Origin: Danli, Honduras
Wrapper: Brazil
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Size Name: Gol!
Length: 5.00
Ring Gauge: 56
Strength: Medium – Full
A few weeks back I ordered a sampler from Cigars International called Heavy Honduran Hubbub from the Friday Night fights section of their mailer. Included were five C.A.O. Brazilia – Gol! and five Hoyo de Monterrey – Factory Fresh Governors. Last night I decided to fire up one of the C.A.O. Brazilias.
The funny thing about this cigar is that I have had one in the past and I absolutely hated it. When I first started smoking cigars a friend of mine made some recommendations for me to pick up when I went to the local cigar shop. When I got to the shop I paced around in the humidor for about 15 minutes just looking around before a sales associate came in and asked if I needed help. He collected a couple of the cigars I didn’t find and told me that he did not have any of CAO Cameroons that were on my to try list, but he did have the Brazilias. He told me they are very alike, you should like this one. I made my purchase, went right home and fired up the CAO. Needless to say, it wasn’t anything like what my friend described to me when referring to the Cameroon.
Now back to the cigar at hand. The first thing you will notice when picking up this cigar is the large attractive band. The colors are those of the Brazilian flag, which adds a nice flare to the overall Brazilia experience. The wrapper is very dark and oily, with a firm texture. The wrapper was relatively smooth. I only had a couple of veins that ran the length of the cigar.
I used my plug cutter to pierce the cap. When checking the pre light draw I had some resistance, but the kind you look for in a good cigar.
Lighting this cigar was effortless and produced lots of flavorful smoke. I was getting hints of bitter chocolate on the initial puff which meshed well with the initial medium body of this particular stick. The smoke was very rich, creamy and light on the pallet.
After a few puffs the chocolate flavor disappeared and the rich Maduro wrapper really started to become the dominant flavor. I was getting a very even burn and a firm light grey ash. The resting smoke was about average and the burn was nice and slow.
Not too much further into the stick I was hit with a barrage of flavors. I was getting a nutty flavor, as well as pepper, bitter chocolate, and a sort of woodsy flavor. All of which seemed to come and go quickly which really added to the complexity and made for a great smoke.
When I got to about two inches remaining in the cigar, the quick and subtle flavors stopped and I was left with a rich Maduro flavor. This flavor hit its peak in strength right about where the band would be located. At this point the cigar was of the full bodied variety producing lots of rich and creamy smoke. Even with the fuller flavor the finish was easy on the pallet and made for an enjoyable experience.
Overall I think this is an excellent cigar and a must try for any Maduro lover.
My review sheet can be found below.
Great review. The Brazilia is probably my favorite CAO, but it’s NOTHING like the Cameroon. If someone told me to try this because it was like the Cammie, I’d hate it too. Glad you got to try it again on an even footing.
I love the CAO Brazilia!!! Great smoke for those of us who
love a cigar with heavier, intense, more complex flavors. I’ve
never had a bad CAO Brazilia. Cheers!!
i had a the same sort of experience. the first one i tried about 2 years ago was not very good. i just had another, (my first stogie in 2 days, so my palate was clean and hungry) and it was a different animal all together. very woody, loads of tobacco and the pepper and spice waffed in and out. i didnt remember the creaminess from the first one i had, so that was a great suprise. the finish for me was very short until the end. i did find though that it was a bit more consistant until the last third. where it kicked up to med-full. i think this may be my palate though. i usually enjoy/smoke a full, full bodied cigars. did you find the flavors sort of mixing/not so straight forward? (maybe due to the brazilian blend)? my burn was actually pretty good. glad to see we had a great smoke though! you guys are great! keep it up!
Stephen,
It has been a while since I have had one of these cigars. So long, in fact, that I can’t remember how the flavors mixed towards the end of the cigar. I think you have just given me an excuse to light up one of my remaining Brazilias.
Thanks for the comment. I’m glad you enjoy the site
-Walt
No video for CAO Brazilia? Come on guys, this is a cigar you guys talk a lot about and no video? I’m sure one of you can fix this? Jerry perhaps?
Agreed with Vic’s comment! A video would be great on some of these older reviews that you guys did before doing video.
Hmmm…I think one of us (or all of us) will be happy to oblige this request. I’m not sure if I have any in my humidor but they are easy enough to pick up at several B&M.
just bought a box of 20 in the ipanema size
For the humidor. These are a great smoke!
I had the same experience on the first try. I
hated it! But something brought me back, and now its one of my favorites!
Very accurate review!
Ive bought three of these in the past month, all of which I have been very satisfied with, needless to say I will always have at least one in my humidor, excellent smoke at an unbeatable price.
This was a great review, but I’d like to leave something for the new cigar smokers out there, mainly because we (yeah, I’m pretty new myself) typically get ignored, confused, or both, when the veterans start talking about wood, leather, nuts, earthy, etc. This, in my humble opinion, is an excellent full bodied newbie cigar. I smoked it while on a cruise down to cabo san lucas. I was enjoying it so much, that by the time I got to the nub, I contemplated eating it. Well, I decided not to eat it, but I must say that if you’re looking for a cigar to pop your maduro cherry, the CAO Brazilia is for you!
I agree with the assesment of the Brazilia. However, where, when and under what circumstances also contribute greatly to the enjoyment of pleasurable consumption. For example, that margherita on the deck of a Cruise ship tastes way different than on your back porch. Accordingly, a good smoke can become great in the right circumstance. I also am a novice when it comes to cigars and I don’t have the palate to taste all of the nuances of cigars. But I do know a good cigar when I smoke one and look forward to the day I can talk about nuts, amaretto, pine and straw. I can smell the barnyard so far.
I am smoking my first CAO Brazilia right now. Tastes great and burns evenly, but it’s an extremely tight draw. Probably the tightest draw I’ve experienced on any cigars, but I’ll try another one in a few weeks and hopefully it’ll be different.
After finishing this cigar, I realized that it was probably plugged. I’ll definitely have to try another one soon.
I agree with the review for the most part, short finish yes, bitter chocolate yes, attractive yes, well contsructed yes; I have found that with the box pressed variety I have never had a problem with the draw. CAO are some of the most consistent in the market and make good sticks, despite all the hype and marketing gimmicks, which I usually shy away from; in the case of this label I let it slide.
I smoke 6-8 cigars a week and the Brazilia is my absolute go to stick. The Anaconda is solid from start to finish. I agree that this should be anyones first maduro. I know everyone’s palate is different but for my taste I haven’t had anything better. Smoke on my friends.
I started smoking cigars for the past year and a half and I finally decided to try the brazilia and I definitely enjoyed the chocolate flavor through most of the cigar. The maduro cigar flavor has always left me craving to buy more 🙂
I smoke about 5/6 cigars a month. I just bought every CAO cigar they make to my knowledge. The Brazil is what got me trying all of their other cigars. This is a great smoke! I would recommend it with 5 stars. Thank you for the review!