Video review HERE.
(Description provided by General Cigar)
CAO is proud to announce a third groundbreaking addition to its acclaimed Arcana lineup: CAO Thunder Smoke. This release is set to make brand history as the first cigar to feature tobacco from South Africa and Zimbabwe, alongside tobaccos from Cameroon.
Thunder Smoke gets its name from Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, known to the local Sotho people as “Mosi-Oa-Tunya,” which translates to “The Smoke That Thunders.”
The Zimbabwe filler leaves in CAO Thunder Smoke are grown in the Limpopo River Basin in the shadows of the mighty Victoria Falls. This tobacco is part of a carefully curated five-country blend, highlighted by the all-African filler, a first for CAO.
The blend is completed with a Honduran Olancho San Augustin wrapper and a binder grown in the legendary Mexican San Andres Valley, creating a truly global masterpiece.
Ed Lahmann, Senior brand manager for CAO said, “With CAO Thunder Smoke, we are pushing the boundaries of cigar making, venturing into uncharted territories to craft an unparalleled smoking experience. Our mantra, ‘We Go Where The Tobacco Takes Us,’ has guided us to innovate and redefine the industry standard. This release is not just a milestone for CAO, but a bold leap forward for the entire cigar world.”
Thunder Smoke is medium-bodied with notes of earth, hazelnut and raisin.
CAO Thunder Smoke is handcrafted at General Cigar’s Santiago factory in the Dominican Republic. The limited-edition cigars will be released in a single size and presented in 20-count boxes. Thunder Smoke will ship in early September, and CAO fans should expect to see it on shelves by mid-month. Quantities are limited.
Toro Grande (6.5" × 52): SRP per cigar $12.99
The cigar is dark and has a nice feel in the hand.
The test draw after cutting the cap was good with a touch of firmness. The initial flavors at light up were a tangy orange citrus, peach, light brown sugar, and earthy leather. The leather is more of a worn type leather. There was black pepper rated at 7 1/2. Pretty good start.
At the first third (25 minutes) the front end flavors of orange citrus and peach have morphed into more of a tangy raisin flavor. It's quite sweet. There is a little nuttiness in the mix. It's light but detectable. Now there is earthy, leathery black coffee at the base. The cigar is medium bodied. The finish is raisin with good lingering black pepper. The cigar is very good at this point. I rated the first third 94.
As I moved through the second third (1 hour) the nuttiness that was light is now up. The earthiness is way up. The finish is the same but now the lingering black pepper is very good. The cigar is medium bodied. I can take or leave nuttiness but the earthiness is usually not a good thing. The finish is very good with the nice raisin notes but the front end notes have dipped. I rated the second third 92.
The cigar lasted 1 hour 28 minutes. There is a little sweetness now but the earthiness shifted into 4th gear. The cigar is medium bodied. The finish is hints of raisin with earthiness and very good lingering black pepper. There is too much earthiness at this point. I rated the final third 88. The cigar started out very nicely but could not hold it. The first and second thirds are the best. Smallbatchcigar.com has these in 5 packs for $65 and you can get 10% off with code tinytim.
Overall Score: 91.33
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