POSTED ON CIGAR NEWSGROUP THIS AM
CAO MX2 Toro
6.0 x 54
Purchased at local Pipe World
W: Conn Broadleaf Maduro B: Brazilian Maduro F: Nic, Hon, DR, and Peru
I saw these in my tobacconists humidor, and had to see if they lived up to
the hype. They are currently limiting people to 2 cigars per person, so I
picked up 2 Toros.
This is a beauty, for sure. It has a dark, milk chocolate brown wrapper,
with a light, oily sheen to it. The seams are all clean, no major veins or
imperfections. The cap is slightly off center, but it only serves to
emphasize this is a hand made product. It feels very firm, almost hard,
with no soft spots anywhere.
It clipped cleanly, with no tobacco crumbs. Pre light draw was medium to
firm. It toasted evenly, and lit up nicely.
The flavor and smoke are both pretty light to start out. There is a hint
of dark chocolate that maduros sometimes have, but the main characteristics
are light, and smooth. It also seems to have a very light natural
sweetness to it.
About 1 1/2 inches in, the flavor starts to build, and the smoke becomes
more substantial. It is still very smooth, and very pleasant. There is a
little tanginess building in the flavor, but the dark chocolate maduro
flavor is still there.
The ash is mottled light grey, tends to be kind of on the light side, but
holds for about an inch and a half before breaking off cleanly. The burn is
close to perfect.
At a little over the halfway point, the flavor begins to pick a coffee
character. The chocolate note is still there, but the flavor becomes more
complex. I still don't detect any cedar or wood to it, but the primary
components of chocolate, coffee, and a rich earthiness are all there,
without any bitterness. As I got close to finishing it, I felt just a faint
hint of nicotine towards the back of my pointy little head.
Overall, I'd say CAO has another winner on their hands, IMHO. Despite the
marketing hype, this actually is a pretty good cigar. It stayed tasty all
the way to the nub, and never grew bitter or unpleasant.
8.5 out of 10
MARK
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