Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano Rosado
Binder: Connecticut Broadleaf
Filler: Nicaraguan, Honduran
Size: 5.5 x 54 “Roadie Gran Robusto”
Body: Medium/Full
Price: $5.85

I’ve smoked the CAO products for many years; I’ve come to realize that if you want the full intent of the blender, you must be patient and allow them to rest several months prior to smoking. A lot of reviewers don’t get that and give so so reviews on CAO cigars that are too green to smoke.

So here I am….reviewing a cigar that was released quite a while ago. I believe at the 2012 IPCPR Trade Show. So, roughly almost a year ago, I bought a box and now they are ready to be smoked and reviewed.

Cigar Aficionado had some kind words for this cigar. It was given a 90 rating and their comment: “Earthy coffee notes and woody flavors achieve a tasty balance. The wrapper is dark and oily, and the burn and draw are even and substantial.”

CAO blends are great cigars on the condition you understand they need proper respect and attention. And by that, I mean leave them alone. Forget about them. And then one day, many months later, dig deep into your humidor(s) and dig them out.

I particularly like this concept cigar because of the rock n roll aspect. It’s pretty cool even for a jaded musician like me. It would have been even cooler if the guitar imagery was a bass guitar instead. But that’s quibbling.

There are four sizes for this blend with cool names: Amp (5.5 x 46), Solo (5.5 x 50), Roadie (5.5 x 54) and Stage (5.5 x60). The box is supposed to look the infamous Marshall. But in truth, it looks like any number of guitar shredding machines. But still cool, nonetheless. They also state that the bands showcase Fender-like guitars. Fender-like is exactly the appropriate description. With today’s massive variance of custom made guitars, it could be anything. Just about the only Fender still used by the pros is the Stratocaster; and usually a very old one.

Fenders that came from the 1950’s, are in vogue due to the sound they create compared to the mass produced Fenders make in Korea or China.

The cigar is solid as a rock with a tiny amount of give. Seams are mostly invisible with a few barely showing. Lots of veins…some of them Frankenstein-like. The cap is sloppy. There is a very nice oily sheen on the wrapper and it is as smooth as my bottom.

I clip the cap and look for aromas. Being close to a year old, the aromas are very mild so I clip the cap hoping for something to really stand out. There are spices, cinnamon, sweet tobacco and raisin.

I light up.

A huge blanket of sweet tobacco washes over my palate. With some honey accompanying it. The cigar is very smooth. There is a big flavor of buttered toast. The most definitive description of that flavor component than in any cigar I’ve smoked.

There is also some cocoa and coffee…and then the spiciness begins. It starts at the back of my mouth indicating black pepper. I cannot tell the difference between black and white pepper in a cigar. The tastes are very subtle and even harder to distinguish in a tobacco element.

The draw and the char line are perfect. The body begins at medium. The sweetness really directs the profile of the cigar. It is a floral and a honey sweetness. It is very appealing. Even at the one inch mark, the cigar has become complex. It has a deep earthiness and follows up with a deep richness.

I guarantee that this cigar did not taste like this a year ago. This is what the blender wants us to taste. This is what they put their heart and soul into producing. And then dumb fucks review them 20 minutes after they get them. And report they are blah. Ptooey on them.

This size is about my limit of what I appreciate. Big cigars have a hard time seeking out their profile, even after a long time in your humidor.

Just past the one inch mark, some creaminess shows its head. Nice. And the packed tobacco is allowing the ash to really hang in there…with almost a razor sharp char line.

A fruitiness appears as the first third comes to an end. It’s part honey and part plum.

A seam comes loose near the foot and I use my cigar glue to repair it. And all is well. The ash finally comes loose just past 1-1/2”. Nice.
The spiciness has remained mild as I close in on the halfway point. Creaminess, sweet tobacco, honey and plum continue to be at the forefront. The cigar continues to be medium bodied.

Flavors are beginning to become bolder as I enter the last third. The flavor profile, while limited to only a few components is really becoming a real treat. The cigar’s complexity is nicely done and is well balanced. It has a long finish.

I reviewed an $18 La Palina yesterday. And that cigar doesn’t come close to being as flavorful as this $6 cigar. I applaud CAO for their good sense by making this cigar readily available, financially, to everyone. It is more proof that you don’t need to spend a fortune on a cigar with major mystique behind it. Those usually let me down.

I remove the band. It is certainly one of the most unique bands out there. I can’t decide if I want to try and flatten the thing or take a photo of it rolled up. Flattening bands is a real pain in the ass and my hat is off to the reviewers who accomplish this.

The ash has only broken off once. One third to go and the current ash is hanging tough. This is a cigar you don’t want to end.

The strength is moving on up. It is officially full bodied now. The nicotine is giving me a buzz.

I prefer cigars that slowly build from medium to full. First, they prepare you. And second, it is not a shock to the system from Puff #1.
I’ve invested a good hour to get to this point.

Flavors are bold. But nothing has been added. And nothing has gone away. The flavor profile is very consistent. I like that. Often, that last third will see flavors disappear.

As the cigar slowly disappears, it has proven to be an excellent cigar and one I would gladly buy again.

And now for something completely different:

What better platform for me to tell you another disgusting rock n roll story from my past.
What can I tell you about that I already haven’t muddied the waters about already?
I’ve written this story before so my regulars can just bypass this section.

As I said in an earlier story, The Todd Hart Band was the official Hell’s Angel band of Arizona in the late 1990’s. All because, Todd had the grand poobah as a neighbor. Plus, we were a smoking band. A power blues trio.

As I’ve said before, I had a concealed carry permit in Az. And I always wore my .45 cal Glock in the small of my back while playing the Angel’s gigs. I wore a black coat to conceal it.

It is legal to carry openly in Arizona and all the Angels carried. But they were complete idiots about knowing anything about gun safety or even how their guns worked.

The gigs attracted at least 100 Angels and their bikes took up entire parking lots. There was always a squad of 5 Angels armed to the teeth to protect their babies. One day during a break, I went outside to smoke a small cigar.

I kibitzed with some of them…and most were pretty stupid. And it was at that moment, I lost my mind.

A lot of them wore the cool Don Johnson holsters where the butt of the gun faces forward and the gun is parallel to the ground. A very dangerous way to carry a gun if you’re not an expert.

Studies have shown that in a fire fight, police officers will fire 2.5 shots before getting their gun from their holster to the point and shoot position. Adrenaline. So the proper way to pull the gun from the holster was complicated to make sure your background didn’t get any wayward shots.

You pull the gun directly out of the holster and twist your hand so the gun’s barrel is facing the ground. You then bring the gun to the lethal position without firing as you bring the gun up. This isn’t easy in a panic situation.
So what did I do? Schmuck.

I lined up about 8-9 Angels wearing that rig on the sidewalk, and like Patton, instructed them how to draw the gun safely.
I was very active in gun society back in Mesa. I took a lot of classes and even had a mentor who was an NRA instructor. So I knew shit.
Then, in a flash, it dawned on me.

The Angels are bad men. They traffic in drugs and guns and who knows what else. It is only obvious that some federal agency had infiltrated the gang…in fact, maybe more than one. And he was watching me show the Angels how to shoot safely.

Du-oh! I never did that again….and in the couple months following this incident, I told Todd that I didn’t want anything to do with these assholes. I quit. This was just too dangerous for a lousy “C” Note.

Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS