Reviews by Keith

We've been pushing for this blend for years, 4 years to be exact. Ever since the CAO Black was released, the gang here at CI has clamored and lobbied CAO for a juicy maduro like this to complement the original Black. The long wait has been well worth it, as the 'VR' has arrived....and they're fabulous. These beauties glisten with an oily sheen. I'm a sucker for a box-pressed finish, so I tend gravitate to the Full Fathom Five size (although this size is a one-time addition to the line). It looks like a candy bar, with its chocolate brown wrapper....and a pre-light sniff of the foot delivers a highly pleasurable blast of spice that awakens the senses - ahhhhh - making me thank the heavens above for all that's good and holy. Everone agrees, upon lighting and right on down to the nub the aroma is distinctly leathery while the slight but pronounced spice through the nose is undeniable. CAO Black 'VR' offers ample complexity. As it burns its merry way down the barrel of the cigar it consistently delivers a steady dose of cedar. It gets progressively heavier in body yet manages to retain its smooth and creamy core. The wrapper feels a bit wet, so a few days in a dry-box prior to smoking does it wonders, and if you can be patient a few months of additional box-aging will turn a highly enjoyable smoke into a supremely pleasurable one. I love it - and there's little doubt that 'VR' is going to be a major horse in the CI stable.

If you're looking for an economically-priced golf course cigar, this is it. Over the years I've been asked a million times for a 7" cigar that's mild enough not to be intrusive, enough flavor to be interesting, and a cost of less than $1.25. While it might not fly with the chardonnay-and-brie crowd, for around a buck apiece I'll tell ya, this does the job every time. 

The maker, Luis Tomas Mendez, is not a household name among cigar enthusiasts. That's not for lack of experience in the industry, as he's been a grower and dealer of tobacco for years. Recently he began manufacturing cigars as well, with a factory located in Tamboril, Dominican Republic. His experience as a grower causes him to use great tobaccos in his blends, and this little number is no exception. The fillers are all Dominican while the wrapper is Connecticut-seed with a very smooth texture and slight sheen. It's got a slight nuttiness, some oaky flavors, with a balanced and consistent character. The reduced price might give you pause, but if you're looking for an affordably-priced handmade with flavor, try Brocatus. 

Hey, given the price/value it probably deserves a better rating than this.

When you're inside CI headquarters, even if you're not looking for cigars, boy, cigars sure do find you. This place is a 49,000 square foot playground chock full of handmades, and resistance is just about futile. That's the position I found myself this past Sunday. I ran to the office with a plan to get a few things done and a promise to my wife to speed back home without delay. But on my desk was a box of 5 Vegas Series 'A', the Archetype size. Ooooooh. This toro is gorgeous. A pitch black Costa Rican wrapper, oils beading off, individually wrapped in cedar sleeves. Rolling it between my forefinger and thumb, my thoughts were racing. Risk the scorn of wife and family by not coming home, or stick around and light one up? This ethical dilemma continued for a moment before I succumbed to the inevitable charms of the 5 Vegas 'A'. After all, I asked myself, am I not human....do I not bleed? Having justified it in my mind, I lit it up. Oooooh. 3 cigars later, not only did I spend a productive afternoon at the office but I enjoyed every second of it.

This is a cigar that you could smoke all day: after one is done you just want to light up the next ....and it continues like that, it's like having one long cigar. The most distinctive thing about the 5 Vegas Series 'A' blend is the undeniable smoky, charred character - so appealing. The interplay of the Costa Rican maduro wrapper with the complex long leaf filler blend creates an almost decadent cigar. In body it's somewhat heavy, and it offers a very rich and dense flavor profile, including dark chocolate, almost espresso-like notes. The charred character and toasty aroma imbeds itself in your nostrils and by the end, you're ready to spark another....and another. To me, this blend is cigar heaven.

Oh, and how about this: looks as though we'll be receiving two new special sizes in the next couple months, the Apocalypse (6"x58) and the Atomic (4.5"x54). Dream the impossible dream!

The idea for Java was conceived in Allentown, PA. I know that ain't sexy, and you might rather believe it was divine inspiration one day in Central America when Jonathan Drew and Rocky Patel were inspecting tobacco plants in the vegas of the Jalapa Valley....but it's the truth.

It was May 2, 2004, and all the major cigar manufacturers were here in Pennsylvania for CI's annual mega-herf called CigarFest the day before. Any cigar maker worth his salt came to the event, attended by a ton of raving cigar nuts. Anyway, the day after the event a small group of cigar makers - the cigar glitterati - were sitting in the lobby of some crappy hotel waiting to catch flights. Among the group were Rocky Patel and Jonathan Drew. These two guys became so absorbed discussing a new project they were trying to collaborate on that they changed their travel plans to extend their Allentown odyssey for an extra day. They spent the next 24 hours in that crappy hotel talking and brainstorming. See, Drew Estate is the king of infused cigars, known for ACID, Kahlua, Natural, etc. And at that time, Rocky's RP Vintage was just starting to skyrocket in popularity, and Rocky was searching for a new product to add to his line. He wanted an unconventional, subtly flavored cigar unlike anything else on the market, and Drew Estate was the only maker that could pull that off. After the idea was conceived there was months of blending, and Java was born. How do you describe this kind of cigar? This may sound like a distinction without a difference but Java is not a flavored cigar per se. It's imbued with the flavor of gourmet mocha. Not injected, sprayed, or one of the other countless ways they make most of the cheap flavoreds. Instead over time the flavor is allowed to absorb into the tobaccos prior to rolling. The result is a cigar with more nuances, one that's more refined, slightly sweet with mocha-like flavors. It's not a syrupy, gooky mess like many flavored cigars end up. Instead Java retains a crisp tobacco flavor that is not overwhelmed by the infusion of mocha. To me, this cigar is like a sorbet. I like to cleanse the palate between my voluminous consumption of more conventional cigars.