CAO CX2 - Cigar Review

PROLOGUE

I'm pretty proud of me today. Tickled rather pinkish, actually. I do so think the official inaugural Cigars City w/ Kap & Anthony went so swimmingly. Huzzah, gentlepersons. To party like it's 1999, I opted to smoke --

THE CIGAR

CAO Cigars - CX2
Cameroon wrapper & binder
Colombia & Nicaragua fillers
5 x 52 Robusto

Courtesy of www.CigarsCity.com. Check 'em out.

A Cameroon wrapper AND binder? Should I be smoking this in a plastic bubble stuffed with packing peanuts? Kid's gloves, anyone? I digress.

All's I'm saying is this sounds like a delicate operation. Re-digress... Here, have a flourish --

PRE-LIGHT

Leathery. Veiny. Rustic marbling with a rich oily sheen on a chocolate complected canvass. The peek-a-boo panties looking wrapper is neat in its black shiny PVC look with gold borders and lettering. This cigar looks like any number of things one might do whenst the kiddies finally go the hell to bed. For all the aforementioned veins, non seem to foretell a hindrance to the burn and neither do they hamper the hand-feel. Foot tobacco has a lively deep red hue to it with some dirty blonde high-lights. Shows a soft or at least spongy side of medium density. Cap is quite nicely done.

Hand-feel, now that ya mention it, Kap -- is a good tick drier than it looks like it'd be. I remove the band carefully to take the whole stick in and -- it broke. Totally came undone. Unrecognizable as a cigar. Just kidding. The Robusto size is always comfy and well-balance. There is a dry roughness. Charmin squeeze shows a soft spot in the 2/3. Overall a medium density pinch. The more I finger the thing, the neater it feels, and the more alive it feels.

Schnoz notes on the shaft are minimal and of mainly complex tobacco things. Lots happening at the foot, too. I'm intrigued. I feel as though I'm about to read a mystery novel. I do hope it's a Kinky Friedman go. What a writer! You want more deets on the smells? All inherent in the tobacco are sweet spices, coffee, chocolate...and there's a nice addition of chicken shit at the foot. Some herbs, too.

Earlier today, I was looking for an old Horse Racing handicapping book to leaf through. It was a particular one (I have many) but I could not, sadly, dig it up. In fairness, I could not remember its name or its author's, but I'd have known if I saw it. Which, as told, I did not. I did, though, find a Schrade Old Timer 8OT three blade pocket knife. I use this now to shuck the cap and -- the cigar breaks. Completely unwraps then literally evaporates before my very eyes. Just kidding.

Draw is a sweet -medium resistance thing. Notes that mimic the nose, minus chicken shit and more herbal and now floral notes. Almost a cooling sensation.

LIGHT

10:20pm
Toasting the foot sets off an aroma of pine needles and leather. The leather is like a rough hewn loin cloth. Seriously sexy. First hot pull is pine wood and mocha. Lotsa smoky smoke. Second pull is a pepper type thing with a very crisp finish of almost citrus. Third pull is a move from pine to herbs and a reinforcing of mocha with the intro of red spices sprinkled on it. A creaminess is filling in the mouth-feel with a nice sweetness and a bit of tingle.

Dead even burn. Salt and pepper ash with a pepper emphasis. Looks kinda flaky but I don't need my usual schmata/hankie because I am wearing one. A three sizes too big ratty bathrobe I've had for nigh a decade. Aside from smoking jacket, it also serves as my dressing gown, PJs, house coat, and lingerie. Molasses comes in on a fourth pull and we are very much in --

ACT I

I dig the pine needle to pine wood to herbal somewhat circular transitioning. Pepper is now perhaps more of a staunchly seasoned mix of woods both hard and soft. Ok, there is pepper on the finish, a long and complex finish which starts mocha with red spice topping and moves to a more spicy affair while maintaining its sweet essence. I actually feel the mocha might be disassembling into distinct chocolate and coffee notes. Black pepper does join in on the retro-hale and is somewhat floral. Leather is a very nice and quite high backing. There's a straight up sugar note on the immediate draw, which lays nice on the lips and palate. Creamy, yes, but not heavy of a mouth-feel.

I keep eye-balling the burn. It's meshuga perfect with a thin+ line. Ash continues its flaky pepper-salt hold. And as I type that, it clumps off at a hair past a 1/2". Warm and very flaky.

Primary notes are woods, mocha components, and sweet spices floating in airy cream. Secondarily, there is a hard to pin down herbal element, lemon pepper, and far off floral note. Backing is leather and falls a bit but holds, offering a nice depth. Finish now adds a yellow to red fruitiness.

I am very much enjoying this. Even its coarseness is nice. I feel it in my throat a bit, but not in a catchy sort of manner. Coarse ground pepper. It's purposeful, aand that is a welcome addition to this CAO -- as I feel much of it is accidental.

Profile is across-the-board medium. At the end of a retro-hale is where the flowers and fruits are.

ACT II

To say it's unchanged as the midpoint approaches is somewhat unfair. No new notes or ebbing or flowing occurs; but the order of delivery alters on nearly every pull. It's too much to express here, but you get the gist. I 'spose.

At the half, the pine resurfaces but in a nutty way and it becomes reminiscent of a pine nut cookie. Coarse pepper is put back in the grinder and lemon subdues. Milk chocolate ramps up. Red spices sweeten on the draw, but on the retro-hale, they sharpen. Remaining lemon finds and enhances floral notes. Sugary and now honey-ey(?) Very nice mouth-feel. Cleaner finish than before, and well shorter legs. A bit of sweet sharpness whisks it away.

Smoke out-put is full. Room note is a pine nut and loincloth thing of very niceness. Ash makes it to an inch and I roll it off to show a more well-oiled and formed affair. More salty colored than pepper now. Burn ribbons a tick but is well even, it's line a medium thickness. It seems to slow a tick. Lemon returns to pepper on the retro-hale. We're jumping all around. It's nice, but not relaxing. I wanna chat it up with pals, not meditate. But if ya meditate well enough -- you're always in a meditative state.

Medium profiled still. Draw is same as ever. Construction is stronger than I've ever seen outta Cameroon. I marvel at the thick white smoke all around me.

ACT III

Suddenly very cedar now. Kind of a double-barrel transition. Pine hides. Lemon sours a tick as it amps up two, all while retaining its sweetness. Remember Lemonheads candy? Smoke warms my chest. Flavors move to a medium+, body and strength stay at medium. Strength perhaps notches down, actually. Sugar heats up. Flowers bloom. It's sorta exciting. There's a new fruitiness off the foot-smoke. Pepper goes coarse again. I feel as though this is a good offering to pair with swinging from tree-to-tree. Chocolate fades low.A new earthy backing lifts the leather to a secondary note. Other nuts are added to the pine nuts, roasted.

Burn wavers and corrects sans re-touch. I'd say the profile has jumped to a medium+. A sweet charring is occurring, it touches the sugar in particular. Very nice. I'm amazed at the construction of this CAO, Cameroon or not. A fantastic chew sets in. Fruits touch red and drip their juices onto the earthy note.

The band doth approach and I think I'll see yous in a few, as I reach for a toothpick...

NOTES

This CX2 went from kink to swinging in the trees. I guess it just took the kink outdoors.
The orchestra could have used a more assertive conductor. I'd have liked to see a greater delineation amongst the red spices.
A very somehow naughty stick.

PAIRINGS

NOT A THING. Although a kind mistress with perfumed heals to gently grind into yer nethers...

LESS SCHTICK MORE STICK

Mellow: A whore in church
Coarse: Potpourri is rough
Sweet: Yea, verily
Spicy: Sweet assaults
Savory: Not quite
Strength: Goodly
Draw: A bit loose but in keeping
Burn: Primo
Construction: Primo
Primary note: Oy vey ...

FINAL GRADE

****A****

EPILOGUE

11:25pm
I threw the nub into my rose food bucket, then dove after it. Stuft it into my bathrobe pocket for sweet dreaming.

KAP'S LOCK PICKS
PORTLAND MEADOWS
12/29 noon gate (Pacific)

1-2
2-6,3
3-5
4-5,4
5-9.7*
6-8
7-4*
8-7
9-1
10-2