Video review HERE.
(Description taken from Cigar-Coop.com website)
At the 2019 IPCPR Trade Show, General Cigar showcased a bolder offering under its CAO Flathead line known as the CAO Flathead V19.
The CAO Flathead V19 consists of a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper over a Connecticut Habano binder and fillers consisting of Dominican Piloto Cubano and Nicaraguan tobaccos from Condega, Estelí, and Jalapa. According to General Cigar, the leaves used were given extra fermentation time and were subject to a longer than usual aging process in order to maximize and lock in the flavors.
“For V19, we wanted deep flavor and power, the kind of cigar that demands your attention, just like a classic car or motorcycle does,” said CAO Master Blender Rick Rodriguez. “This is the cigar for the CAO smoker who likes the boldest blends in our line.”
Blend and Origin
Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder: Connecticut Habano
Filler: Nicaraguan (Condega, Jalapa, Estelí), Dominican Pilot Cubano
Country of Origin: Not Disclosed
Factory: Not Disclosed
CAO Flathead V19 is a limited offering that comes in two box-pressed sizes. It will be presented in 20-count boxes.
Vitolas Offered
Camshaft V19: 5 1/2 x 50 (SRP $11.99/cigar) REVIEWED TODAY
Carb V19: 6 x 60 (SRP $12.99/cigar)
The cigar is very dark and soft box pressed. It has an average feel in the hand.
The test draw after cutting the cap was good. The initial flavors at light up were a semi-sweet dark chocolate, espresso, light brown sugar, nutmeg, and black pepper rated at 7 1/2 to 8. The cigar has some sweetness but not a lot.
At the first third (26 minutes) I noted a new flavor; dry cedar. The cigar is fairly powerful right away. I'd call it full bodied. The finish is chocolate and cream with a decent amount of lingering black pepper. You have light sweetness from the dark chocolate. The espresso is thick and full. A touch of brown sugar adds some sweetness to the cigar. The nutmeg and dry cedar round out the flavors. The cigar is pretty good at this point. Even though it's quite dark noted it has enough sweetness to keep my interest. I rated the first third at 92.
As I moved through the second third (57 minutes) the nutmeg has a slight toasted flavor. But, the overall cigar has gone very dark with little sweetness. You now have dark chocolate with very little sweetness, espresso, nutmeg, and hints of dry cedar. Not much sweetness can be found. The cigar is very full bodied and you can start to feel it. The finish is unchanged. The cigar lost quite a bit of overall sweetness from the first third to this point. I rated the second third at 89.
The cigar lasted 1 hour 18 minutes. Not much changed in the final third but I noted a faint amount of cream notes. That was a little surprising. It did not help the overall sweetness but it helped smooth out the cigar a little. Now there are massive amounts of unsweetened dark chocolate and espresso, hints of dry cedar, nutmeg, and light cream. The cigar remains very full bodied. The finish has a hint of dry cedar and dark chocolate with a nice amount of lingering black pepper. The overall pepper in the cigar is good. This is a cigar that will appeal to those who like a full bodied, heavily dark noted cigar with little to no sweetness. I rated the final third at 88. If you like very dark noted cigars with power and little sweetness this is the cigar for you. To purchase these cigars go HERE.
Overall Score: 89.67
No comments:
Post a Comment