reviews and CigarsDirect.com
A. Fuente, Belicoso, Cigar Review, Cigars Direct, Cigars Online, CigarsDirect.com, Dominican Republic, Opus X Matt
11:12 pm
a.k.a. The Power Ranger
Country: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: Chateau de la Fuente Rosado
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican
Size: Short Belicoso 45/8” x 49 ring
Courtesy of CigarsDirect.com
Probably one of the most famous and sought after cigars not made on the island of Cuba, the Opus X is the first Dominican Puro to garner such high acclaim. The various sizes consistently produce high ratings from cigar reviewers everywhere. And as is often the case when someone or something achieves such a high level of success, it has fostered a kind of love-hate relationship with avid cigar smokers. Like the New York Yankees are the baseball team so many love to hate, the Opus is a cigar that in addition to high praise, it also elicits some vehement dislike from some in the cigar world who believe the cigar is over hyped and over priced. I have never heard anyone say it was a bad cigar though. Like or dislike the line for whatever reasons, everyone seems to agree if you set aside the hype, the price, and all the other outside “stuff” and take the cigars just by themselves, the OpusX line of cigars are pretty good smokes. (more…)
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Camacho and Cigar Reviews and CigarsDirect.com
Camacho, Cigar Review, Cigars Direct, Cigars Online, CigarsDirect.com, Connecticut Shade, Dominican Republic, Honduras Matt
11:29 am
Country: Honduras
Wrapper: Ecuadorian grown Connecticut
Binder: Honduran
Filler: Honduran and Dominican
Size: 11/18 Toro 6.0″ x 54ring
Courtesy of CigarsDirect.com
When I first heard that Davidoff was purchasing Camacho Cigars, this cigar was the first thing that popped into my head. Davidoff and Camacho cigars had always occupied opposite ends of the spectrum. Everything Camacho put out under the brand name Camacho was a powerhouse cigar. All of their lines were robust, full-bodied smokes that tried to kick you in the gut. I know that they have milder offerings under different banners like Baccarat and La Fontana, but anything labeled Camacho was going to be a monster. SO when the announcement of the purchase became public, I immediately though to myself, “What would happen if Davidoff and Camacho got together and had a baby?” I said to myself a Camacho with a Connecticut wrapper and Dominican tobacco in the filler. Can you imagine! A Camacho with that makeup? And then a short while later we here about the Camacho Connecticut which is exactly the cigar I predicted. Now I don’t pretend that I had any great insight or any special talent in predicting what’s next in the cigar industry. Truth is a lot of people I have talked with had the exact same thoughts I did. It was easy to see this coming. SO I want to know, what exactly does a Camacho that uses a Connecticut Shade wrapper and Dominican tobacco taste like.
At the start, this cigar is a lot like its other Camacho brothers and sisters. The first few draws are full and spicy with black pepper and a slightly acrid dry wood flavor. It doesn’t take long to settle down. The Ecuadorian wrapper brings what you’d expect to the party. Creamy notes complimented by some coffee. It is nicely balanced by a bit of Honduran spiciness from the binder and filler. I think the Dominican tobacco kind of gets lost in the blend. Perhaps its function is just to help tone down some of the power of the Honduran tobacco. The result is a nicely balanced cigar with a medium bodied profile and just a touch of spice to keep it interesting. I was pleasantly surprised by this cigar and put it up there with Oliva’s Nicaraguan Connecticut Reserve as a good slightly more robust Connecticut offering.
Rating – B+
Get your favorite Camachos @ CigarsDirect.com
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Ashton and Cigar Reviews and CigarsDirect.com
A. Fuente, Ashton, Cigar Review, Cigars Direct, Cigars Online, CigarsDirect.com, Connecticut Shade, Corona, Dominican Republic Matt
9:00 am
Country: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: Connecticut Shade
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican
Size: Corona 5.5″ x 44 ring
Courtesy of CigarsDirect.com
Ashton and the Ashton Classic came on the scene back in 1994 I believe. It is the brain child of Philly native Robert Levin. He partnered with the Fuentes who manufacture many of the cigars that bear the Ashton name. Known for superb quality and construction on all their lines the Classic seems to be no exception.
The Ashton Classic is dressed in a silky, creamy looking Connecticut Shade wrapper adorned by a very classic looking black and white band. The Ashton name is emblazoned in gold across its face. The filler looks expertly bunched, almost as if each leaf was placed in position purposefully. It predictably had a perfect draw. The flavors delivered by this smoke are a little mild but perfectly balanced making it a very approachable smoke for a beginner but delicious and engaging enough to satisfy even an old pro. The first puff or two is a little harsh and grassy but it immediately settles into smooth flavors of cafe au lait and a subtle hint of vanilla. As I made my way through the smoke I picked up notes cedar and almond as well as the occasional flash of grassiness, but the creamy cafe au lait flavors remained dominate throughout.
The Ashton Classic is a very good, very well made cigar. I enjoy these most in the AM with a cup of coffee. Any time someone asks me what cigar they should try when they are starting out, or if someone asks me what cigar should they offer to people who aren’t “cigar smokers” the Ashton Classic is one of the two cigars I always recommend.
Rating- B+
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Cigar Reviews and CigarsDirect.com and Rocky Patel
Brazil, Cigar Review, Cigars Direct, Cigars Online, CigarsDirect.com, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Rocky Patel, Sumatra, Sun Grown, Toro Matt
3:32 pm
Country: Honduras
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Brazilian, Dominican, and Nicaraguan
Size: Toro 6.5″ x52 ring
Courtesy of CigarsDirect.com
Rocky Patel’s Sun Grown has been around for a while now. It is unique in my opinion because it seems to be universally respected among cigar smokers as a good, tasty, quality cigar. Yet it doesn’t have any of the hype or pomp and circumstance around it that other widely respected cigars have, like the VSG or even the Oliva Serie V just as an example. It seems to fly just below the radar, but ask someone about it and you will almost always here “That’s a great smoke, one of my favorite Rockys!” Don’t ask about it, and you’ll probably never hear it mentioned. That just strikes me as odd an unique.
This specimen sports a handsome looking, rustic, rosado colored wrapper. It has a toothy, dry look to it. Now, the RP Sun Grown Petite Corona is my hands down favorite vitola in this line. I think is is an excellent smoke. A robust, powerful little spice bomb. I have enjoyed them so much over the years that it wasn’t until now that I have ever bothered to try another vitola, but this time I am smoking a toro. It starts off with a bit of black pepper and a spiciness that is reminiscent of the Petite Corona only not quite as sharp or robust. The flavors seem to be muted or muddled in the translation to the large ring gauge. I get hints of the coffee, earth, and spice that I love in the Petite Corona, only they are faint and muddy and not as pronounced. I was a bit disappointed with this one. It seems to me the blend does much better in a smaller format. Still it was an enjoyable cigar even though it didn’t live up to the standard set by its little brother.
Rating – B
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Fundraisers
A. Fuente, Anjeo, Cigars Direct, CigarsDirect.com, Dominican Republic, Hemingway Maduro, Opus X, Ride for Kids Matt
10:30 am
Another great year for the Triangle Area Ride for Kids. The weather was idyllic and the crowd was great. A lot of motorcycles showed up for the event again this year. The ride itself was great. The organizers picked a great route and the Chatham County Police did a wonderful job escorting the ride and taking care of the traffic for us. The ride was a non stop 50 or so mile ride through beautiful country that included a loop around the traffic circle in Pittsboro, NC. The loop through that circle is neat for the kids riding in the sidecars at the front of the procession because it allows them to loop back and see all the hundreds of motorcycles riding behind them. This year I had the honor of being among the top 5 individual fund raisers at the event. I was called up on stage with the other 4 individuals. Thanks to all the people who supported me and gave so generously I raised $3,220 for the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation this year earning me fifth place among the top fundraisers. It was quite an honor and a big thrill. I share that honor with all of you who donated, because without your generosity and caring it would have never happened. So thank you once again everyone for your support. The ride this year raised $126,207.95. If memory serves this is the second highest amount in the Triangles Ride’s six year history. (more…)
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Cigar Reviews and CigarsDirect.com and La Gloria Cubana
Cigar Review, Cigars Direct, Cigars Online, CigarsDirect.com, Dominican Republic, Maduro, Nicaragua, Robusto Matt
10:30 am
Country: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Dominican, Nicaraguan
Size: Robusto 5.50″ x 54 ring
Courtesy of CigarsDirect.com
Introduced in 1999, the LGC Serie R is Ernesto Perez-Carrillo Jr.’s full-bodied offering for fans of the Dominican La Gloria Cubana cigars. They are made in the El Credito factory for General Cigar. The Serie R is available in 5 sizes and each is available with a natural Ecuadorian Sumatran wrapper or a Connecticut Broad Leaf Maduro wrapper. All that is except for the Belicoso which is available in the natural wrapper only. The sizes are…
- No. 4 – 4.875″ x 52 ring
- No. 5 – 5.5″ x 54 ring
- No. 6 – 5.875″ x 60 ring
- No.7 – 7.0″ x 58 ring
- Belicoso – 5.75″ x 56 ring (natural only)
These cigars carry some serious size with not a single one coming in with less than a 52 ring guage. Today I am smoking the No. 5 maduro. I guess you could call it a toro, or a double robusto, or a robusto extra, or just a regular ole robusto. Take your pick.
The wrapper is a very dark, mottled brown. It’s bumpy, veiny, leathery, and rustic. This is a well filled firm cigar with a good draw and a straight burn and it produces plenty of thick white smoke. Flavor wise there really is much to talk about. It has a very generic sweet maduro flavor that never really changes. It is not a bad cigar but it is a little boring. This cigar could be a good intro to maduros for a new cigar smoker, but it doesn’t have much to offer more experienced smokers. It is not a full bodied smoke by my standards either. When I think full bodied, I think Tatuaje, Cruzado, VSG, or La Flor Dominicana. This cigar is medium bodied at best. I had hoped to get more from this cigar. At the beginning I thought maybe there was some potential in this cigar but it just fell flat as I smoked through it. I could see reaching for one of these for a day on the golf course or mowing the lawn if I happened to have a few laying around. When it comes down to it, this cigar is just not my cup of tea…
Rating – C
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Fundraisers
A. Fuente, Anjeo, CigarsDirect.com, Dominican Republic, Hemingway Maduro, Opus X Matt
11:07 am
I am almost there. With over $2000 raised so far, and am just a bit more than $700 away from reaching my fundraising goal of $3000. I need your help in this last week and a half to get that last bit of money to reach my goal. There is still time for you to donate and give yourself a chance to win a BOX of Opus X Perfection No.5′s, or a BOX of A. Fuente Añejo No.49′s, or a BOX of Hemingway Classic MADUROS all very generously provided by CigarsDirect.com. Every little bit helps and all it takes is a $10 donation to get your name in the Hat for the cigars. Read all about it in my previous post about The Ride For Kids. It is a worthy charity that does amazing work. In that post I talk about the charity and what you need to do to get entered for the cigar drawing.
If you are in the Raleigh area and ride a motorcycle, I’d like to invite you to come on out and participate in the ride. It is a lot of fun. It takes place May 3rd. We meet at the White Oak recreation area at Jordon Lake on highway64. Go to the official Ride for Kids page to get all the info.
Thank you all for your fantastic and generous support of my efforts to help these children.
-Matt
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Cigar News and Site News
Avo, Compañero, Dominican Republic, Empire Cigars, LE09 Matt
10:09 pm
My local cigar shop, Empire Cigars, hosted a dinner on Avo Uvezian’s 83rd Birthday tour. The event was held in downtown Raleigh at Sullivan’s Steak house. It was an amazing event and a real bargain to attend. Everyone got dinner, wine, dessert, and 4 free cigars. The food was amazing. If you click the picture of my signed menu below you can see what we had. I went with the Filet which I believe the majority of the men in attendance chose as well. What’s better than a good steak with cigars?
Of course it was Mr U’s birthday celebration so of course there was Birthday cake. (more…)
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CAO and Cigar Reviews and CigarsDirect.com
CAO, Cigars Direct, Cigars Online, CigarsDirect.com, Connecticut Shade, Dominican Republic, Italy, Maduro, Nicaragua, Robusto, USA Matt
11:30 am
Country: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro and Connecticut Shade
Binder: Brazilian
Filler: Dominican, Nicaraguan, Italian, and American (100% Ligero)
Size: Robusto 5.0" x 56 ring
Courtesy of CigarsDirect.com
The CAO America was introduced at the 2007 RTDA trade show in Huston, Texas. Its arrival was preceded by a lot of hype and buzz brought about by two unique features of the cigar. Number one, the wrapper caused a good deal of buzz. The CAO America sports two wrappers, both American grown. It has a Connecticut grown broadleaf maduro wrapper and a Connecticut shade grown wrapper. They are applied to the cigar in a manner that creates a unique pin striping effect. Another feature of the cigar that generated a good deal of chatter was the four country blend of 100% Ligero filler. This was reported to be one of the strongest most full-bodied cigars in the CAO portfolio. Available in six sizes, every one of them boasting a girthy ring gauge of 50 or above:
- Anthem (8.5″ x 50)
- Bottle Rocket (7.0″ x 50)
- Constitution (6.0″ x 50)
- Landmark (6.0″ x 60)
- Monument (6.2″ x 54)
- Potomac (5.0″ x 56)
It takes a lot of tobacco to fill a cigar with a 50 ring gauge, and even more for a cigar with a 56 ring. When the filler is supposed to be 100% ligero, it is only natural that you expect that cigar to be powerful beast of a smoke. However, the reputation of the CAO America has preceded its arrival in my humidor and I am well aware of the many reports that this cigar falls well short of the hype and apparently it is not nearly as full bodied as CAO would have us all believe. That said, I like to judge these things for myself so I am trying to approach this smoke with an open mind…
As a loudly proclaimed lover of Lonsdales and Coronas it will come as no surprise that I am bothered by the awkwardness of the large ring gauge of the Potomac. I feel like I have a big jawbreaker candy in my mouth when smoking it. The flavors start off smooth. Strong notes of Leather and damp earth dominate the beginning of the smoke. It starts off medium in body and mild in strength with no real threat of being any fuller. The flavors are decent though muddled at times and they never really change. Lots of leather and earth and some occasional creamy notes. The burn was impressive. With the two different wrappers I expected it to run a little uneven at the least but it stayed very straight burning perfectly the whole time. The ash was white and perfectly formed. It holds on tight and needs to be tapped off. Overall I’d say the CAO America is a good smoke, but not a great one. The ring gauge is a problem for me. I really dislike the girth of it. It was very uncomfortable to smoke. I’d probably have less of a problem with one of the 50 ring vitolas. It is a bit one dimensional, but the flavors are enjoyable. The construction is impeccable. This is supposed to be CAO’s most robust offering but I found the CAO Anniversary Maduro to be more full bodied than this cigar. The America really is a Medium bodied smoke never really approaching anything I’d considered full bodied. from that standpoint it is a bit of a disappointment, but putting that aside it is a nice cigar.
Rating – B
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Mr U was gracious enough to sign the box for me. The party was a lot of fun and many great cigars were smoked, the greatest of which was the Compañero. I decided that night that the LE09 would become my son’s birthday cigar… that is, it would be the cigar I smoked to celebrate my son’s birthday in April each year until my box was gone (there are 10 cigars in a box). As it turned out, I was sick this year for my son’s birthday so I decided to hold off and smoke the cigar to celebrate both his and my birthday, which happens to be today. So Happy Birthday to me.
