CAO Colombia

Last week I decided to call up Serious Cigars to order some sticks that Jerry from The Stogie Review suggested. In the process of getting these cigars I asked Ron over at Serious what he had that was new and he informed me of these sticks which are a limited production run much like the Escaparate series and are available ONLY from Serious Cigars.

Cigar: CAO Colombia
Size: 5 x 50 (Robusto)
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano
Binder: Unknown
Filler: Columbia
Strength: Medium

Appearance and Construction (19/20): The reddish brown habano wrapper looks like it would fit in well on the courts of Roland-Garros. The hue of this wrapper is simply gorgeous and despite its significant veins the stick is visually outstanding. There are a fair amount of oils and a slight tooth on this firm cigar. The colorful band is stunning and an eye catcher to say the least.

Flavor & Notes (27/30): The cigar on the prelight had some acidic notes that reminded me of leather and they put me off a bit. The first third of the smoke there were some notes of coffee and nuts.As we entered the 2nd third there was a brief introduction of leather with coffee and a slight mocha. The final third of the stick the coffee notes faded and the finish had some similarities to bread.

Burn/Ash/Draw (21/25): The medium gray ash had some flake to it and had trouble holding on at times. The burn was a little off on my samples but almost all tended to self correct during the first third with only 1 needing some encouragement. The draw of the cigar was acceptable but I wish there was some more volume of smoke.

Overall (21/25): To tell you the truth after 3 cigars I am not sure how I feel about this stick. The mx3 spoiled me when it comes to escaparate cigars. I guess the verdict is if you are a fan of CAO cigars head out and try these. I plan to order more to have on hand. If you are not a fan of CAO these will not change your mind.

Rating: 88
Price: Call Serious Cigars For Details