CAO or Alec Bradley. Or ave maria or infused

CAO gets a lot of hate and most of it is well deserved. For me though I do like both the Flathead and Steelhorse lines, particularly the 50 and under Rg's. But they need a good bit of time to come around.
AB for me only the Magic Toast and Prensado and likewise needs lots of time to mellow.
Haven't enjoyed anything from my limited time with Ave Maria.
Infused.........not for me

I like an occasional Foundation Upsetter or Gurkha infused (although most people aren’t too fond of either.)

Regarding CAO, I liked the Brazilia and I hear the Amazon Basin is great.

I liked Ave Maria back when I first started smoking, but they don’t do anything for me these days.

I really enjoy the CAO Brazillia, Amzon Basin, and the Arcana Thunder Smoke -

Most of the AB stuff is meh for me, the Prensada is fine, the lost art it prob my fave of them but never something i seek out. Ave Maria is great as a yard gar when i dont want to think about it or worry about if i need to relight it cause i am doing something and not paying a lot of attention to it. most of the Ave Maria stuff i probobly couldnt even distiguish which is which blind as they are all about the same and very little complexity or transition.

Infused is a whole other catagory. most on here hate them but they are the gateway for many cigar smokers. the Acid stuff is good if you dont mind the srong flavors and a littel perfume in your smoke. the Kuba Kuba Maduro, Toast, Extra Ordinary Larry, Cold Infusion and the Acid 20 are the only ones i ever buy anymore and usually only 1-2 a year at this point. i can not stand the fake choc taste of the Java cigars by DE but some love them... if you want cheaper options i actually started smiking cigars witht he Tatiana line, the cherry is my fave and still smoke one for nostalgia about once every 2 years or so. the Tatiana 25th Anniversary is also really good but i dont think it is actually infused.

My fave infused line is the Tabak Espeical and specifly the Red Eye. a little sweet, coffee with cream and sugar flavor but not over done and the only infused i regulary smoke.

if you want to expand in the infused like cigars try the deadwood fat bottom Betty or sweet jane.. while not actually infused most people think they are due to the flavor and aroma output.

CAO???

They're THE masters are creating a first run cigar that makes you want to buy more of them. Their problem is that if you're looking for consistency of that 1st experience you will be sadly disappointed and it only goes down from there. I learned waaaay back with the Odyssey line. Great cigar. Won an auction a year after the last one...the single box coffin was the only thing recognizable with the repeat purchase. Then the Criollo line. If you didn't get the box with the miniature shelves...you got a 2nd run and it was NOT the same. The 1st run had the closest to the ISOM experience as I've ever had. The lip and tongue tingle...the even burn...even the ash. Having learned from that I bought what I could while I could. Once they ran out...the repeat of that was a sad sad disappointment that was a complete and utter let down. They they brought back the Extreme line that got me to even purchase a CAO product. The maduro was spectacular. The newer release had none of the chocolatey flavor. Wasn't strong at all. The burn ran like a fricking canoe. When the family was done wiping their ass with the namebrand so was I.

AB...meh. Went to a few vendor events back in the day. Lit one up and left it burning in the ashtray. It was that bad and never got any better.

I strongly believe that AB older stuff is horrible but new stuff is good, especially at sales prices. Lost Art / Prensado, Tempus Maduro, Family Lineage Maduro are good in their price range.

Feelings ? Mine get hurt when someone says my pictures on the wall are crooked !

Magic toast is just fine, and the CAO Amazon and Brazil hit it perfectly for me. The AM were a staple of mine early on, after I got through the infused stage. They are just fine too, and usually surprise me at how much I enjoy them, though I maybe have one a year

They get pretty bad though

For cao I can smoke most of them but I guess my favorite is the Nicaraguan. It’s not strong. Bout medium with some floral flavors and ****
Alec Bradley I can smoke most of them. My favorite is the superstition Medium again and I thought they had a bit of complexity to them.
I don’t really like infused stuff I guess I like tasting what blended tobacco can do.

Ave Maria Well I haven’t smoked too many the ones I have smoked I’ve hurried for the last 5 plus years. They are very bold and in your face. I like strong cigars occasionally but for me they’re just too in your face. Hopefully in time they chill out a bit and I will smoke them

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🇨🇮 Just had my first Liga Privada #9

It was probably one of the top cigars I’ve had the pleasure of smoking!!
Just wanted to share my experience. Can’t always do this but will definitely be having another one soon.

Well Scooter, here is your tip of the day….
Check this place every day.
Because every now and again, they do something like this…

https://www.cigarbid.com/a/drew-estate-liga-privada-no-9/5293229/ 

Wish I had placed a bid for two boxes, but to be honest, didn’t think my low bid had a chance.
This lot just slipped thru the cracks…