Staff Reviews
CAO 'VR'
Well folks, another Thanksgiving is in the books! I hope you all enjoyed your time with friends and family and I certainly hope you found time to enjoy that all-important Thanksgiving Day cigar! I know I did…3 in fact. Funny though, of the cigars I had selected for my Thanksgiving enjoyment the one that stood out head and shoulders above the others was none other than the CAO ‘VR’. I packed my humi with a few select personal favorites and grabbed a few of my VR’s for that inevitable request from my wife’s cousin, “hey man, did you bring any extras?” (you know how that story goes, right?) and off we headed to the in-laws for a day of gorging, imbibing and stories about family members I’ve never met. When said conversation ensued I was only too happy to volunteer to head outside and operate the old turkey fryer for an hour knowing this would be a prime opportunity to light up a cigar and enjoy the peace and quiet of a beautiful fall day. I left my smokes inside but had a spare humi packed in the car and after managing to the get the turkey-fryer fired up I snuck off to the car and grabbed me a CAO ‘VR’ Moby, clipped the foot and lit’er up.
Truly a cigar that can be described as pretty, the ‘VR’ is as oily as it is dark and oh so toothy. I’ve had this box since we received our first shipment back in June of ’07 and the additional aging has done wonders to the tobacco within. Off the start the first few draws are creamy and rich with distinct chocolaty undertones and a sweet finish. I should mention that the ‘VR’ is manufactured by the famed Torano family whose attention to detail and focus on producing a quality product is second to none. So it came as no surprise that after two inches in the burn was as straight as could be with an ash as solid as concrete. Reaching the 1/3 mark some peppery “tinglies” are noticeable on the front and sides of my mouth as the Moby begins to change a bit and pick up some strength. The fryer finally reached 350 so I grabbed the bird and dropped it in. If you’ve never fried a turkey I highly recommend trying it at least once. It’s surprisingly violent and rather amusing to watch the entire pot shake. As I continued smoking my Moby I began thinking of what else I could chuck into the old fryer just for grins… When I finally refocused my attention back on the ‘VR’ I realized that it had mellowed tremendously. The spice and tinglies were gone. In their place rich, leathery notes of chocolate and coffee coated my palate leaving me wanting more but alas, the end was near.
As the evening wore on I smoked the remaining two Moby’s that I had brought along with me enjoying the same experience each time. Ironically I readily gave up some much pricier smokes to friends and family just so I could keep the CAO’s for myself. Just goes to show you that you don’t have to spend a bundle to get a damn fine smoke!
91
Romeo y Julieta Viejo
Every time I’m at some kind of function or party that my wife drags me to, amidst other pleasantries someone always seems to ask the obligatory question of what I do for a living. Once in a while, the questioner is a genuine cigar guy, or a genuine cigar guy’s wife. The rest of the time, their reactions to my reply invariably fall into one of 3 categories:
1) “Wow I didn’t know people smoke cigars anymore. Weren’t they popular 10 years ago and then disappeared?”
2) Disgust, ranging from mockery to scorn. As if I just clubbed two baby seals right then and there.
3) Fella who consumes a cigar once-a-year saying he loves cigars. Usually accompanied by Restless Mouth Syndrome affliction: “Got any Cubans? I smoke cigars all the time. My favorites are Mackonoodle and Caheebos. Have any samples? How about that Monica Lewinsky, eh? Har har har.”
I’ve always thought of Romeo y Julieta as brand you generally stock in your humidor to have handy for the Restless Mouth Syndrome type of fella - highly recognizable brand name, smooth in body and, depending on which blend, a reasonable price to boot. But recently a few solid additions to the Romeo lineup have elevated this brand in the minds of cigar nuts, notably Reserve Maduro, Real, and my favorite, Romeo Viejo. Why Viejo? For the most part, Romeo blends tend to be pretty mellow. Viejo offers a solid flavor profile with some meat on its bones.
Now, I'm barely fluent in English, but with my little bit of Spanish lingo, Viejo means old. A fitting name, since the tobaccos are extensively aged. But it was also back to the brand’s Cuban roots with the old school packaging: simple but elegant cabinet-style, slide-top wooden boxes and traditional gold rectangle Romeo y Julieta bands of yore.
Cello off and in the hand, this baby is positively drool-inducing. It’s seriously box-pressed with crisp corners and adorned with a lovely, deep, dark candy-bar looking maduro wrapper. This lovely leaf hails from the lush San Andreas Valley of Mexico. Moist with plenty of sweetness on the tongue, I’m mclovin’ the pre-light. Inch one is relatively uneventful but the burn is spot-on and the draw impeccable. The smoke is relatively thin but it releases enjoyably copious quantities with each puff. The initial taste I would characterize as heavy spice through the nose but only a touch on the tongue – the spice quickly mellows into a smooth, cool smoke. The body remains medium and the flavor pleasant yet subtle. Notes of smoked wood and the subdued spicy-sweetness remain noticeable. As the cigar burns down, I keep waiting for a big finale – for the cigar to burst with richness – but ultimately was let down on that front.
In sum: RyJ Viejo burns as straight as an arrow, smokes cool and slow, and is smooth with good flavor. Downside, it’s a touch one-dimensional. My expectations were perhaps too high based on its appearance and promise. But a straightforward, unchanging flavor profile is often just what the doctor ordered. In fact this is an ideal golf cigar – richness but not too heady, nice thick wrapper, burns true, with flavor that’s consistent throughout. So if you're looking for a well-made, smooth maduro for 5 to 6 bucks – Viejo is your huckleberry.mildmild
87
La Herencia Cubana
If you read Keith’s review on this cigar, you understand the debate behind it. If not, it seems to be a love or hate blend. While most of our customers enjoy it, some do not....and our retail store has been marked as a meeting grounds for their (seemingly) weekly debates. Ever since Keith wrote his review last month, I have received a steady stream of emails asking me what my take is. Why? I have no idea. I’m just cigar-crazed goofball with spiky hair. But here goes!
First off, let’s talk looks. La Herencia is a blend of Nicaraguan long-fillers inside a Sumatra-seed wrapper grown in Ecuador. Like most Ecuadorian wrappers, this leaf is smooth and oily. However, it maintains the dark hue and almost-leathery trait of a good
Now, let’s get into the smoke itself. The opening is quite creamy, with a heavy dose of toast and wood. Every now and then some hefty spices enter the fray, but they are quickly diminished by the smooth, lingering aftertaste. After about an inch, the flavors seem to mellow a bit, but the strength does quite the opposite. Ahh....welcome to Nicaragua, please enjoy your stay. The flavors are balanced, but rich, releasing a deep, aromatic smoke with some body behind every puff. The smoke coats my palate, leaving behind the slightest tingling sensation. The toast and wood remain, but I am now picking up a trace of coffee bean. The smoke is all over me, with a zesty, cedary element. The peppery aspect of this cigar is beginning to build with each puff as the cigar approaches the midway point.
I’ll be honest with you. My head is starting to swim a bit. I’ve burned through enough of these to know it’s medium to full in body. However, every now and then one really seems to kick me in the knees early on.
The cigar ends in a big way, with all the flavors (except the coffee) fighting for supremacy. Quite a nice ending for such a subtle, yet sophisticated cigar. Now that it's done, here's my take: it's not the best cigar on the planet, but I have to agree with the majority here, and I'll continue burning them.
While reviewing this cigar, I thought about the love-hate relationship people seem to have for it. And believe me, these types of relationships occur with many brands, even some of today’s best. I think there are many times when enthusiasts give up on a cigar after just a few minutes, not knowing how the cigar might change in both flavor and strength during the burn. While the first inch might be boring, the final 4 or 5 inches might be fantastic....but, some people might not last long enough to get there. Worst part is, many won’t give the cigar another chance after chucking the first out the car window. One, stop littering. Two, give cigars a chance, you might be surprised!
88
