Video review HERE.
(Description provided by CAO)
CAO announces the release of Stokk, the latest addition to its Arcana series and the brand’s most experimental blend to date. Crafted in collaboration with the legendary Danish pipe tobacco brand Peter Stokkebye, CAO Stokk delivers something not often seen in the world of cigars — a blend that transforms mid-smoke.
Rolled at STG Estelí in Nicaragua, CAO Stokk opens with rich, earthy Andullo-aged tobacco from the Dominican Republic. Then at the halfway point, the profile shifts. Fire-cured Latakia from Cyprus takes over, bringing a distinctly smoky character drawn from the world of fine pipe tobacco.
The full blend features a US Broadleaf wrapper, a Nicaraguan binder, and a filler combination of Dominican Andullo, Cyprian Latakia and Honduran tobaccos.
To honor Stokkebye’s Danish roots, CAO Stokk comes packaged in a Nordic-inspired box, designed to reflect the spirit of Scandinavian craftsmanship. The minimalist wood-grain finish and rune-like lettering speak to the heritage behind the collaboration, and the shared passion for pushing boundaries through tobacco.
“CAO is all about pushing the boundaries in tobacco exploration, said Cory Beardsley, brand manager for CAO. Working with Peter Stokkebye tobacco gave us the chance to blend a cigar that's truly unique, not for the sake of novelty, but to show the unlimited possibilities when two traditions collide.”
The cigar is offered in a 6.5 x 52 Belicoso and ships in 20-count boxes. MSRP is $12.99 per cigar.
The cigar is nicely made and has a nice feel in the hand.
The test draw after cutting the cap was good. The initial flavors at light up were a citrus note, brown sugar, splash of cinnamon, bakers chocolate, and earthiness. There was black pepper rated at 7. The bakers chocolate is not that great of a flavor but otherwise the notes are not bad.
At the first third (25 minutes) there is a lot of earthiness. The sweet notes are still there. Sort of encapsulated and then a large amount of bakers chocolate and earthiness hits. I would say the sweet note is an orange citrus. The brown sugar really helps it. The cigar is medium bodied. The finish is bakers chocolate with very good lingering black pepper. The cigar is not bad at this point. I rated the first third 92.
As I moved through the second third (42 minutes), of a little over halfway, the cigar took a nosedive. The citrus went away and now there are citrus peel notes. There is a lot of earthiness. And there is still a lot of bakers chocolate. Since the cigar changes around the midpoint I came back just before the change takes place. I rated the second third (or thereabouts) 88.
The cigar lasted 1 hour 22 minutes. This segment is pretty much the second half of the cigar where the blend change occurs. There was a big change after the blend change. Now I had citrus, citrus peel, a lot of brown sugar, nougat, dashes of cinnamon, the fire cured flavor kicks in, and a subdued bakers chocolate with a decreased earthiness. The cigar is medium to full and close to full bodied. The finish had some fire cured tobacco with sweet citrus and very good lingering black pepper. The cigar is the best it's been so far. I rated the final third/second half 94. They should have made the whole cigar out of this blend.
No comments:
Post a Comment