CAO Consigliere Associate (5 x 52)

Video review HERE.

(from General Cigar)
There was a great CAO cigar that came in a red lacquered box. One day it was gone. Everyone assumed it was sleeping with the fishes.

A certain crew of guys who smoke CAO made us an offer we couldn’t refuse. They said bring back that wise guy cigar, or else. So we delivered the goods.

CAO Consigliere is a straight sequel -- the five-country blend is the same as before, the one that made it to Cigar Aficionado’s Top 25 list in 2006.  

Consigliere is handmade in Nicaragua, with a Brazilian Mata Fina wrapper, bound with a Honduran leaf and features a blend of Nicaraguan, Dominican and Colombian leaves. This is a bold cigar with flavors of espresso, wood and spice.

Consigliere will be pulled back in as a full-time member of the CAO family starting in October, with suggested retail prices that are less than the original. Three new sizes were created for the launch.

They are:
Associate -- 5 x 52; SRP per cigar is $6.99 REVIEWED TODAY
Soldier -- 6 x 54; SRP per cigar is $7.99
Boss -- 7 x 56 Torpedo; SRP per cigar is $8.99

Rick Rodriguez, CAO’s blender/ambassador was mostly tight-lipped about the new Consigliere launch. “Right now, all I can say is leave the cannolis and take the cigars. Capisce?”

Wrapper: Brazilian Mata Fina
Binder: Honduran
Filler: Nicaraguan, Dominican and Colombian


Ok, I think all of us can guess which cigar they are referring to. Remember the old Sopranos cigar? This should be the exact same cigar available again but under a new name.

The cigar is very dark and has an average feel in the hand.

The test draw after cutting the cap was just shy of effortless. The initial flavors were coffee, chocolate, tea berry, earth, and a twang flavor which is somewhat like a citrus note. The coffee and chocolate are the dominate flavors and the chocolate has a small amount of sweetness. There was black pepper rated at a 7 1/2.

1 1/2 inch in the chocolate and coffee are still the primary flavors. The coffee is very close to an espresso. The citrus flavor now comes across like a grapefruit type flavor that struggles with it's sweetness due to the earthy notes. There is also a touch of butter on the front end; slight amount.

2 inches in the flavors are getting more defined. They are actually like I previously described; coffee, chocolate, earth, grapefruit citrus, and butter. The cigar is medium bodied. The finish is a sweet cream with a touch of lingering black pepper.

The grapefruit citrus is starting to smooth out a little due to the introduction of some brown sugar. The other flavors are still in play. The earthy notes have toned down. The cigar is medium to full bodied at this point.

With about 1 1/2 inches remaining the chocolate notes are now more of a dry cocoa flavor. There is still a touch of brown sugar on the grapefruit citrus, a touch of butter, and the pepper has increased to an 8. The finish is now a cream with some influence of the cocoa notes, along with a minor amount of lingering black pepper.

The cigar made minor changes here and there. It ended like the last segment. It finished at medium to full bodied. This cigar has a ton of dark notes but it lacks significant sweetness and richness for me. But, I feel this cigar matches the original Sopranos cigar so if you were a fan of those you might want to check these out. They are also priced very good. This was a pretty good dark noted cigar.

Score: 91