EVENT: CAO Lady Liberty stop

So yes, it was only a week ago that I was at a CAO event, but I get to see my friend Miguel so few times a year that it makes every CAO event worthwhile.This time, the event was even more cool because he brought the new CAO/Sucker Punch Sally's Lady Liberty motorcycle with him. The wife and I couldn't pass up a chance to hang out with good company and check out this year's bike. So off to Woodland Cigars in Delaware, Ohio we went. Thanks to Woodland for hosting a great event and thanks again to Miguel for his generosity. Some pictures from the event below:

EVENT: CAO

House of Cigar (House_Of_Cigar on Twitter) in Powell, Ohio, hosted a CAO event tonight with my favorite cigar rep in the business, Miguel Schoedel. Miguel and I go back quite a few years now and it's always great to hang out with a old friend. I picked up some great swag and had a blast burning down a stick and shooting the breeze. Big thanks to House of Cigar for hosting the event, to Miguel for his generosity with the special cigar he hooked me up with out of his own personal collection. Some pictures from the event below:

Review: CAO Escaparate #7 Blend

Tonight's review is a cigar that was generously sent to me by Kevin at Butthead's Tobacco Emporium. The CAO #7 Blend is the latest release from the CAO Escaparate collection and is exclusive to Butthead's. The Escaparate line are cigar blends that CAO does not have enough tobacco (for one reason or another) to produce enough sticks for a full release. That said, these cigars are always somewhat limited and I, almost always, find fun to smoke. 

Some details on the #7, taken from the sales sheet I received with the cigars.

The Escaparate #7 blend is the prototype blend for the CAO Vision. Although the specific tobaccos that comprise the #7 remains a secret, the Dominican Corojo wrapper and Dominican Binder as well as the Nicaraguan and Brazilian fillers that became the Vision are certainly assumed and very well blended in the mild/medium cigar.

Specifics

Vitola: Belicoso
Length: 6.25
Ring Gauge: 54
Wrapper: Proprietary to CAO
Filler: Proprietary to CAO
Binder: Proprietary to CAO
MSRP: 
Smoking Location: House of Cigar, Columbus, Ohio
Beverage: Coke

Pre-Light

 

The CAO Escaparate #7 is a tightly packed, hefty cigar. I've been leaning towards smaller ring gauges recently, so it was interesting to smoke something a little thicker. The wrapper was silky smooth and had no visible veins. The torpedo cap was constructed to perfection and it clipped evenly and cleanly.  The pre-light aroma from the cigar was of faint earthy tobacco and the cold draw was similar in taste.

First Third

    

After toasting the foot of my CAO Escaparate #7 I was hit with a rather rough, bitter spice. The smoke was dry and didn't leave a nice finish on my palate. Luckily, after a few puffs, that profile went away and I was greeted by a much nicer, rich tobacco flavor with hints of almond.  I can only assume that the cigar heated up too quickly or some dust was in the foot of the cigar which produced that initial unpleasant taste. As I burned through the first third, the cigar mellowed out even more and the body came in at a mild to mild-medium.

Second Third

 

In the second third of my CAO Escaparate #7 is when the flavors really picked up. The spice from the first third was completely gone and now some complex notes of molasses and a strong roasted peanut taste had emerged. I found both of these to be very interesting and kept me wanting more. The burn on this cigar was perfectly straight and required no touch-ups. The finish of the smoke was also very interesting, as it seemed to leave your mouth with a cold, fresh feeling. I haven't smoked many cigars with this kind of finish, so it was definitely worth noting in this review. Again, like in the first third, the body was a mild to mild-medium.

Final Third and Final thoughts

 

The final third of this cigar was very similar to the second third.  The flavors stayed the same with a creamy molasses and a strong roasted peanut taste. The flavors seemed to blend very well together and were really pleasant. Toward the very end of the cigar, I did pick up some leather notes that were not present before. I wished these flavors would have come on sooner to further add to the mix. 

Overall, this is the best stick I have smoked from the Escaparate line from CAO. I don't think I would rank it as high as the La Traviata, but I would put it right up there with the LX2 and the Brazilia as far as some of my favorite CAOs.  The burn is perfect and, right in the middle of the cigar, it was producing some excellent flavors and smoke profiles. A big thanks again goes out to Kevin at Butthead's Tobacco Emporium for sending me a few of these cigars to review.

Would I buy it again? I would most certainly buy this cigar again and keep five or so on hand.  With the Escaparate line, you never know how long they will be around and I would love to smoke more of these in the future.

Would I buy a box? I'm not sure what a box of these goes for, but my guess it is not on the cheap side. I would lean more to 5 packs than a box purchase.

Dan

Review: CAO Gold Vintage Bouchon

Tonight I went to the local B&M and grabbed an off-the-shelf smoke I'd had a few times before -- a CAO Gold Vintage Bouchon.. I was in the mood for something mild/medium in body because I had not had dinner, but not a cigar boring in flavor nor smoke volume and this cigar fit the bill.

The CAO Gold Vintage is another cigar released in 2009 by the Ozgener family that is often over-shadowed by the highly praised La Traviata. The story behind the CAO Gold Vintage, as I understand it, is that it is comprised of the same blend as the normal CAO Gold release but with a aged 2004 Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper. According to the CAO website, Ecuador experienced a "banner harvest" in 2004. All of the CAO Gold Vintage wrappers come from that harvest and have been carefully aged and selected for this cigar.

Specifics
Vitola: Bouchon/Figurado
Length: 6.75
Ring Gauge: 60
Wrapper: 2004 Ecuadorian Connecticut
Filler:  Nicaragua, Honduras
Binder: Nicaraguan
Origin: Honduras
MSRP: Aprox. $8.75
Smoking Location: House of Cigar, Columbus, Ohio
Beverage: water

Pre-Light

The wrapper on my CAO Gold Vintage is very smooth and soft.  Pinching the cigar it has a slight give but isn't spongy. The aroma coming off the cigar is of a very mild, sweet tobacco. After cutting the head, the draw is perfect and the taste is sweet. I had not smoked this size of the CAO Gold Vintage before, but from the pre-light assessment, it shaped up just like the other sizes offered.

First Third

 

After lighting up this CAO Gold Vintage, I immediately tasted sweetness and creaminess with some slight notes of molasses just on the finish. The cigar produces tons of smoke both when puffing and when resting. I'd rate the body from mild to medium. As others have said, I would agree that this is a great smoke for the morning paired with coffee or, in my case, an evening before dinner.

Second Third

The second third of my CAO Gold Vintage stayed true to the first third with strong creaminess and smooth sweet flavors. The molasses flavor was amped up quite a bit, with several very spicy-sweet puffs.There was a very slight hint of leather in some of the finish which was intriguing. The ash on the cigar was very strong and held for well over two inches.

Final Third and Final Thoughts

The final third of my CAO Gold Vintage saw the molasses flavor take over the cigar and some of the cream drop off. It seemed to dry up a bit but never to the point where it felt harsh or hot. The burn on this cigar is perfect...no really...perfect. I never had to touch it with the torch after the light and the burn line was thin and straight. The body picked up slightly towards the nub but not enough for me to rank it more than a mild/medium cigar.

My final thought on this cigar is it is fantastic and what is advertised. CAO claims this is a mild/medium body cigar with a lot of flavor and I agree 100%. I got a strong sweet/molasses flavor mixed with cream that stayed pretty consistent throughout while smoking. I recommend this cigar to anyone who wants an easy smoke that is not boring.

Would I buy it again? 100% for sure

Would I buy a box? I have a box :)

Dan

In the Beginning

 Jon Huber of CAO Cigars, Dan Reeve (me), Miguel Schoedel of CAO Cigars

My name is Dan and I am a cigar enthusiast. Now that that’s out of the way, let's get on with it.

After years of reading other online review sites and participating in online cigar forums, I thought it time that I make my own. So with the help of my beautiful wife, the Crooked Burn is born. I am not affiliated with any cigar companies and all of my reviews will consist of my opinions only. I, in no way, claim to be an all-knowing expert in the field of cigars and I learn more and more every time I light up, which is part of what I love about this hobby. I hope you enjoy reading my reviews and I look forward to any feedback I may receive - good or bad.

In my life outside of cigars, I am a Graphic Designer for The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. So, needless to say, I am a big college football fan and a big Buckeye supporter. My family and I are also big into the tailgate scene and have devoted many hours to perfecting our tailgate and our tailgate vehicle. For more information on that, please visit buckeyesquad.com.

So here it is...the official launch of the Crooked Burn blog.

Enjoy,
Dan Reeve