Cigar: CAO Cameroon L’Anniversaire
Size/Vitola: Robusto (5×50)
Cost: $7.50
Wrapper: West African Cameroon
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Joe: First of all, hope you all had a pleasant July 4th. I actually was privileged to partake of two CAO Americans, which were fantastic, and I’ll probably smoke another and do a solo review of it tomorrow. However, we’re reviewing the L’Anniversaire today, as selected by Stan. And a fantastic selection it was. The cigar itself is nice, but not a gem to really look at; the wrapper FEELS fantastic, smooth, soft, delicate, and it smelled very sweet, and inviting. It smelled like cigar’s ought to smell like; that smell you get when you enter a perfectly-maintained walk-in humidor. It’s slightly box-pressed, and has very little bunching. I used my trusted Xikar Xi2 cutter, and took a prelight draw that had a faint spice and tobacco flavor. The cigar lights perfectly evenly, and comes out medium to full, loaded with spice on the finish. I was alarmed on the first and second puffs, due to a slight ammonia flavor, but by the third puff, I was loving what I tasted: tons of black pepper with a very light citrus flavor that was hard to pinpoint. As the pepper loses its intensity, it really gains a bit of punch; I felt this cigar in my stomach, and I’d eaten pretty recently. Nutty flavors come out very strongly just before the second third begins. In the second third, the nutty flavor gives way to a fantastic cream. The pepper comes in and out, but always taking a back seat to the cream. At one point, I could actually detect very light caramel flavor. This wonderful cream combination stays for the entire 2/3 and highlights a fantastic smoke. Speaking of which, the cigar had a great draw and AMAZING amounts of smoke. I was half-expecting the fire department to show up, thinking a building was burning down. The last third keeps the cream, and adds in a pine taste, like a very light, clean cedar. As I got closer to nubbing it (and I nubbed, pardon my french, the frack out of this cigar) I got very elusive, bitter chocolate flavor from time to time. The finish on the last third is that of crispy potato chips, which sounds sort of strange, but it was incredibly pleasing. If you notice the majority of adjectives I use in the review, you can probably guess the score. Smoke Time: 57 Minutes.
Stan: Happy 4th of July from me as well! It was on the 4th of July when I tried my most favorite cigar to date – the Rocky Patel Vintage 1990 – and it is today that I try my most favorite fuller-bodied cigar to date. The CAO Cameroon was a surprise to me as I expected it to be more on the milder side (that’s why I had initially requested we review it), but I definitely do not feel sorry for trying it! The cigar looked pretty good, even though I scored it a bit on the lower side because of some nicks and cracks and imperfections. The wrapper though did feel very good in my fingers and smelled sweet and fresh. The smell left on my fingers afterwards was very pleasing as well. I used Joe’s puncher and took a pre-light draw. I felt no spice, but a bit of nut and pepper. The start was very good with easy light and draw. Pepper was the most dominant flavor in the beginning – characterized by the tingle you feel on your tongue as you smoke. The cigar is definitely medium-full in body and has a certain kick you can feel (especially if you are a mild smoker). After a few draws it became much smoother and definitely creamier. The burn was good and even and required almost no help from Joe’s lighter. At some point I did feel a hot sweetness to the tobacco flavor, which Joe might have correctly pinpointed to caramel. This is though very faint and fleeting. From the 2/3 till the end the cigar is very creamy and provides plenty of rich tobacco taste with a very consistent flavor. Pepper was in and out at times. The cigar was definitely not a hot one and would please even quick smokers. I ended it a bit too early because it was getting slightly harsher for me towards the end, but I had to go back to work and did not want to end up with any light-headedness. Overall it is a very good medium-full smoke, but people should approach with caution if on empty stomach. Smoke Time: 65 Minutes.
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Joe |
Stan |
Tom |
|
Appearance |
8/10 |
7.5/10 |
N/A |
|
Construction |
8/10 |
9/10 |
N/A |
|
Flavor |
9/10 |
8.5/10 |
N/A |
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Draw/Smoke |
9.5/10 |
9/10 |
N/A |
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Variability |
9.5/10 |
8/10 |
N/A |
|
Overall |
44/50 |
42/50 |
N/A |
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