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Cigar Review: CAO America Limited Edition

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CAO America

Today, for the Fourth of July, Independence Day, I have a CAO America Limited Edition Box Press. The America uses tobacco from different countries including America. I straight cut the cigar and am having water.

Blend Specifics

  • Size: 5.5×54 Box-Pressed
  • Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro & Connecticut Shade
  • Binder: Brazilian
  • Filler: Dominican, Nicaraguan, Italian, & American

Appearance & Construction
The CAO’s patriotic label bears the nation’s colors red, white, and blue and has United States eagle emblem on the foots band. The cigar proudly states America! The pinstripe wrapper and construction is exceptional. There are no soft spots on the America. The body of the cigar has wood, tobacco, and vanilla. On the foot, there is coffee and wood. The cold is firm with coffee, spice, and wood.

Flavor & Smoking Characteristics
CAO’s America opens with vanilla and berry. Coffee joins these flavors about an inch into the cigar. The cigar has an uneven burn in the first third. As I now enter the second third, the burn begins to even out. Coffee, nutmeg, and bittersweet chocolate now are the prominent flavors. On the final third nutmeg, cinnamon, and leather come out. The America is a medium body cigar with creamy smoke.

Conclusion
The CAO America is a creamy smoke with a standard flavor profile associated with connecticut and maduro wrappers. For fans of CAO, I recommend trying this cigar. Overall, the America is a patriotic cigar to celebrate the Fourth of July.

Grade: B+

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Cigars Back in Style at the Wellesley London

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Cigars smokers in London (traveler or otherwise) now have one more location to light up at: the Wellesley Hotel in London. The hotel, which will open in November of 2012, will feature a large outdoor terrace and a cigar lounge boasting “one of the largest collections of cigars sold on a stick-by-stick basis.” Not only that, there will be an entire wall dedicated to Whiskey and Cognac, as well as a jazz room, though it is unclear whether cigar smokers will be allowed to smoke there (I’d guess not).

Judging by the photos in the article on hotelchatter.com, it looks like the hotel will be ideal for cigar smokers visiting the city who have a bit of extra cash to spend.

Read the full article here.

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Announcing the Red Witch from East India Trading Co.

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Greggory Mottola from Cigar Aficionado writes on the CA website that the East India Trading Co., a subsidiary of Gurkha, is releasing the “Red Witch”, which is a new box pressed cigar that will debut next month. No photos of the cigar yet, but we’ll try to get one up for you soon.

From the release:

“Named after a trading ship from the British rule during the 1800s, Red Witch features an Ecuadoran rosado wrapper, Dominican binder and filler tobacco from Nicaragua’s mountainous region of Jalapa. Housed in rustic 50-count boxes, Red Witch will be available in three sizes: Robusto, 5 inches by 52, Rothchild, 6 by 54, and XO, measuring 6 by 60. Retail prices are expected to fall in the $4.99 to $6.39 range.”

With a retail price between $5 and $7, it should be a cigar to keep your eye on.

Read the full article here on Cigar Aficionado.

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Cigar Review: Regius Lord Madsen

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Regius Lord Madsen

It’s always a pleasure to review new product (good or bad) on the cigar market, so when I finally got my hands on some Regius cigars, I was excited. For this morning smoke, I paired with a cup of coffee. From the website:

“This cigar has a light body, aimed at those who prefer a subtle taste and aroma. It has an elegant flavour, with hints of coffee and hazelnut overtones. The cigar is named in honour of a cigar loving ‘elegance arbiter’.”

Blend Specifics

Wrapper: Nicaragua

Binder: Nicaragua

Filler: Nicaragua

Size: 6 x 38

Appearance & Construction

As far as appearance, this cigar is pretty much flawless. The wrapper has light oil, some small veins, and a gorgeous band – black, gold, and red. Under “Regius” is, in latin, “Arbiter Elegantiae,” which means “Arbiter of Elegance.” For you history buffs out there, you would be interested to know that the Arbiter of Elegance was actually an official position of the Roman government under the Emporer. As the title suggests, the arbiter was the final say on matters of style, aesthetics, and anything relating to beauty. For a cigar to put that on its band is making a pretty bold statement, so I looked forward to seeing if this cigar lived up to its claim.

Taste & Smoke Characteristics

This cigar erupts with some really great flavors upon lighting up. Nuts, coffee, hints of dark chocolate, and brownie on the retrohale. The texture of the smoke is smooth and creamy, but with a nicely balanced spice. This cigar is not mild bodied as the website suggests. This is a solid medium, which at times borders on full. Very enjoyable, however, is the complexity and balance of this stick: the cream and spice play off of each other nicely, and all through the smoke the notes of dark chocolate, coffee, and nuts took turns on center stage. In the second half of the cigar, a sort of floral note is introduced.

Conclusion

This cigar will keep you on your toes. It is smooth, complex, and flavorful. As skeptical as I was, this indeed an elegant cigar that I could smoke over and over, especially in the morning. Pair this with a cup of coffee, or with an equally complex red wine. Stay away from full-bodied pairs.

New York cigar smokers can purchase this cigar at the Nat Sherman Townhouse on 42nd and 5th Ave. or at Davidoff of New York.

Final Grade: A

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‘Cigar Marine’ Runs for Congress

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Just read a really cool story from the Armchair General. Apparently, Nick Popaditch, the man famous for his stogie smoking pose in Operation Iraqi Freedom, is running for U.S. Congress for California’s 53rd Congressional District as a Republican. His famous victory pose with a stogie and Saddam Hussein in the background made media rounds all across the country.

Armchair General gives some really great history on cigars in American politics, and tells a bit of the inspiring and tragic story of this soldier, including the RPG injury that cost him one eye and the vision of his other.

Read the full post here.

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