CAO Cigars Flathead V21 in Review

lo-fi & lovely

CAO Cigars Flathead V21 in Review

WRAPPER: Mexican San Andres
BINDER: Connecticut Broadleaf
FILLER: Nicaraguan, Dominican

FORMAT: "Carb" (660) box-press
ORIGIN: STG Nicaragua
INTENSITY: Full

NOTES:
Wood-Leather | Black cherry | Hazelnut

Aggressive but by design; so not a flaw. An "abbreviated" fermentation process is a nice way to say I get a little ammonia where taste meets flavor in the schnoz. However, I also get a neat-O Dr. Pepper Cherry vibe and something like a fleshy hazelnut. Finishing out the primaries is a wood-leather thing--two notes, inseparably delivered. The wood is ~hickory, the leather, boot. A bit of a dusty trail. Road dirt slapped off a leather motorcycle vest.

That wood-leather forms a dense core of which the other top-notes orbit. In the further-flung regions of this galaxy exist baking spices, a bit of a mash bill, and a moor-full of unworked earth. Finishes in an elongated ghosting of undertones. Quite heavy & dense a profile. Weighty. Not entirely balanced. Moderately complex and less deeply nuanced than expected. I keep seeing Lemmy singing up-into his mic; throttle & throat open. My palate has a tick of road rash.

So how does this baby handle said road, if ya will? First, with a razor-thin straight char. Dense af pale ash sheath. Superb draw. Assemblage of seams, cap, shoulder holds fast, mimicking a white knuckle ride. Quite the smoky-smoke, though somewhat lacking in aroma, as that ammonia seeps in there. If you wanna smoke Rock n Roll, here it is. An adrenaline-laced thing that firmly applies balls-to-wall. Simple; and simply exhilarating. I'd prefer less excitement--this, in a smaller vitola. But I was born to be mild.

TASTE: B
DRAW: B+
BURN: A-
BUILD: A-

FINAL GRADE: B+
A 90-100 B 80-89 C 70-79 D 60-69 F 0-59

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