Hey all!
Back again after a busy summer (more on that later). Fall weather is starting to settle in here and the leaves are almost all fallen. Hunting season is upon us and soon the snow will be flying. Something I don't even want to think about!
But this past summer i was able to put a few reviews in the ole cigar diary and I am now shifting into putting them up on the blog.
Today's offering is the CAO Flathed 450
I was able to pick this beauty up at a new smoke shop on the Akwesasne Mohawk Reservation. I will get more info on that place as soon as I get permission from the business to take some pics. These gems were around the $4 mark if memory serves me well, and they are worth every penny!
I must say this is one oily dark maduro wrapper that has a nice sheen! As it's name implies it has a flat head and is boxed pressed, meaning it's body is square and not the typical round shape.
The Foot has a pig tail? I have never encountered this in any cigar other than it being on the head of the cigar, but the foot?
How do I even handle this? Do I burn it or cut it? In the end I decided to just peel it off.
The band came off with little effort and no damage to the wrapper. I find that so important when getting ready to smoke a cigar, so kudos to CAO for that small but quality effort.
The body of the cigar smells light and sweet. The foot smells chocolaty with a good deep inhale.
Not thinking, I cut the head in my usual manner, cutter flat on the table with the head inserted straight down, SNIP! Dammit! Because the head is flat, cutting it in this manner cuts too much of the cap off causing the wrapper to unravel. With this cigar it would be best to use a punch cutter or maybe a V-cutter.
With a quick fix with chapstick, we are back in business in no time.
Effortless prelight draw tastes of rich tobacco flavors.
Lighting it up I get a bit of black pepper and toasted nuts.
It is a real pleasant taste to this cigar and by the time I am 1 inch in, the pepper has built up a little more with a bit more chocolate on the back of the tongue.
But the burn is turning a bit uneven.
As you can see in the next pic the ash is pretty flaky and dirty layers. And the good thing is that the burn is evening itself out.
At this point, the tastes are pretty consistent with the exception of a building chocolate taste.
I been waiting for the ash to fall off , but it seems pretty firm despite it looking so flaky and layered. So I tap the ash off revealing no cone. Disappointing......I like to see a cone. But this in no way affects the great taste of this cigar.
After the tap, my cigar goes out. Not sure what caused that as I am not neglecting it.
So I relight.
I would like to remark that this little cigar puts out a copious amount of thick billowy smoke.
With the exception of a couple changes in flavor intensity, this cigar is pretty straight forward. It is medium in taste as well as strength.
It has a pretty clean finish with the exception of a slight lingering woody taste on the end.
Buzz Rating on this one is 6 out of 10
I got a buzz while smoking it but by halfway through it mellowed out to the end.
Overall Rating I give a 4.5 out of 5
It was quite a pleasant cigar!
Well that's all for that cigar! And soon you will see what I have done with my summer with a coming blog. "Building your own Cigar Lounge"
So stay tuned and till next post...................PEACE!
