Cigar Bistro Cigar Review: CAO CX2 Robusto
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CIGAR BISTRO Review
CAO Cx2
Vital Statistics:
Country: Handmade, Nicaragua
Size: Robusto – 5 x 52
Wrapper: Cameroon – double wrapper
Binder: Cameroon
Filler: Colombia, Nicaragua
Strength: Medium
The Feel: The CAO Cx2 has a nice, solid feel to it. The wrapper was dark brown and luxuriously smooth with a very slightly oily texture.
The Smell: The Cx2 had a–what other way to put it?–smell of fine tobacco mixed with other scents that some have called “cocoa” and others have described as “caramel.” In spite of a prolonged session of slowly taking in the Cx2 aroma before it was lit, I couldn’t settle on a definitive descriptor. I will say that it was “delightful” and reminded me of the smells one encounters on entering a well-kept cigar shop.
The Cap: The cap was firmly attached and cut easily.
The Draw: Despite the heft, the draw was excellent. Sometimes, well-packed cigars have a problem with the draw. The two CAO Cx2 Robustos I smoked both had an excellent draw.
CAO CX2 NOTES:
The CAO CX2 presented one problem, which was a pleasant one: I couldn’t quite make out the extra flavors in the aroma. The flavors changed from a lighter (woody?) mix–when the CX2 was first lit–to a heavier (coffee? caramel?) flavor as the cigar’s halfway point was reached.
Over it all, an earthy taste of fine tobacco prevailed. It was the additional pleasant flavors which contributed to the aroma which were harder to nail down.
In fact, I left my desk and retired to lie down on the couch, the better to concentrate on the captivating flavors swirling about me. Alas, it wasn’t much help. It was a particularly pleasant problem to have.
The one thing that was distinctive: the CAO CX2 Robusto was a good smoke right up until it was too short to hold comfortably. There are some cigars that are best abandoned 1-2 inches from completion. Not the CAO CX2.
MORE on CAO CX2 Cigars.
CAO CX2 cigars (Cameroon times two) present a rich-tasting, medium-bodied cigar brimming with velvety-smooth flavor and a seductive aroma. Now made expressly for Famous Smoke Shop, these cigars have a perfectly-balanced blend of robust Nicaraguan and Colombian longfiller tobaccos surrounded by TWO rare, Grade-1 African Cameroon binder and wrapper leaves. The smoke is laden with earthy-woody flavors underscored by sweet tobacco notes. One of CAO’s BEST cigars.
FINAL VERDICT:
Despite not being able to quite put my finger on the hints of flavors the cigar contained, the CAO CX2 was a fine smoke. Unlike some cigars which disappoint the second time around, the subsequent smoking of a second CAO CX2 was a no less rewarding experience.
FINAL CIGAR BISTRO SCORE:
Intangibles (Feel, Heft, Smell, Cap): 9
Wrapper: 10
Draw: 9.5
Flavor: 9
Aroma while Smoking: 9
Smoking Experience: 9
Value: 9
Total: 64.5/70
All in all, I look forward to next being reacquainted with the CAO CX2. Perhaps then, those other fainter, more elusive flavors will give up their secret.
ALSO at DBKP:
Cigar Bistro Cigar Review: Rocky Patel American Market Selection
by Mondo Frazier
images: DBKP; Famous Smoke Shop
CAO CX2 obtained through: Trinity Insight LLC
