Tag Archives: bones

by Craig Vanderslice | September 23, 2020 · 9:15 pm

Fratello Arlequin and CAO Bones Blind Hughie Cigars

I’d like to remind contest winners Xolatol and Gregg Hearl to send me an email with your contact info so we can get your CigarProp Smoke In Battle of the Bands Samplers out to you! I’d hate to have to track you down and drag the info out of you! Time is running down on this promotion and CigarProp is still in the lead! The Dojo sampler is sneaking up and Dojo has a huge following, so anything could happen. Kevin’s sampler is made for the cooler weather that’s coming, so stock up!

I had read somewhere that Fratello‘s Arelequin was due to ship soon to retailers and I decided I should smoke the one that came in the Space Fresh Pack that I recently bought. I had been looking forward this one, it has a San Andrés wrapper, Ecuador Habano binder and fillers from Nicaragua and Peru, and sounds like a darned tasty blend. This was a toro, measuring 6″ x 5o, an ideal size in my opinion. I believe the production version will be 6″ x 52 box pressed. This, like all but the Oro, is made by Joya de Nicaragua. I absolutely loved the last half of this cigar, and that requires some explanation. I’ll also say that I’ve purchase two more Space Fresh Packs (because why not? Fox Cigars has them!). The first half of this cigar was plagued by a void in the filler somewhere, which resulted in a tunnel, and hence a bad draw. This, in my experience, is an anomaly for cigars from that factory. It’s probably the first cigar of hundreds I’ve had a construction problem like that with. You might ask why I mention it at all, fair question, it’s not meant to disparage the brand or the cigar, it’s an odd situation, it was not exactly a regular production cigar, and once it burned past the void and started burning right, it was delicious! So much so that I was compelled to seek out more so that I could smoke it again as soon as possible. Maybe the responsible thing would have been to wait until I got the replacements and ignore the problem, but sometimes stuff happens and if I had given up on the cigar I would have missed out and not gone back for more! It had a nice rich cocoa flavor with that spice that’s unique to Peruvian tobacco. I can’t wait to smoke this again.

I probably should have kept to a theme and smoked a Fratello Bianco or Classico, but I had wanted to try the new CAO Bones in another size, so while I was out over the weekend, I picked up the Blind Hughie 6″ x 54 Toro size. Blind Hughie is a dominos game, the whole line being themed after the game. If you missed it last time, this cigar has a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper, Connecticut shade binder and Honduran, Nicaraguan and Dominican fillers. This cigar might be my favorite CAO cigar since the Flathead series, and it’s priced better, which is a win. I like the interplay between the Broadleaf and shade, although it’s less prominent in this vitola than the robusto to me. I still enjoyed this cigar quite a bit, it really hit the spot tonight, burn and draw were just right and it was a finger-burner. I need to give the Churchill and Gordo a try.

That’s all for tonight, until the next time,

CigarCraig

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Tagged as Arlequin, Blind Hughie, bones, CAO, cigar, cigars, Fratello

by Craig Vanderslice | August 12, 2020 · 3:29 pm

CAO Bones and Pilón Cigars

I received some samples of the new CAO Bones cigars from General Cigars last week, along with some Pilóns too. I smoked the Pilóns when they came out in 2015 and wasn’t awfully enamoured with them, which isn’t really unusual for the CAO line, it’s one of those brands where I either really like a marque or I don’t. It’s like the Amazon series, I really like the Fuma and Anaconda, but not so much the Basin and Orallana. I have been smoking a lot of CAOs recently, probably because I bought a bunch from CigarThief, then Bones came along. A happy coincidence. By the way, I had a job interview this morning, I think it went well, I start Monday! LEt’s start with the Pilón. The reason this one has renewed interest is that the French Magazine L’Amateur de Cigare just named it cigar of the year. Here’s the press release that I didn’t post when it came out:

CAO Pilón Named Cigar of the Year by L’Amateur de Cigare

CAO Pilón was named “Cigar of the Year” by celebrated international cigar magazine L’Amateur de Cigare.

The magazine’s prestigious tasting panel rated a total of 450 cigars, with Pilón ultimately winning out against the finest cigars available in France, one of the world’s leading markets for handmade cigars.

Regis Broersma, president of General Cigar said, “We are extremely proud that CAO Pilón received this honor from such a distinguished and respected international publication. When we created Pilón, we developed the brand according to a 19th-century Cuban fermentation technique, so it is ironic that Pilón beat out the best of the best cigars from Cuba, as well as other top cigar-producing countries.”

L’Amateur de Cigare described Pilón as “elegant” and hails its “great complexity and agreeable persistence,” while praising Pilón’s “satisfying finish” and “excellent value.”

CAO Pilón was introduced in the U.S. in 2015 and launched in France in 2018 at an exclusive event in Paris at the DuPont headquarters.

Handcrafted in Nicaragua at STG Esteli, Pilón was created by Rick Rodriguez and the CAO blending team who utilized the labor-intensive pilón process of natural fermentation to maximize the flavor and color of the Cuban seed Ecuadoran wrapper, delivering a taste and appearance unattainable through other methods. The blend consists of spicy Nicaraguan filler and binder leaves from the distinctive growing regions of Esteli and Ometepe. CAO Pilón bears a deep, rich color and an incredible depth of flavor, featuring notes of wood, spice and a touch of sweetness.

CAO Pilón is available in the U.S. and in select markets worldwide in these formats:

Churchill 7x 48 – SRP per cigar $8.49

Robusto Extra 5 x 52 – SRP per cigar $7.49

Corona 5.5 x 44 – SRP per cigar $7.09

Toro 6 x 58 – SRP per cigar $8.49

Torpedo – 7 x 54 – SRP per cigar $8.89

I smoked one that they just sent, and pulled one that I found buried in the humidor from 5 years ago. I didn’t get around to smoking the older one, I decided to celebrate landing a job after nine months of frustration with a Sin Compromiso instead, sorry Ricky! I have my reasons. Anyway, the Pilón still doesn’t really do it fr me. It’s the wood, maybe mushroomy lack of sweetness that doesn’t endear it to me, but must be something the French appreciate! I suppose I can see how a palate that’s used to Havana cigars would appreciate it. I think it’s appropriate now to move from the old to the new!

Bones! As you’ll recall from the press release I posted a couple weeks ago (here), CAO Bones pays homage to dominos and dice games. If you buy a box, it comes with a pair of dice. When I took a pic for Instagram, I asked my son if he had an interesting die I could include in the pic, as much as I love the Cigar Props, it gets a little boring seeing the same poses in the IG feed! Corey came through with his bag of dice, which I thought made for a neat shot. Anyway, this is one of the CAO cigars that hits me right. The Connecticut broadleaf wrapper combines nicely with the Connecticut shade binder and Honduran, Nicaraguan and Dominican filers to make a very enjoyable smoke that’s, in my opinion, on the stronger side. General almost always sends robustos to sample, in this line they call it the Chicken Foot, which is a dominos game I’m to understand (I’m ignorant in the way of dominos, unless it’s delivered, or comes in a bag, ie. sugar). That means I’m going to be forced to go buy the other sizes to sample. There is a creamy sweetness that is just beneath the surface, barely there, but noticeable under the heavy espresso- cocoa of the Broadleaf. I smoked a second one while watching Ricky and Doug (whom I’ve yet to meet) on a Zoom presentation about Bones last night, rarely do I smoke two of the same cigar on consecutive days, but this one is a good one, I can’t seem to get enough (although it apparently isn’t good enough to celebrate finally getting hired after a nine month search, is it?). I look forward to trying the other sizes especially after Doug and Rick built up the larger sizes on their show. I don’t have a problem with large cigars anyway. I don’t think I’ll be smoking as many in the coming weeks. Anyway, good cigars, good news in a weird year filled with uncertainty. Now, I have 4 days to wrap up some projects!

That’s all for today, until the next time,

CigarCraig

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Filed under News, Review

Tagged as bones, CAO, cigar, cigars, General Cigar Co., L’Amateur de Cigare, Pilon

by Craig Vanderslice | July 28, 2020 · 10:04 am

News: CAO Launches Bones Game Themed Cigar

Here’s a new cigar coming from CAO, and I’m generally (no pun intended) a fan of CAO, as evidenced by my last post and past history. The thought of another Broadleaf cigar from Ricky has my mouth watering. I recently gave the Session another try and was quite happy with it! So I look forward to this. My only thought is the gimmick with the dice thing. Earlier this year we saw another brand come out with a box that included a dice game, so I can’t help but wonder about the copycat factor. I know concepts are months, sometimes years, on the drawing board, and coincidences happen, it’s just too strange…Will it work? Gimmicks can be a crapshoot! (groan).

CAO LAUNCHES BONES

Full-time collection celebrates dominoes, dice and great times with great smokes

CAO presents “Bones,” a collection made to celebrate the memories that are made when a great cigar is lit and the games begin. Bones was named after dominoes and dice, the deeds that are best done with a cigar in hand and in the company of friends old or new.

CAO’s blender/brand ambassador Rick Rodriguez said, “Bones is about kicking back with your friends with a cold beer in your hand, playing a game, smoking, grilling, talking a little trash, and having the time of your life. And that’s what CAO is about, too. It’s about being yourself, enjoying the people you’re with and not having a care in the world while you’re having your cigar. Most of us need a break right now and Bones is just the cigar for that.”

Rick and the Nicaraguan-based CAO blending team set out to make a medium-to-full-bodied smoke that could easily be the topic of conversation or take the backseat during a game night or any smoking occasion with fellow cigar smokers. Rick and the team also developed the blend to complement a wide range of libations that go hand-in-hand with a handmade cigar.

Bones features a four year old Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper over a Connecticut Shade binder. The blend is comprised of two varieties of Honduran tobacco from Jamastran and La Entrada, along with Nicaraguan Estelí and Dominican Piloto Cubano. Bones is a meaty smoke that delivers bold notes of wood, nuts and vanilla.

Bones is a full-time addition to the brand’s top-rated lineup and is handcrafted in Nicaragua at STG Estelí. The brand will ship on August 4^th to cigar retailers across the country and will be available in four sizes, each named after classic games of dominoes. Each box contains 20 cigars, comes with two standard 16mm dice and is outfitted with a felt-covered inside lid which is a suitable surface for playing dice.

Chicken Foot (Robusto): 5” x 54 – SRP per cigar $7.49