NAME: CAO Nicaraguan 

DATE: 5-1-2021 

RATE: 90 

PRICE: $6.50 

STRENGTH: 1  2  3  4  (5) 

REVIEWER: Aaron M. Paoletta – www.lavegalounge.com 

  

CAO, not a brand that I have in my book to often. Why? Well, plain and simple, I cant stand their cigars. Most of them are just “OK” and the rest are clogged, lacking in flavor…... I could go on and on, However, there was one cigar by CAO that was complete shit the first time I tried it. Then, a rep from CAO was in the local cigar shop I was in and asked me what I thought? After I answered, he gave me another. The Cigar was the Pilon and I’ll say this, it was defiantly better than the first one. After that experience, I decided to try all CAO cigars. Thank God I decided that, because I would have never had the chance to try the CAO Nicaraguan. Brothers and Sisters of the Leaf, here it is, The CAO Nicaraguan. 

Its hard to be a Cigar Journalist if you aren’t willing to test all cigars. The hard part is, you tend to start to develop a palate for certain sticks are brands. Its common. Being willing to put those feelings aside is easy to do when you get excited about cigars in general. That being said, The CAO Nicaraguan is pretty flawless from first sight and the price will not break the bank. 

Lets start with the band. Blue, basic and thin paper. Typical CAO cigar band, but what lies underneath will catch you off guard. It has a fantastic aroma with notes of earthy oak and a mild straw note. The dry draw yields the same notes and unlike most other CAO cigars, the draw itself was impeccably clear. 

So far the only thing that has me a little leery is the wrapper and that’s only because its Honduran. It has a wonderful collection of Nicaraguan fillers from Jalapa, Esteli and Condega. 

At first light, Im sold. This cigar started off fantastic, boasting notes of Roasted Almonds and a splash of wet leather. About halfway through the 1st third, there is a mild note of black pepper that comes in but this subsides as I roll into the 2nd third. Everything remains the same with the exception of the leather really does stand out and there is a hint of fresh oak. As I get through the final third, the leather is still at the for front and the cigar just reached its full strength. 

All in all, not a bad stick. I'm glad I tried it and I will say this, this would be a great golf cigar. Tasty enough to enjoy, cheap enough that if I damage it or lose it, I wont be pissed off.