Review: CAO Flathead 554 Camshaft

I have had a couple of CAO cigars in the past, I reviewed the the CAO Gold Label Robusto some 7 months ago, this was a good stick, but for me a little lacking in impact and the richness of flavour that I really like. Today we have another CAO cigar and I am hoping that it has a little more punch and flavour, so lets take a look.

Appearance 9.0/10

The cigar has are really nice box press, and is almost perfectly rectangular, this makes it very comfortable to smoke. The wrapper is a nice dark Maduro, it has a slightly mottled toothy quality, and has an oily sheen to it. The band is a little on the large size for my taste, and I feel a little over the top, but the silver and black colour scheme does look good.

Construction & Draw 9.0/10

The cigar is very well constructed, the wrapper has some small long veins, the cap construction is very good, but because of the box press its a little difficult to see where the cap starts so I would advise you to cut as close to the end as possible (I did and managed to get a clean cut with no unwrapping). There were no soft or hard spots on the stick, and it was well packed with tobacco.

The draw on this cigar was excellent, it was pretty much spot on not too tight or loose. The burn line was straight but a little askew for a few inches, but was generally very good.

Flavour 8.5/10

This cigar had the kind of flavour profile that really appeals to my palete, far more than any previous CAO cigars I have had. Initially there was a peppery taste along with some leather, cocoa and some coffee, I could also detect a little sweetness that reminded me of caramel. The flavour profile changed over the length of the cigar, with the balance of the various flavours changing as you progressed which made the entire experience very interesting, as you kept wanting to find out which flavour would come to the fore.

The strength of the cigar also changed, initially I would say that the cigar was medium strength. medium body, but as you progress through the stick the strength and body increased, until towards the end of the cigar it was medium-strong to strong for both. Its almost like the cigar was preparing and acclimatising you ready for the strong finish, very nice.

Value 8.5/10

This cigar as a single retails at around 7.25 USD, at this price I think it offers pretty good value for money, there are quite a few other really good cigars around this price, but I think the CAO holds its own, whilst not be spectacular value for money.

Summary 8.5/10

This CAO really surprised me, there was a lot more going on than in previous CAO cigars that I have had, I really liked the flavours, and I also enjoyed how the strength and richness of these flavours developed and increased as I progressed through the stick.

This is a cigar I would have again, and if I had any room in my humidor at the moment I would think about getting some more, and laying them down, as this is a cigar I could see myself returning to again and again.

Review: C.A.O Gold Label Robusto

I only just discovered that C.A.O cigars seem to have pulled out of the UK market, so this review may be for a cigar that you will now find difficult to obtain. There may be a few left at the back of a shop humidor somewhere, otherwise you will need to take a trip outside of the UK to get them.

Appearance 7.5/10

The wrapper is light brown, and quite well constructed. There were number of small long veins in the wrapper, cap construction was good but not outstanding. Pre-light aroma was mostly tobacco and wood. The band is quite flashy, but the gold colour does match the light tan on the cigar well.

Construction & Draw 8.0/10

Construction is good, its a firm cigar well packed with tobacco, the draw on this stick is excellent. The burn line on this cigar was razor sharp all the way to the end, at no point did I have to correct the burn.

Flavour 7.5/10

My pre-light draw suggested a woody flavour, and this is exactly what I found when I lit this cigar. Its a mild to medium stick, it has a strong tobacco taste with a definite woody note, and I would also describe it a creamy. The ash on this cigar was tight and over an inch was visible before it fell. The second third of the cigar has a slight peppery hint to it, but other than this the flavour did not really change throughout the entire length of the cigar.

I think the best way to describe this cigar is relaxing and unchallenging.

Value 7.0/10

When this cigar was available in the UK it cost around 10 GBP, this seems to me quite expensive for such a mild and simple cigar, for only a few pounds more there are a number of more exciting robusto cigars (e.g BRC).

Summary 7.5/10

I did enjoy this cigar, it was a simple and relaxing smoke, its slightly one dimensional, but sometimes something easy and relaxing is just what you need.

If your someone that starts the day with a cigar (I am not, I only smoke a cigar once a week) this might go well with your coffee, as a gentle start to the day.

This cigar would probably make an excellent introduction or first cigar, as its good enough to show someone the basics without overpowering them. Its just a shame that you cant seem to get them in the UK anymore.