CAO is a great brand; they understand the importance of interacting and keeping in touch with their consumer base. This marketing scheme is a fun one from them; purchase a tin of 3 cigars and go online to vote for your favorite, and the winner of the three will be put into production.

I have been looking forward to this fun challenge, and found a place nearby that sells them. I started with the “O” by random; it was the one I grabbed from my humidor first.

On initial light and puff, the cigar is quite peppery and bity producing a peppery nip in the mouth and with the aroma through the nose.

However, the cigar tames and levels out before the first third into a mild, smooth taste which remains consistent throughout the smoke.

The draw is very smooth and cool into the mouth, with an initial rich tobacco quality that isn’t overbearing. Holding the smoke in the mouth yields more flavour than a puff, consisting of a smoky texture with deep earthy notes. Retrohaling brings out a more smoked wood and smoked-nut flavour with just the slightest peppery nip, especially through the nose. An aftertaste of cinnamon and sweetness are left behind.

The aroma is very nice, being cool to the nose with a slight peppery nip. Rich earth and a deep tobacco quality is prominent with some slight citrus layers and occasionally a herbal quality crops up along with a hint of cinnamon.

Overall if this this was a $2 cigar I’d purchase a box, it’s an easy consistent smoke that’s quite enjoyable, but because the overall cigar doesn’t evolve and have much of a life, it’s not an exciting cigar to smoke. I’m looking forward to the other two however.