Tag Archives: CAO

by | October 30, 2022 · 10:09 am

Tatuaje Tuxtla, Alec Bradley Double Broadleaf and CAO BX3 Cigars

I finally got around to trying the three cigars I’ve been looking forward to smoking this week.  I picked up a few of these locally, and will definitely be revisiting these soon. It’s not often I get three winners in a row like this.  I started with the one I was most interested in smoking, the Tatuaje Tuxtla Avion 13. They had all three sizes, and I had a choice between picking up a couple of each size, or trying three different cigars and I chose the later. I would have said that I made the wrong choice, but I have no regrets.  The Avion 13 size is a perfecto shape, 6 7/8″ x 52.  It has a Mexican San Andrés wrapper over Nicaraguan binder and fillers.  I’ve heard good things about this cigar, Pete talks about it in the video I did with him at the PCA show (which is my second most watched video on Youtube now). I’ve smoked, and enjoyed, an Avion before, but now I’m not sure which one it was, I think it might have been the 2012 version. Sometimes I expect the Mexican wrapper to overpower the blend of a cigar.  This cigar had incredible flavors, sure it had the espresso and cocoa I expected, but they were refined, slightly different.  It’s a beautiful cigar, and I see myself picking up the T110 and 7th sizes to see how they stack up. The Avion size was pretty amazing though.  

 

Another cigar I found that was on my wishlist was the Alec Bradley Double Broadleaf from their Experimental Series. I got the Gran Corona size, which is 7″ x 46, a neat size. This has a Connecticut seed Broadleaf wrapper and binder, which are grown in Honduras. I suppose this answers questions about how in a world of Broadleaf shortages, they managed to make a double Broadleaf.  I liked the size of this cigar, but I’m really curious how this smokes in a larger ring.  They had Robustos and Gordos, looks like there’s more cigars I have to get!  If you like Broadleaf, I think you’ll love this cigar.  It’s rich with sweet cocoa and coffee, dark fruit, and some spice. I can’t help but think what I perceived as spice may have been the sharpness that a narrower ring might have from burning hotter, I’ll let you know when I try different sizes, which I expect to be smoother.  Winner number two this week.  Good smoke. 

 

This last one had some controversy surrounding it. I understand having to protect one’s trademark, but it’s really hard for me to confuse the band on the CAO BX3 with the Opus X.  Of course, if Fuente let this one go, someone else might take it further until they actually did make a band that could be confused. Both Fuente and Pete Johnson are quite good at protecting their marques.  That being said, nobody is picking up a BX3 and saying “is this an Opus X?”. The BX3 has three Brazilian tobaccos in the blend, one of which is the dark, oily Brazilian Mata Fina wrapper.  It also has an Arapiraca binder and Brazilian, Honduran, Mexican and Nicaraguan fillers. When I lit this up I didn’t think I was going to like it. It had a bitterness that was off putting, but eventually became quite enjoyable. I got the 5″ x 52 Robusto, which I don’t generally buy anymore, but it must have been the only size they had.  This is loaded with flavor, and after the initial shock, it turned into a very satisfying cigar. It was like good, black coffee, with some earthiness. It certainly wasn’t my favorite of the three mentioned here, but it was quite enjoyable, and different from, say, the Brazilia or any of the Basin series.  

 

Friday I posted about a contest, so far everyone who’s entered will be a winner unless things pick up. These are pretty cool prizes, and a decent charity, so please have a look and get in on the action.  Go back one post, or click HERE to get details!  that’s all for today, until the next time, 

 

CigarCraig

 

 

 

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by | June 18, 2022 · 8:55 am

News: CAO Launches BX3 Cigar

One more news item today, then I’ll start working on tomorrow’s post about the event I attended this week.  Something new from CAO? I’ll be honest, I kind of thought with the exit of Rick Rodriguez we’d be seeing less from the brand. Of course, CAO was one of the first to popularize Brazilian tobacco in premium cigars with the Brazilia, and have done a lot with it since.  I look forward to smoking this as I’ve long been a fan of the Brazilia (and 2 out of the 4 Amazon Basin cigars!).  

 

 

CAO DEBUTS BX3

CAO has always had a rebellious streak (think MX2, CX2, LX2), and the brand’s maverick approach to blending is taking another leap forward through its latest expression: CAO BX3.

 

BX3 is a new collection that harnesses “three times the Brazilian tobaccos” in one robust blend.

 

Focusing on the primary growing regions of Northeastern Brazil, CAO BX3 is made with sweet and aromatic Mata Fina and hearty, vibrant Arapiraca tobaccos that are used as wrapper, binder, and filler in an exciting, four-country blend.  

 

Ed Lahmann, CAO’s senior brand manager said, “Being trailblazers of tobacco is in CAO’s DNA, and with BX3, we’re continuing to pilot the path. Our inspiration was the legendary X series which had put our blending expertise on the map. With BX3, we set out to take the best of Brazilian tobacco and bring it to the next level. The easy thing to do would have been to make a Brazilian puro. Our blending team went that route, and it felt like we were just dialing it in. So they kept at it, peppering in Nicaraguan, Honduran, and Mexican tobaccos in just the right proportions to add character, dimension and layers to the smoke. We’re really proud of the way the blend turned out. To us, BX3 is everything a Brazilian-centric smoke should be. It’s memorable, savory and thought-provoking and it complements our portfolio beautifully.”

 

Handcrafted in Nicaragua at STG Estelí, CAO BX3’s is enrobed in a Brazilian Mata Fina wrapper, has a Brazilian Arapiraca binder and a blend of rich and robust filler tobaccos from Brazil, Nicaragua, Mexico, and Honduras. All told, the tobaccos create a medium-bodied smoke, that’s rich in character and deeply enjoyable with notes of espresso, dark chocolate, cinnamon, allspice, cayenne, and white pepper. 

 

 

CAO BX3 will be a full-time line, available in all channels. The three-frontmark collection is packed in boxes containing 20 cigars and will begin shipping in the first week in July.

 

BX3 Robusto (5” x 52) —  SRP per cigar $8.99

BX3 Toro (6” x 54) —  SRP per cigar $9.49

BX3 Gordo (6” x 60) —  SRP per cigar $10.49

 

About CAO

CAO was originally launched in 1993 by Cano Ozgener, who was the founder of CAO International Inc., a company that up until that point was known for its tobacco pipes. The General Cigar Co., inherited the entire portfolio of CAO’s preexisting brands after Swedish Match and ST Cigar Group Holdings merged in 2010, and the tobacco giant still distributes the brand and all its lines.

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by | May 1, 2022 · 9:46 am

A Selection of Cigars: Hits and Misses

This is going to be a bit of a weird post. I, of course, smokes a bunch of cigars this week, and had some mixed results. I probably should follow the rule of not saying anything at all if you don’t have anything nice to say, but it’s not all negative. SOme of it is personal preference, some of it is something else. There are also some standout cigars that I’ve probably mentioned here before but merit repeating. Let’s start with the CAO Arcana Firewalker. This cigar is a nice, big 6½” x 56 cigar, with a massive band. It employs a strange method of fermentation for one of the Nicaraguan filler leaves where they bury the pilon in volcanic soil for two months. Sounds like a fun story, and I don’t doubt it, but this wasn’t where I had a problem. The cigar tasted fine, I rather enjoyed the flavors. It was kind of bready, with a little cocoa and some spice, very nice. When I received these samples they were bone dry, as measured with my Humidimeter. Bone. Dry. The first one I smoked just kind of flaked apart. I let them rest in the humidor for a couple months, I guess, to get some moisture into them. When one had achieved what I felt was an acceptable level of internal moisture content, I gave it another go. For whatever reason, the Ecuador Habano Rosado wrapper on this one just wouldn’t burn. It was like the original H2000 wrappers 20 years ago. I would feel safe making childrens pajamas out of this wrapper, it was so flame retardant. I gave up on it with about 2 inches to go, after just about emptying my lighter relighting it. I guess I’ll leave the remaining samples in the humidor, and if I see some in a shop maybe I’ll try one to see if my batch was an anomaly. I hope it was because it was a good tasting smoke and I like the first Arcana a lot. If you’re keeping score at home, this is a miss.

 

One cigar I had which isn’t new, but one I really enjoy and bears repeating is the Crow Corona from Blackbird Cigars. I’m generally a toro guy, but I think I like this in the 6″ x 44 corona the best. The narrow ring adds a little more of an edge to the San Andrés wrapper that I like. I always like a good Mexican maduro, and this one really made me happy. I’m to understand that Blackbird has opened a new, larger factory in ght Dominican Republic. I’ve been a fan of their cigars, I can’t recall having a bad one, with the Crow being my favorite. They do a really nice job with Sumatra wrappers too. I will be putting some more Crow Coronas in my humidor, for sure.  In case you were wondering, this is a hit!

 

Another repeat is the Yagua. I smoked one from a 2021 box this week that was amazing. J.C. Newman just announced that they are shipping the 2022 release, with a second wave due in November. These have aged well, the one I smoked was practically round, which was strange. They say that this is wrapped in an “underfermented” Broadleaf wrapper. whatever that means, I ‘d say it works.  I had some distinct sensations of black licorice several times while smoking this cigar, and I really liked that. I enjoyed it so much I was tempted to smoke one the following day, alas, I should have followed my instincts! Again, a hit.

 

The Drew Estate Freestyle Live event is coming up on Thursday, May 12, and receiving a lot of buzz, so I figured I’d give the Mystery Cigar in the pack a try and see what the deal was. I tried the 6″ x 60 gordo first. This digital event is happening on the eve of the Florida Barn Smoker, and the cigars in the pack happen to be the same sizes that the 20 Acre Farm Mystery cigars were presented, leading some to believe there may be a connection. It’s possible, although many cigars are offered in robusto, toro and gordo, so that’s a bit of a stretch. I personally didn’t really like the cigar I smoked, it was heavily woody to me, and that’s not my preference. I don’t like FSG tobacco, so there could be something there, and I’m also not a big fan of the original Herrera Esteli, so it could be a variation on that. I don’t think it’s a riff on the MUWAT, as I grabbed a fiver of Baitfish yesterday and forgot how good those little guys are!  I’ll suffer through the rubusto I guess and see what I think of that size, maybe it’s different. I’ll be very disappointed if those guessing it’s in the Nica Rustica line are right. Big miss.

 

Let’s finish strong. OK, I lied. I picked up an Aganorsa Leaf Rare Leaf Toro yesterday because I’ve been wanting to try it. It’ a 6″ x 54 with a “Nicaraguan Café” wrapper, and Aganorsa Leaf binder and fillers. I’ve been having trouble finding cigars in the Aganorsa range that suit my palate, quite honestly. Sadly, this was another one that did not. I’m sure it’s a great cigar, it certainly performed well, but the flavor left me wanting. This was another that I’ll call wood heavy in the flavor department. I also found it slightly drying. It was a bit sneaky strong. Everyone has different tastes, that’s what makes cigars so much fun, this one wasn’t for me. I’ll keep working thought the range, and I know there are a lot of cigars made by Aganorsa that I like! Unfortunately a miss.

 

That’s it for today, I’ll be smoking a few favorites today!  My part-time retail experiment has come to an end. ore on that, maybe, another time, but it was fun while it lasted. My Friday evenings are now free, who wants to herf?  Until the next time, 

 

CigarCraig

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by | April 17, 2022 · 9:42 am

Upmann, CAO and Black Label Trading Co. Cigars and a Rant

 

There seem to be few cigars in Altadis portfolio that fit my preferences. I probably say this every time I post about an Altadis cigar, and it probably doesn’t endear me to the marketing folks there! I do have some friends there that are aware of my feelings. I keep trying though. There are exceptions, and I can pretty much count on enjoying anything Altadis produces in conjunction with A.J. Fernandez. I smoked the z Nicaragua Heritage by A.J. Fernandez in the Toro size this week and was pretty surprised.  This is a 6″ x 54 toro with a Brazilian Mata Fina wrapper. The binder and fillers are all Nicaraguan tobaccos grown by A.J. Fernandez. I found this to be a powerhouse cigar, much stronger than I expected. I likened to to the Gispert Intenso. I personally liked it a lot, but I wouldn’t recommend it to someone who enjoys the original H. Upmann by A.J. (which I also enjoy!). It’s a totally different cigar, the difference between a Latte and an espresso, I would imagine.

 

I’ve had the occasion to smoke a couple of the new CAO Pilón Ańejo cigars over the past couple weeks, and the one I smoked yesterday was fairly impressive. The first one I smoked maybe wasn’t rested sufficiently from it’s travels. This 5½” x 54 robusto has an Ecuador Sumatra wrapper. The blend is rich and savory, consisting of Nicaraguan and Dominican fillers,  a Honduran Habano binder and Nicaraguan and Dominican fillers. Curiously, this is a different blend than the original Pilón, which has an Ecuador Habano wrapper and Nicaraguan binder. That kind of blows my plan of doing a back to back comparison between the two! I like Sumatra wrapped cigars, so this one works for me. It was a good, smooth cigar without any problems. I found it to be enjoyable, pleasing woody flavors without much sweetness. A good cigar. I may still pull out a Pilón from the original release and see how it stack up against this one, just for kicks. 

 

OK, here’s my rant of the week. I know it’s Easter Sunday, and happy Easter and passover for those of you who celebrate. Earlier this week the CRA posted this meme, and the subsequent apology, on their Facebook page, and it caused a bit of a kerfuffle.

There were those who defended it, thought it was funny, etc. While it might be funny in a Facebook group that is predominantly a men’s social group, it’s not the kind of thing I believe the folks at Cigar Rights of America should be devoting their resources to. Let’s set aside the misogynistic nature of the meme, make no mistake, the divisiveness of the message was no small part of the backlash that this caused. I take issue with the fact that I’m paying the CRA to advocate on behalf of the cigar industry, and I have been since 2009. It’ not a lot of money, but the point is that our money isn’t to pay for an entertaining Facebook group. Whoever is running things there, and I don’t think that’s clear since Glynn Loope left, should be posting legislative updates up the page, not funnies. The CRA complains about membership and wants to be taken seriously and fails to set a good example of why they should be in a public forum. I hold them to a higher standard. I think their apology missed this point. Anyway, that got my hackles up this week!

 

Last night I went over to Son’s Cigars where James and Angela Brown (and Levi) from Black Label Trading Co. were there holding an event. This was possibly the biggest event at the shop since they opened last summer. Angela Brown is rarely at events, and I had only met her at an IPCPR show several years ago, so it was nice to see her again. there was a contingent there from Mane Street Cigars in Woodbridge, NJ for the event, and I’ve known Alex, who manages the shop, for many years (here’s the story of when I met Alex). I selected and smoked a Lawless Churchill, 7″ x 48 (close enough), with an Ecuador Habano Rosado wrapper and Nicaraguan Binder and fillers. This was a delicious cigar, it’s really right in my wheelhouse. It has rich, dark fruit and cocoa flavors. I must grab a handful next week when I’m back at the shop. It might be one of my favorites in the line. Lovely cigar, lovely people, good times. 

 

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

 

CigarCraig 

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by | April 12, 2022 · 6:10 pm

News: CAO Releases “Borealis” To Canadian Market

 I would normally skip a press release like this, but there’s something important about this I wanted to point out. No offense to my Canadian readers, but they represent a fairly small portion of my readership. Notice the box and bands on this new CAO release below. Not pretty or very imaginative, are they?  This is what’s known as “plain packaging”, and this is how cigars have to be packaged in Canada (and Australia, I believe). In Canadian Cigar stores the windows have to be blacked out and you can’t see the cigars before buying them. They all have to have this same, drab band and box. Imagine how easy it would be to counterfeit cigars like this? If we aren’t careful in the U. S., this is going to happen here. That would suck. I may never know how this CAO cigar is,  maybe one of my Canadian readers will let us know! 

CAO leads the pack in bringing the world’s most unique and unexpected tobaccos to its fans. The brand team has gone deep into the Amazon jungle, to the wilds of Africa, and to Italy, Columbia and many points in between to create exciting blends. And now, with their newest release, CAO Borealis, CAO has set its sights on the North. 

 

A new expression made exclusively for the Canadian market, CAO Borealis features a rare Canadian tobacco in its blend.

 

CAO Borealis gives a nod to the awesome skylights that only occur in locations as targeted as pinpoints on a map. This speaks to the fact that geography and climate are pivotal in so many ways, just as they are for tobacco. It’s why the CAO team ventured to the province of Ontario, where Canada’s highest quality farmland is located. There, in the province’s Southwest corner, near the Great Lakes where humidity and warm evenings prevail, a special Cuban-seed variety of dark air-cured tobacco is grown.

 

Rick Rodriguez, CAO’s blender/ambassador said, “When you think of great tobacco growing regions, tropical climates and hot, humid growing seasons come to mind. That’s of course true. With ‘Borealis,’ we wanted our fans to experience something new, so we once again took an unconventional path. This time, we’re featuring Canadian tobacco and are delivering a blend that has an air of something different. It’s an experience that’s enjoyable and colors slightly out of the lines. A cigar you’ll want to talk about. And that’s exactly what we wanted to deliver.”

Wrapped in Ecuadorian Habano Viso, with a Nicaraguan binder and a filler that blends Nicaraguan tobacco with Cuban-seed Canadian leaf, CAO Borealis is a true medium-bodied cigar that’s subtle in its uniqueness and deep on intricacy. The experience brims with notes of spice, cedar, pepper, nuts, and cocoa. 

 

CAO Borealis will be available in two frontmarks, both packaged in 20 count boxes (5-4 layout), and released to all Canadian provinces. The line is handcrafted at STG Esteli and will ship to select retailers on April 11.

 

CAO Borealis Robusto (5” x 52)

CAO Borealis Toro (6” x 54)

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