IgwanaRob
I'm just 2 people short of a threesome
- Joined
- Jun 8, 2005
- Messages
- 2,210
Had smoke before dinner, so I decided to do a little review from a newcomer's point of view. Keep in mind I am as newbie as it gets, so don't expect any poetic descriptions from my developing taste ;-)
CAO L’Anniversaire Maduro (Tubo No. 1)
Construction/burn:
Opening this up, it's a very smooth and great smelling stick. Soft to the touch, and springy - maybe a bit too springy, which I'll talk about at then end. It's a very solidly constructed, and with some oddities the burn was even throughout. Ash stayed fairly solid and went just over an inch the first time, and just under the next few. Here's where the oddities come in - for the first 2/3's of the stick, every time the ash fell it would go out. I had to re-light 3 times. After the second repair, the ash seems to burn inside the stick and leave the wrapper untouched - I had to fire it up a few times to get the wrapper to level off with the interior ash, and once it finally leveled off in the final 1/3 the burn remained even and consistent.
The experience:
The draw on this is the tightest I've come across in my [very] limited experience. The initial flavor was barely even perceivable, and after lighting I had to check to make sure that it actually was lit because the mild taste made it difficult to tell how much smoke I was drawing. The strength of this, on the other hand, was immense. After 3 pulls my mind was swimming and my head was spinning. I had to take this one very slow to prevent that spinning from making me dizzy. The re-lighting after each ash drop was cumbersome, but as with all good thing the final outcome was worth it. The finish of this stick is where it all happens. The flavor comes out and jumps around a bit, both in the mouth and the aroma of the smoke. It's hard to believe this was the same stick I had lit up initially. The strength leveled off to an enjoyable mild-medium level that was contrary to the start and much more enjoyable. The pleasant feeling after putting it down for the last time was a worthwhile exercise in relaxation.
Notes:
What I think may be the cause of the odd burning is over humidification, which may be indicative of the very springy feel of this stick. I'm about halfway through the salt-test, and it appears to be at least 7% over, which would put the estimated RH at about 75% in my little desktop. This would makes sense when taking into account emodx's suggestion about the bands on my CF-SG's (read that here). The only thing that throws me in my assumptions is that this was kept in it's tube since I bought it during the week. I've already ordered some of the Heartfelt beads (70%) so I'll be able to level things off in a more controlled fashion, but I'm thinking I might go for the 65% when viper gets settled in.
Verdict:
Based on the most likely imperfect conditions of it's short stay in my humi, I don't think I can give a definitive verdict, but I would not object to trying this one again if I had a better specimen to sample (that sounds weird
). If a properly cared for stick makes the entire smoke as good as the ending, without the burning oddities, I would jump at the opportunity to try another one of these. As it stands, overall this stick is almost the exact opposite of what I would like; overly strong with a flavor a little too mild. On the other hand, it appears that this stick is not up to the normal standards that people have of this brand based on the limited and conflicting reviews at Top 25 Cigar.
Anyone else have any thoughts?
Edit: Just to note, the shop I bought this from has a big walk-in, and several hygrometers 'hidden' on the shelves - pretty constant at 71°/64%.
CAO L’Anniversaire Maduro (Tubo No. 1)
Construction/burn:
Opening this up, it's a very smooth and great smelling stick. Soft to the touch, and springy - maybe a bit too springy, which I'll talk about at then end. It's a very solidly constructed, and with some oddities the burn was even throughout. Ash stayed fairly solid and went just over an inch the first time, and just under the next few. Here's where the oddities come in - for the first 2/3's of the stick, every time the ash fell it would go out. I had to re-light 3 times. After the second repair, the ash seems to burn inside the stick and leave the wrapper untouched - I had to fire it up a few times to get the wrapper to level off with the interior ash, and once it finally leveled off in the final 1/3 the burn remained even and consistent.
The experience:
The draw on this is the tightest I've come across in my [very] limited experience. The initial flavor was barely even perceivable, and after lighting I had to check to make sure that it actually was lit because the mild taste made it difficult to tell how much smoke I was drawing. The strength of this, on the other hand, was immense. After 3 pulls my mind was swimming and my head was spinning. I had to take this one very slow to prevent that spinning from making me dizzy. The re-lighting after each ash drop was cumbersome, but as with all good thing the final outcome was worth it. The finish of this stick is where it all happens. The flavor comes out and jumps around a bit, both in the mouth and the aroma of the smoke. It's hard to believe this was the same stick I had lit up initially. The strength leveled off to an enjoyable mild-medium level that was contrary to the start and much more enjoyable. The pleasant feeling after putting it down for the last time was a worthwhile exercise in relaxation.
Notes:
What I think may be the cause of the odd burning is over humidification, which may be indicative of the very springy feel of this stick. I'm about halfway through the salt-test, and it appears to be at least 7% over, which would put the estimated RH at about 75% in my little desktop. This would makes sense when taking into account emodx's suggestion about the bands on my CF-SG's (read that here). The only thing that throws me in my assumptions is that this was kept in it's tube since I bought it during the week. I've already ordered some of the Heartfelt beads (70%) so I'll be able to level things off in a more controlled fashion, but I'm thinking I might go for the 65% when viper gets settled in.
Verdict:
Based on the most likely imperfect conditions of it's short stay in my humi, I don't think I can give a definitive verdict, but I would not object to trying this one again if I had a better specimen to sample (that sounds weird
). If a properly cared for stick makes the entire smoke as good as the ending, without the burning oddities, I would jump at the opportunity to try another one of these. As it stands, overall this stick is almost the exact opposite of what I would like; overly strong with a flavor a little too mild. On the other hand, it appears that this stick is not up to the normal standards that people have of this brand based on the limited and conflicting reviews at Top 25 Cigar. Anyone else have any thoughts?
Edit: Just to note, the shop I bought this from has a big walk-in, and several hygrometers 'hidden' on the shelves - pretty constant at 71°/64%.
