CAO America Bottle Rocket Review

I try not to buy into the image of a cigar and CAO has always seemed to put a lot of effort into marketing-which immediately put me off on the brand. But one day I broke down and bought a few MX2s, being on a maduro kick. They looked great and I couldn't wait to try them. Sadly, they ended up being plugged.

Next time at the B&M, I grabbed an LX2, figuring that it might have been a bad batch of MX2s. I lit up and was greeted to a cigar that didn't want to burn. After fighting it for a few inches I gave up.

Fast forward to present day and I've had a few other CAO, mostly received in samplers, none of which were anything special. Then I was putting together a bid order and had the chance to add a CAO America for $2. Why not give the brand one last chance?

The Cigar:

Wrapper: Connecticut Maduro and Natural

Binder: Brazilian

Fillers: Nicaragua, Italy, the Dominican Republic, and of course, the USA

Pre-light:

This is a pretty stick. Great looking bands. Uneven barber pole wrap; the maduro looks quite appealing. A touch veiny and the cap is sloppy. The cigar smells lightly of barnyard and maybe a bit nutty.

The Smoking Experience:

I had a bit of trouble lighting, with one edge refusing to burn. Initial flavors are slightly spicy and slightly creamy, with a dark woodiness to it. Burn is starting to even out a ½ of an inch. The smoke is starting to develop a nutty characteristic and the spice is staying on. It's in the Pepin style of spice-black pepperish, not hearty spice.

Bah! The America ashed at 1inch and barely missed my laptop.

The spice disappeared in the span of two puffs, now it's a slightly sweet (from the wrapper, methinks), nutty smoke with some wood undertones. Sadly, over the course of the next few minutes and puffs, the flavors have dropped off into a very mild, very no-taste smoke. Well, we'll see if this cigar gets its legs back.

A bit further down the cigar, I'm starting to get hints of spice and I can still taste the wrapper, but it still feels like the smoke has lost most of its body. I haven't touched my espresso yet for fear that I won't be able to taste the cigar at all. Well, at least the draw is good and the burn is good, not requiring any touchups. Partway into the second third of this cigar and it's still bland and lifeless. It's a shame that such a good concept and presentation is being wasted.

With about 4 inches left on the cigar, the flavors are starting to pick back up. I'm getting a dark tobacco flavor, some light spice, with a lingering sweet/earthy aftertaste (compliments of the wrapper, no doubt). Nuttiness is starting to build up again, too. A bit past the midway point...not really a complex flavor, but any flavor is better than the cigarette-like smoke I had before.

It's holding the nutty flavor, and starting to add a cedar-ish flavor. Finish is short. I haven't forgiven the cigar for going lifeless on me for over an inch, but it's starting to head in the right direction. Cedar has overtaken the nuttiness, at the start of the last 3^rd. There's a hint of black pepper again.

And now the cigar has turned sour. The flavors just don't taste right-it's hard to explain exactly, but this isn't going well. I'm going to give up on it, pitching the cigar with about 2.75 inches to go. Maybe next time, CAO, maybe next time.