Well, truth be told, today was a really shitty day in the life of Jaster. So I decided to end it on a high note.
I pulled out a CAO Gold Maduro, which was generously gifted to me by xerais about a month ago, pulled on my jacket, whistled for my dog Mandy, and stepped outside to relax and enjoy a smoke on an otherwise beautiful night.
I'm happy to say, I was not disappointed.
At first glance, this is a beautiful cigar. One noticeable vein to be found, but very good overall construction. The cut made me do a bit of a double-take, as in the dim light of the street light in my front yard showed me just how tightly wrapped the filler is inside this thing. I apologize for the poor picture quality here, but hopefully this shows something:
With the tightness of the construction, I was expecting the draw to be tough, but I was pleasantly surprised by a nice, even draw instead. The pre-light scent was very pleasing, nothing but good rich tobacco aroma. It lit well, and burned very evenly, with each minor aberration self-correcting within a matter of a few puffs. The ash was a very tidy salt and pepper grey that held together well. Just as I went to take the first shot, I accidentally clipped the ash with the camera strap and knocked it off. As you can see, even after hitting the ground, the ash held its shape. I took this as a sign of good, solid construction.
The first third was earthy and woody, then moved into a chocolaty and coffee taste, which was very nice. The middle third really kept me on my toes, as the flavor and aroma seemed to change with every few puffs. From chocolate to leathery to toasty and back to... well, just a classic, good, rich tobacco aroma. The burn stayed consistent throughout, requiring no touch-ups on my part.
During the last third, the Gold went from teacher's pet to bad-boy as the pepper really started to take hold. My tongue tingled as the spice came on full force and held until the end, as I said my farewell with about 3/4 of an inch left when it got a bit too hot to handle.
So thanks again to xerais for letting me try a very well-rounded and well-made cigar. The array of flavors definitely didn't let my palate get bored, and it was a good way to end a day, that well, needed to be ended.
I pulled out a CAO Gold Maduro, which was generously gifted to me by xerais about a month ago, pulled on my jacket, whistled for my dog Mandy, and stepped outside to relax and enjoy a smoke on an otherwise beautiful night.
I'm happy to say, I was not disappointed.
At first glance, this is a beautiful cigar. One noticeable vein to be found, but very good overall construction. The cut made me do a bit of a double-take, as in the dim light of the street light in my front yard showed me just how tightly wrapped the filler is inside this thing. I apologize for the poor picture quality here, but hopefully this shows something:
With the tightness of the construction, I was expecting the draw to be tough, but I was pleasantly surprised by a nice, even draw instead. The pre-light scent was very pleasing, nothing but good rich tobacco aroma. It lit well, and burned very evenly, with each minor aberration self-correcting within a matter of a few puffs. The ash was a very tidy salt and pepper grey that held together well. Just as I went to take the first shot, I accidentally clipped the ash with the camera strap and knocked it off. As you can see, even after hitting the ground, the ash held its shape. I took this as a sign of good, solid construction.
The first third was earthy and woody, then moved into a chocolaty and coffee taste, which was very nice. The middle third really kept me on my toes, as the flavor and aroma seemed to change with every few puffs. From chocolate to leathery to toasty and back to... well, just a classic, good, rich tobacco aroma. The burn stayed consistent throughout, requiring no touch-ups on my part.
During the last third, the Gold went from teacher's pet to bad-boy as the pepper really started to take hold. My tongue tingled as the spice came on full force and held until the end, as I said my farewell with about 3/4 of an inch left when it got a bit too hot to handle.
So thanks again to xerais for letting me try a very well-rounded and well-made cigar. The array of flavors definitely didn't let my palate get bored, and it was a good way to end a day, that well, needed to be ended.
