Marco-Polo
Go Irish Go!
Cigar: CAO L'Anniversaire Cameroon
Vitola: Robusto, 5x50
Wrapper/Binder/Filler: Cameroon/Nicaragua/Nicaragua
Executive Summary: A very smooth medium smoke, well constructed and flavorful. Recommended. 8.6/10
Preamble: Last night, my wife and I went to the first lecture in the Philadelphia Speaker Series, Steve Forbes. I realize you have to dumb down basic finance to reach a general audience, but I hadn't realized that supposedly well-informed adults thought you could stave off bankruptcy by WISHING REALLY HARD. Now I need a cigar and a strong drink. Unfortunately, all I have is the cigar. Fortunately, it's a good cigar, the CAO L'Anniversaire Cameroon.
Appearance: Very nice box-pressed cigar. Wrapper is the color of milk chocolate, no variation in color or mottling. Texture is smooth and slightly oily, excellent characteristics for a Cameroon leaf (which can look pretty beaten up). Wrapper is extremely smooth, with only one very small vein apparent. Box-press is slightly rectangular, not square. Barrel of the cigar is uniformly firm, with little variation between points. Label is black on a gold background, clearly legible, distinctive and modern, none of the ubiquitous cigar-band rococo mess. Easy clip, easy prelight draw. 9/10 - just about the highest possible with a Cameroon wrapper. (NB. that's not mold on the wrapper, that's ash - it picked up a few smudges after falling into the ashtray.)
Flavor: First third is woody/nutty, mild-medium intensity. Spice is sweet, perhaps cinnamon or nutmeg. Plenty of thick, white, and aromatic smoke.
Second third is primarily roasted, coffee or cocoa. No bitterness, extremely smooth. Like a lot of cameroons, there's a sweet top note and the spice is more woody (like cinnamon and nutmeg) than peppery (like, well, pepper). The smoke is pleasant to draw through the nose; wine guys will know what I mean when I say that this cigar has a much stronger nose than body in the 2nd third. Which is not at all a bad thing. There's a place for artful and subtle.
Final third increases proportionally in power. Roasted flavors have completely replaced the woody start at this point. The sweetish note, like caramel or honey, increases in strength. Smooth through to the last 3/4 inch, when I started worrying that my fingertips might be contributing to the roasted aroma.
Loses points for lack of complexity, but still a very nice cigar. 8.5/10
Construction: Ash is white to light grey with the odd darker stripe, and is firm although not extremely solid. Burn is very straight across, even when unattended. I left it burning for 5 minutes after the 2nd third, and stayed lit and continued to burn straight. The draw has slight resistance, but no more than that - essentially perfect. The last inch and a half burns a little hot, but on the other hand, it is the last inch. 8.5/10
Vitola: Robusto, 5x50
Wrapper/Binder/Filler: Cameroon/Nicaragua/Nicaragua
Executive Summary: A very smooth medium smoke, well constructed and flavorful. Recommended. 8.6/10
Preamble: Last night, my wife and I went to the first lecture in the Philadelphia Speaker Series, Steve Forbes. I realize you have to dumb down basic finance to reach a general audience, but I hadn't realized that supposedly well-informed adults thought you could stave off bankruptcy by WISHING REALLY HARD. Now I need a cigar and a strong drink. Unfortunately, all I have is the cigar. Fortunately, it's a good cigar, the CAO L'Anniversaire Cameroon.
Appearance: Very nice box-pressed cigar. Wrapper is the color of milk chocolate, no variation in color or mottling. Texture is smooth and slightly oily, excellent characteristics for a Cameroon leaf (which can look pretty beaten up). Wrapper is extremely smooth, with only one very small vein apparent. Box-press is slightly rectangular, not square. Barrel of the cigar is uniformly firm, with little variation between points. Label is black on a gold background, clearly legible, distinctive and modern, none of the ubiquitous cigar-band rococo mess. Easy clip, easy prelight draw. 9/10 - just about the highest possible with a Cameroon wrapper. (NB. that's not mold on the wrapper, that's ash - it picked up a few smudges after falling into the ashtray.)
Flavor: First third is woody/nutty, mild-medium intensity. Spice is sweet, perhaps cinnamon or nutmeg. Plenty of thick, white, and aromatic smoke.
Second third is primarily roasted, coffee or cocoa. No bitterness, extremely smooth. Like a lot of cameroons, there's a sweet top note and the spice is more woody (like cinnamon and nutmeg) than peppery (like, well, pepper). The smoke is pleasant to draw through the nose; wine guys will know what I mean when I say that this cigar has a much stronger nose than body in the 2nd third. Which is not at all a bad thing. There's a place for artful and subtle.
Final third increases proportionally in power. Roasted flavors have completely replaced the woody start at this point. The sweetish note, like caramel or honey, increases in strength. Smooth through to the last 3/4 inch, when I started worrying that my fingertips might be contributing to the roasted aroma.
Loses points for lack of complexity, but still a very nice cigar. 8.5/10
Construction: Ash is white to light grey with the odd darker stripe, and is firm although not extremely solid. Burn is very straight across, even when unattended. I left it burning for 5 minutes after the 2nd third, and stayed lit and continued to burn straight. The draw has slight resistance, but no more than that - essentially perfect. The last inch and a half burns a little hot, but on the other hand, it is the last inch. 8.5/10
