CAO CX2 - Belicoso

Size: 7 x 56
Wrapper: Cameroon
Binder: Cameroon
Filler: Nicaraguan, Columbian
Body: Medium-Full
Strength: Mild-Medium
Humidor Time: 5 Months

My experience with Cameroon wrappers is not enough to distinguish if I enjoy them or not. From what I can remember I have had a couple, but I do not remember if I liked them or not. With the experience I have had withCAO, I am now questioning as to why I decided to pick The CX2 to review for a Cameroon cigar. I will go with the excuse that since this is a double wrapped Cammie, I will get a good grasp of flavors and decide whether I like and will look for other Cammies to smoke. With this being such a long cigar, this will probably be a long entry.

From the start I am impressed with the looks of this cigar, the wrapper is flawless, the torpedo head is perfect, the scent is a mellow cocoa, and the stick is firm with a nice springy bounce. There is a mild spice on the wrapper and it feels toothy on the tongue. This cigar is packed with a lot of tobacco, the cap was a bit tough to cut through and the draw is firm. The prelight draws presents a lot of grassy flavor. As I look at the cigar before lighting, I am thinking to myself that this is going to be a long smoke.

With the first draw after lighting, I get a distinct charcoal flavor, but I am surprised with how smooth and creamy the smoke is right from the beginning. The aftertaste is very pleasant reminding me of heavily creamed coffee. Even with a firm draw I am able to get an abundant amount of smoke out of this cigar. This guy is really presenting a strong flavor profile, it definitely is not lacking. I am not used to lighting a larger ring gauge cigar, so I had to reapply the flame twice to make sure I am starting off with a nice even burn.

With the burning starting to reach the body of the cigar, I am getting a great amount of woody coffee flavors, hidden in the background is a sweetness and lingers after exhaling. The ash on this is white and holds well as I tap it off at one inch, as of this point the burn is even. The smoke is really thick and mellow, at this point I am not getting any acrid flavor I usually find in CAO cigars, also I am finding this cigar quite enjoyable.

Into the body, the smoke becomes rather toasty and robust. I keeping getting a flavor I am unable to figure out. The smoke of this cigar is strong, trying to exhale through my nose proved to be a bad idea, but I was able to find out what that mysterious flavor is. I am getting a caramel touch, which is the sweetness I have been enjoying in the smoke. The toasty flavors are remaining strong without ever turning.

The background flavors have been turning on and off between caramel and coffee. As I start to enter the half way point in the cigar, I am starting to pick up some of the acrid flavors that I have found in CAO cigars. Purging the cigar helps, but the acrid flavor does not go away completely, instead it hides out with the background flavors, which is okay as it does not disrupt the coffee caramel, it is allowing me to continue to enjoy the toasty woodsy flavor.

Final third of the cigar, I am still getting the acrid flavor and having to purge often, but after the purge the flavors are still good. This continued through the end of the cigar, take a draw, purge then set it down, and I would repeat the process, doing so I was able to avoid any unpleasant flavors.

My final thoughts: If I had let this cigar sit for a few more months, the CAO acrid flavors may have been avoided. I am not all that bothered that I did not wait longer, I thoroughly enjoyed this cigar. I had to devote over two hours of my time to be able to smoke this monster and I am pleased that I did. I have read that Cameroon wrappers have some spice to them, but I did not pick any up during the smoke. This was a medium to full body and mild to medium strength cigar, mid afternoon to evening is a great time for this one, heck during a herf would be great as this will provide lots of flavor and not much is needed to keep it going. The burn held straight for the whole smoke, never needing a relight and it never smoked hot, even with multiple draws. I recommend this CAO CX2.

I like this Cameroon Wrapped Cigar.

Appearance 2- I Like It
Construction 3- Excellent
Burn 2- Perfect
Ash 2- Solid
Flavor 3.5 - Not quite perfect, more time was needed in the humidor
Smoke Profile 2- Smooth Easy and Nice
Aroma 2 - Enjoyable, this is not overpowering, nice and mellow


=16.5 Points!!