CAO Brasilia Versus Italia:Artistry of Champions:Brazilian Flag Perfecto

I seem to to be review a lot of rare item recently, I have some other rarities on my pipeline. Well today I bring you the CAO Brazilia Perfecto. Like its Italia sibling both of them are somewhat rare and are part of CAO's Artistry Of Champions Humidor. I also have yet to see I review on this particular cigar, so this is also a little bit of a comparison review to the Italia. Let's see how these cigars stack up.


SPECS-
Size-7x47
Wrapper-Brazilian Maduro with Candella and Conn. Bands
Binder-Nicaragua
Filler-Nicaragua
Cost-$20
Cut-Straight
Smoke Time-1 hour and 15 mins.
Drink-Coke over Ice


FIRST IMPRESSIONS-The first thing I noticed when I picked up the cigar was its smell. The cigar just oozed of a aromatic cedar. Second was the wrapper, it glisten with oil and the somewhat spotted maduro is a sight to look at. At close inspection though the triangle in the middle of the cigar is slightly green. Now I don't if it was originally Candela that got discolored or if it was a Conn. leaf that turned slightly green. The foot had also I interesting aroma of a sweet spice almost like clove and the tickler head had a nice aroma of aged tobacco. The construction is also a great piece of art and with a good cold taste of a nice subtle hay this cigar begged to be smoked.


FIRST HALF-As soon as the cigar took the flame it presented a great deal of a deep earth and chocolate flavor that I haven't experienced before. The black pepper was also deep and slightly sweet adding to the overall profile of the smoke. The spice is slightly stronger than the Italias but I like the profile. Exploring the chocolate flavors I could detect a slight roasted coffee undertone and the earth had a nut undertone. The ash never really hung out for very long but the burn was always straight with only 1 touch up needed.


LAST HALF-Once the burn line reached the Conn. portion of the cigar I thought the smoke couldn't get better. The overall flavors had a nice toasty finish and a few hints of a roasted caramel that slightly tasted of toffee. The main flavors never really changed trough out the cigar, after the main Conn. strip was gone I was reintroduced to the original Maduro. The maduro now got slightly darker and lost all its complexities, a new leather taste was produced along with a soy sauce finish. Though interesting it wasn't my cup of tea and after a few puff I felt I was satisfied by the cigar and set it down.

FINAL IMPRESSIONS-I think I might have to eat my words here. I never thought a Italia could be better than a Brazilia. But after smoking the Trumpets of the same humidor set I quickly found out that the Brazilian wrapper gets rather too dark and almost harsh when taken in large doses. Which one is better though you might ask? I think they're both equally good. The Italia for those who prefer a milder and less complex smoke and the Brazilia for those who can pick up on subtle tobacco subtleties easily and prefer a darker smoke. I can see me picking up another vitola (If I could) and smoke it after a Christmas or Thanksgiving dinner. So if you have one of these cigars and holding up for a special occasion but can't decide on when to smoke it, I hope I helped.

RATING-94
Buy It Again? Yes
Suggest It? Yes

CAO Brasilia Versus Italia:Artistry of Champions:Italian Flag Perfecto

Ah rare cigars, or rare anything really. Nothing out there in world has more prestige then something that is rare. Today I bring you the CAO Italia, not just any regular ol' Italia, but what I think is THE Italia to own and to smoke. This cigar is 1 outta 5 special vitolas that CAO made back in 05' to show their master rollsmanship and a tribute to their flagship brands. These cigar we're all shipped in a special commemorative box that retailed $100 and only 2000 of these boxes have been made. I was lucky enough to get a hold of one of these boxes, these things are so rare that trying to find any info on these is pretty much next to impossible. As far as I'm concerned I'm the first one ever to review this vitola and I plan to do it justice. So in to the deep abyss of CAO I go!

SPECS-
Size-7/46ish
Wrapper-The Center Piece is a combo of-Maduro,Candella,and Conn. Natural Wrapper
Binder-Honduras
Filler-Italy,Nicaragua,Peru
Cost-Around $20
Cut-Straight
Drink-Iced Tea
Smoke Time-1 hour and a Half

FIRST IMPRESSIONS-At first glance this cigar is a piece of art. The lines are very neat. The Italian flag center piece is in perfect squares, though at the reverse side the Candela strip is slightly discolored probably due to uneven sun exposure. The wrapper on this cigar is very oily and almost veinless giving the cigar a silky appearance, the sweetly fragrant cedar on the leaf just adds to this masterpiece, its almost a shame to smoke it. The foot of this cigar smells of peaches and the cold taste produces a perfect draw of sweet peach and cedar.

FIRST HALF- The cigar took the flame very well, at the first puffs the cigar opens up with a super smooth and creamy nut taste with a slightly salty cedar finish. The black pepper profile in this cigar was blended to a T, it hit the nose smoothly and never overstayed it's welcome. As the cigar progresses one can notice its very simple taste. There's nothing too complex, all the flavors are well homogenized and play off each other well. Once the smoke reached the flag centerpiece the flavors got simply sublime, along with the original main flavors small touches of chocolate and caramel were hinted with a touch of a toasted bread finish.

LAST HALF-As the longest ash feel a slight flavor switch was made. A deeper caramel flavor is added along with a deep espresso. The smoke becomes less creamy and smooth but the smoke is still soft on the palate. The construction is still holding up well and the ash is a very even and never flaky. Touch ups on this cigar were kept at a minimal but there was only a slight flaw on this cigar. During this last half the flavors didn't progress much they just stayed the same, though a pleasant taste of leather was added towards the end. The slightly salty cedar is also a minor complaint on this cigar, the saltiness sorta builds up in the back of the throat and just becomes a little too much.

FINAL IMPRESSIONS-This in no doubt in my mind the best CAO I ever tried, also one of the best cigars I have ever had and the best Italia out there. The tastes this cigar produced were very easy to follow and I'm sure any palate could appreciate the cigar. As much as I'm sad to see this cigar go, as one of my main center pieces in my humidor, I'm much happier now that I've smoked it. This Italia is also one of the better Vitolas in the B.vs.I box. I've smoked the trumpets and the Bratalia(the centerpiece) and I believe those are much better off left alone as pieces of art. I now cannot wait to taste the Brazilia Flag Perfecto and see how it compares to this majestic stick.

RATING-95
Buy It Again? If I could I would
Recommend It? If you can get your hand on 1 make the plunge, you won't regret it.

Arturo Fuente:Hemingway:Between The Lines

After going through some of my past reviews I was surprised to see that I didn't review anything remotely rare. Well today I bring you the Hemingway Between The Lines. I originally planned to age this cigar, but with me moving to a new house and a bottle of Baileys on a sunny day I couldn't think of a better time to smoke one of my rarities. This cigar was first conceived by Cynthia Fuente who wanted a cigar that was flavorful but yet not harsh. The BTL is only released on Christmas season on very limited quantities and to only a very lucky few. This limited window to get a BTL only adds tinder to the hype machine that is Arturo Fuente and like many Fuente's, getting one of these for the MSRP is very hard. But tobacco is tobacco,it comes goes, and today here's my attempt to review one.


SPECS-

Size-4.5x54
Wrapper-Connecticut Shade and Maduro
Binder-Dominican
Filler-Dominican
Price-$13.95
Cut-Straight
Smoke Time-45 mins
Drink-Bailey's Over Ice


FIRST IMPRESSIONS- This cigar in short words is just neat. The wrapper is very clean and almost veinless. The double wrapper seam very close together, one could think that the Fuentes grew a Wrapper leaf that is multicolored when analyzing the overall neatness of the cigar. The nearly smooth wrapper presented a succulent aroma of cedar and slight hay. The cold taste produced a very good draw that showed a bit of earth and slight chocolate truffle, the natural sweetness of the wrapper leave left a good taste on the lips. The craftsmanship of this cigar is pretty much perfect.


FIRST HALF-The nipple end of cigar was very easy to light and even with the slight breeze I was having the cigar took a flame really well. At the first puffs the cigar produces a unique taste of creamy cedar that I never experienced. The cedar produces a undertone of hay which itself has an undertone of black pepper. The profile is very mild and smooth producing subtle tastes of ripe peanuts and a nutmeg finish. There's not much going on on this first half. The main flavors of hay and cedar play on each other and sometimes highlight and outshine each other leaving the smoker with a very interesting experience. The burn is good and with a room note of sweet honey this delicacy can definitely be attributed to the touch of a woman.


LAST HALF-This cigar isn't very big on flavor spectrum. The main flavors of this cigar never really change. But what does change is the texture of the smoke. The cigar goes from a creamy wonderland to a Oreo cookie splendor. Towards the end of the cigar the smoke leaves and feels like a hearthy chocolate cake in your mouth, very soft yet moist. The finish changes from an earthy chocolate to a dry cocoa powder, what this cigar lacks in flavors it makes up for it in the smoke profile. The creaminess of Baileys just adds to the overall flavor of the cigar.


FINAL IMPRESSIONS-This to me is easily one of my favorite AF cigars. The cigar is mild and flavorful. But here's one major flaw about this cigar, the flavors and the profile sometimes is too mild. This cigar reminds of me chicken, mild but with a good taste, chicken can be prepared in many different ways but in the end it will taste like chicken and we all know chicken can get rather boring and bland. While I was smoking this cigar I wished for just a bigger bloom of smoke for my palate or maybe more array of flavors to sample, and this is the only bad thing about this cigar, everything else is just perfect. This cigar is worth every penny of its MSRP but paying anything over the MSRP is just crazy. After all chicken is just chicken even if it lays golden eggs.

Rating:92
Buy It Again? Yes
Recommend It? Yes

Opus X:Fuente Fuente:Sun Grown

Today is my birthday, or at least it was since it's 12:21 am right now. To celebrate I decided to smoke a cigar which I've been saving up for a while. A cigar that almost needs no introduction. But for those that don't know what the Opus is about, let me tell you. The Opus was the first Dominican Puro, being the first to have a Dominican wrapper which was never done before circa 1995. This rare stick is very limited to only about 500,000 a year or its what I'm lead to believe and only sold in major B&M's twice a year, once in the summer time and once during the winter months. This limited stick is often sold at high prices when it's not in season it has the most hype out there than any cigar. So I've had a ESG which claimed to be just as good as the Opus, but now here's the real thing. So did this cigar start my birthday in a sour note?

SPECS

Size-Robusto 5.25 x 52
Wrapper-Dominican
Binder-Dominican
Filler-Dominican
Cost-$13.50
Cut-Punch/Guillotine
Smoke Time-55 mins
Drink-McD's Iced Caramel Coffee

FIRST IMPRESSIONS-Once you get this cigar in your hand it doesn't seem that menacing or a dark, stingy and powerful cigar as some people describe it. The flawless wrapper had no veins,no tears no toothyness to it, just a smooth sandy color, that invited me with its sweet honey aroma. At a closer inspection the foot smelt like graham cracker with touches of cinnamon, honey, and some raisin. The cold taste also had that unexpected but lovely taste of graham crackers and honey. The wrapper itself had a very neutral taste on the lips and the draw was perfect. This cigar wasn't as hard as a lead pipe or soft and mushy, it had the perfect amount of give. This cigar was begging to be smoked.

FIRST THIRD-I took my time to light this stick, I must of used over 10 matches to light it and as soon as I took my first puff the cigar greeted me with a good bloom of smoke. Some say that this cigar is "ultra-powerful" and that it will knock you on your ass in the first puffs. I didn't get that here or with any other Opus I've smoked, it was a perfect morning smoke that didn't make me feel dizzy or anything. The first flavor that is introduced is a lovely spice on the nose, its very soft and it almost felt like a piece of cotton candy in your mouth. After the introduction of the spice a well rounded sweet cedar is present in the smooth finish. This is a very delicate and well rounded third, nothing stands out at first and makes you pay attention to the cigar to see what flavors are coming up. It's burning quite well at this point and the ash is white and very solid without any wave marks on it. I wish I could start more mornings like this.

SECOND THIRD-The best third without a doubt, the flavors here are outstanding. The well rounded cedar that was in the middle of the finish gets sweeter and more rounded, producing a tasty flavor of orange peel that is marvelous. The orange peel flavors comes and goes as if it doesn't want to overstay it's welcome. When ever the orange peel flavor fades to the back its replaced by a coffee bean flavor that is accented by mocha. Truly a great flavor that stirs up the pot in a world of cigars where you mainly get chocolate,cedar,dirt,or coffee. The finish is still very smooth and the cigar is burning at the same slow pace. Ash help up well before falling a half a inch short of the band. Only gripe with this cigar so far is that I expected the ash to be longer, but the flavors do a lot more than just make up for it.

LAST THIRD-If this cigar ever gets slightly "offencive" it's here. The orange peel soon fades when the longest ash fell, along with it is the mocha and cedar. The main flavors now are a honey maple sweetness adjoined with a spicy leather taste. A very unclimatic end to a superb smoke. The leather profile is still in a class of its own, it brings with it floral accents that makes this cigar difficult to put down. The finish gets dirtier and less refined, but worth it. The ash got more flacky here and never held a long ash. This is a definitely a full-bodied smoke and would take many Opuses(?) for one to truly understand the flavor profile. Lucky for me I have one more.

LAST IMPRESSIONS-This was a superb smoke to start my day. Hopefully when ever I look back to my 19th birthday I'll remember the Opus that introduced me to it's subtle tones of orange peel, and this is the most memorable flavor of the smoke, the orange peel taste. Without a doubt this cigar is worth all the hype it gets. The thing is though I'm happy this cigar is very limited, because if this was available everyday I wouldn't pick up everyday, or make it an everyday thing. This cigar is truly reserved for special occasions, no wonder it's usually sold on Father's Day and Christmas. The price I payed for it was very justified, no cigar I've smoked before has surprised me like this cigar does. Long story short, this was a beautiful cigar that I had the pleasure of smoking with a good friend, one of the best mornings I've had in a while.

RATING-96
Buy It Again? Yes
Recommend It? Yes

Arturo Fuente 8-5-8:Lonsdale:Candela

This is an unique cigar, this oddball is sure to stand out in any humidor. What makes this Fuente so unique is it's candela wrapper. You may have seen these wrappers on cheaper smokes like Dutch Masters and Garcia y Vegas. These wrappers used to be really popular with the American public in the 50's but fell outta favor when the Connecticut hit the wrapping tables. So was this change good? I believe yes, after smoking this cigar I know why this wrapper is a dying breed, as it should be. That's mean huh?

SPECS-
Size: Lonsdale 6 x 47
Wrapper: Dominican
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican
Smoke Time: 30 mins

Price:$6.00
Cut:Punch
Touch-Ups: 7



FIRST IMPRESSIONS- This leafy green cigar stands out in any cigar shop. In a world of escuros,claros, and naturals, the green is a fresh sight. The roll itself is really good as one can expect from the Fuentes. The wrapper though is very veiny and figured. With the cigar being spongy it gives you a airy draw. Not surprisingly though the wrapper leaf smells and tastes like well, a leaf, grass if you will, its slightly sweet. The foot also reminds you of lawn clippings which isn't too bad.



FIRST THIRD- The cigar lit up well, you'd think since its such a fresh looking stick it'd take a while to catch a flame. While toasting a inviting smell of sharp vanilla is unexpected but welcomed.The airy draw produces lots of smoke, its a very dry smoke that hits you on the throat, its unpleasant. The main flavor that hits you is woodsy which doesn't the dryness of the smoke. Along with the wilderness, hints of nuts are always on the background, get used to this because this flavor, because it's this cigar's cup of tea. The ash isn't too strong its completely light and porous.

Second and Last Third-The flavors on the first and second third remain about the same. In between thirds there isn't any attempt into a subtle transition, its just harsh all the time, its also the same with the second and the last third. The airiness of the smoke also produces a lot of spice. Sadly, the spice is probably the best part of the cigar. It's spicy but its a good spice. It's like eating hot wings, they may be hot but for some reason its enjoyable. Another semi-enjoyable aspect of the smoke is its slight hints of vanilla and hints of mocha, but nothing to write home about. The cigar does have a great vanilla aroma which makes the atmosphere pleasurable. The ash never really does hold on, it kept falling over in every attempt to get a long ash, it made a mess at my B&M.

FINAL IMPRESSIONS-I did not like this smoke. Point blank. As one of the tobacconist at the store said: "I enjoyed it, with a sore throat and stuffy nose this cigar is good". And I'm sure this is the only way to enjoy this cigar, with all your senses muted. I now see why major blenders have switched wrapper leaves. The Connecticut's offer so much more; buttermilk, underestimated creaminess and nuttiness, which I would take over any nasty Candela grassness. I wanted to like this cigar. Some people really enjoy them, they light up when they talk about candelas. Maybe it'll grow on me eventually, but until then, pass me that Maduro mocha heaven is calling me.

Rating-68
Buy it again? No
Recommended? No not at all.