Cigar Reviewed: CAO Black

Smoked at: Minnesota

I'm generally a big fan of CAO. The Brazilia is probably my favorite go-to, with several of their other lines making it regularly into my rotation. This one doesn't do much for me. For a Connecticut shade-wrapped cigar, it's got a heavy dose of white pepper, especially in the first third, that cancels out a lot of the gentler advertised nuances. A lot of bitter tones that override what I'm looking for in the profile. I've had trouble with the wrappers on all three of them I've smoked, as well. Wide open draw with a lot of smoke, which isn't great because it doesn't taste very good. Not a cigar that I really enjoy any more than a gas station White Owl. Shrug.