Video review HERE.
(Description provided by General Cigar)
CAO is putting the pedal to the metal with a souped-up follow-up to the wildly-popular V-19 blend. Called CAO Flathead V21, this new release was created by Rick Rodriguez and the CAO blending team in Nicaragua to kick the Flathead franchise into high gear.
Rick and the team selected a Mexican San Andres wrapper for the blend which also includes a Connecticut Broadleaf binder, and a bold selection of Nicaraguan and Dominican ligero tobaccos. They then gave each of the filler leaves an abbreviated fermentation to lock in the tobacco’s native characteristics and added a secondary aging process to the filler to bring everything together. The result is a cigar with a medium to medium-full profile brimming with distinctive molasses and leather notes, this time with even more depth and complexity.
“For Flathead V21, we wanted to give our fans a cigar that’s bold and complex, and still perfect for any smoking occasion,” said Rick Rodriguez. “We see this as the ultimate cigar for the CAO smoker who wants to experience the complexity of each tobacco with every draw. I’ve personally enjoyed V21 on its own and with a drink and have experienced different notes every time I smoke it. To me, that means we’ve done our job.”
Crafted at STG Estelí in Nicaragua, CAO Flathead V21 will be released in two sizes, and production is limited to just 2,000 boxes per size. The blend will only be available for a limited time and began shipping to retailers on August 3.
The boxes that house CAO Flathead V21 are racecar red, with a bold black sash that culminates in the brand’s logo on the front of the box. Each box contains 27 cigars.
Carb V21 (6 x 60) – SRP per cigar $13.99 REVIEWED TODAY
Big Block V21 (7 x 70) – SRP per cigar $14.99
The cigar is large and very dense feeling.
The test draw after cutting the cap was a bit firm. After having several of these this cigar is drawing just like the others. I decided to go with it. The initial flavors at light up were a sweet, somewhat tangy peach, citrus peel, brown sugar, and a thick, creamy nutmeg. These flavors take about 5 minutes after light up to appear.
At the first third (45 minutes) there is a little hint of chocolate in the sweet peach notes. The primary flavor is a tangy, sweet peach with brown sugar, light citrus peel, nutmeg, and light black coffee. There is black pepper rated at 7. The finish is peach with average lingering black pepper. The draw is ok but it sure could be better. I chose not to use the PerfecDraw tool because the previous samples had a poor draw all the way through the cigar. I rated the first third 92.
Moving through the second third (1 hour 27 minutes) there are light chocolate notes attached to the peach notes. The other notes are still in play except for the citrus peel which has dropped off. The cigar is medium bodied. The finish is still peach with average lingering black pepper. Some of the flavors in the second third are a little mellowed out so I rated the cigar 91.
The cigar lasted 2 hours 4 minutes. Nice burn time. Nothing has really changed in the final third. I still had the peach, very light chocolate, brown sugar, nutmeg, and black coffee. The cigar is medium to full bodied. The finish is peach with average lingering black pepper. I think this cigar would score higher if the draw were better. Perhaps they need to sit for an extended time to dry out a bit. It's a good cigar that deserves a try. I rated the final third 91.
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