Up for review this week is the C.A.O Black, which was requested a few weeks ago. The size I am Reviewing is the Gothic (Torpedo) and weighs in at 6 inches long with a 52 ring gauge. I received this cigar in a sampler some time ago but can be purchased for 30.00 per 5 pack or 118.00 per box of 20 via Cigars International.
During my initial inspection I found this stick to be very firmly packed with no soft spots. The wrapper is smooth to the touch and has a light oily sheen. When clipped, the pre light draw was free and produced mild Nutty and Naturally Sweet flavors that were appealing. After a quick toast and light the cigar was evenly lit and producing a generous amount of smoke.
As I smoked my way deeper into the first third of my CAO Black I found it to be enjoyable. The resting smoke was much lighter in volume now than it was at the start. The draw remained free and produced a decent amount of smoke. The body was in the Medium to Full range while the finish was a little heavy and lingered on the palate for several minutes after each puff before fading. The base flavors consisted of a light Nutty Flavor as well as Leather and Pepper. When blown through the sinuses I was getting a bit of harshness and a bit of spice.
The second third of my cigar began to change from the way it smoked originally. The burn was now beginning to get more uneven and was now pushing the limits of my 3/8” comfort zone. The draw remained decent while producing a fair amount of smoke. The body climbed a bit but remained in the Medium to Full range while the finish got a little heavier and longer on the palate. The dominant base flavor was now Pepper and the harshness from before was getting a little stronger, primarily in the back of the throat and the base of the sinus cavity.
As I made my way into the final third of the cigar I was developing an acquired taste to the bit of bite it had on the base of my sinus cavity. I think that in part the flavor was developing a bit character and become a little more enjoyable for me. The base flavor remained dominantly Peppery while retaining a somewhat long and heavy finish. I took the time to re-clip my cigar to expose more tobacco at which point the volume of smoke increased dramatically. The body finally ramped up into the full range and the cigar finished off nicely.
Overall I think that this was an average cigar for my taste. In general it was a good smoke but nothing to write home about, however, keep in mind that flavor is personal preference and you may fall in love with the flavors. I would recommend this cigar as something to try but I wont go out seeking one in the future (but will definitely not turn one down if offered to me).
I don’t know if it was my computer or something, but this video kept fast forwarding in parts. It started about the middle of the video. Good review otherwise anyway….
Matt,
I’ll take a look at it when I get home. It may be the video itself (I’m not having much luck with Vista and editing)
Thanks for the comment
-Walt
yup it kept fastforwarding
The original cao black ( i believe it was released 8-9 years ago) is my favorite cigar of all time. I havent tried the new one, but have had the black ‘vr’. it is also a great stick. great job with the sight guys
Great video other than the fast forwarding. Vista is nothing but junk. Wipe it and install XP Pro you will be much happier.
I installed Vista to play with since us developers like to have the latest. I wiped it out after 2 weeks. It was annoying plus my Microsoft development tools had issues. How can we develop software when their own tools don’t even work. Even my boss hated it.
The CAO Black never really impressed me, a bit too mild for my taste.
Justin,
Why would anybody want to use a product that Microsoft hasn’t even adopted internally themselves yet? For the reasons you stated, their own development tools wont even run on it. If it’s not good for Microsoft then it sure as hell is not good for the public. It should of stayed in development for at least another year. I plan on sticking with XP for a few more years until they patch the hell out of Vista.
Its good to see so many geeks who enjoy cigars…Honestly I think it depends on what version of Vista you are running and how its installed.
I’m running Vista Ultimate x64 that came pre-installed on my Toshiba Satellite and I’m loving it. iTunes, uTorrent, Skype, Warcraft and City of Heroes all play without any problems. No when I tried Vista Basic on my 3 year old Dell Dimension 4600, I thought I was going to cry.
zhadum: Not only has MS not rolled it out but Intel and Dell won’t and the US government has banned it. Dell even had to offer XP for sale again after the rollout. Pretty sad. I will stick with XP for a while and of course my MacBook Pro.
Jerry: You must have good luck with it. Also depends what you do with it. I think for general computing (email, web, word processing), it is fine. But developing with it, no way.
wow, avoid the whole mess and get a macbook pro
Unfortunately I made the careless mistake of ordering Vista basic with my Notebook rather than the Premium I had in mind.
Anyone know if I can order an incremental upgrade to go from Basic to Ultimate without paying the ~300 for the upgrade?
Yes, it is built into to Vista, pay your money and you get the extra features upgraded
For some reason there are some inconsistences with CAO. For example I recently had an Italia Gondola (Torpedo) which was simply awesome! Smooth with loads of rich flavor. Then I had a CAO MX2 Toro, which was a total disappointment. It produced a weird bitter taste in flavor with an awful after taste, which unfortunately was not limited to that line, I just had a Brazilia Samba which again was awesome until the second third of the cigar which also started to generate a weird after taste. Can it be the Brazilian tobacco in these blends that is the cause of this weird taste? In response to the harshness with CAO that’s where I have the inconsistences in certain blends. If you have a CAO Gold, Italia Novella, or any of the CAO black, some sticks tend to become very harsh an not very enjoyable, and from what I’ve heard from friends and fellow cigar smokers the new CAO Vision line is an overpriced catastrophe. Please don’t get me wrong I do think CAO makes some very enjoyable smokes, but unlike a Padron 1964 Anniversary which is in the similar price range of the CAO Vision, or a St. Luis Rey Series G Maduro which is in the same price range of the CAO MX2, The Padron and SLR Series G are perfect each and every time. Oh by the way please review the SLR series G, which I feel is one of the best $4.00 to $5.00 smokes on the market!
Rene
How does Black compare to the Brazilia line?I’m loven’ the Gol! as of late.Keep up the good work .
Doc
Doc,
Comparing the Black to the Brazillia is like comparing apples to oranges.
The Black isn’t a bad smoke, but I would much rather smoke a Brazillia (I really enjoy that cigar)
I agree with the other poster who stated that the CAO Black from several years ago was a much different animal. I seem to remember the older version as being somewhat strong and peppery.
I smoked a CAO Black Ltd Ed. Gothic last night. I did not feel that this cigar approached the full bodied range, nor did I detect much pepper. I did taste faint floral and fruity notes and also some oak. Burn was very good though it did go out entering the second third. Overall, very enjoyable.