The CAO Concert debuted at the 2012 IPCPR show in Orlando, Florida. The theme of the show’s booth was of course, music related and there were even cigar boxes that were actual speakers that would play music from a connected iPod. As a nod to the movie Spinal Tap, the volume control on these boxes went to ‘11’.
The CAO Concert is comprised of a Habano Rosado wrapper leaf, a Connecticut broadleaf binder and a blend of four different leaves from Nicaragua and Honduras for the filler.
The cigars are all 5 ½ inches in length with four different ring gauges. The Solo is 5 ½ x 50, the Stage is 5 ½ x 60, the Amp is 5 ½ x 46 and the Roadie is 5 ½ x 54.
The Roadie cigars used for this review were supplied to me by General Cigar.
The CAO Concert’s band is in the shape of two guitars, placed end to end with a guitar pick in the center with the brands name. Below each guitar is the slogan, “Perfect Harmony”.
The dark, good looking Habano Rosado wrapper has a faint cedar and tobacco aroma. Examining the foot, I found a sweet, earthy scent.
The CAO Concert has a firm draw and a firm feel to the entire body of the stick.
After clipping the cap I pick up on some sweetness while performing a cold draw. Once lit, the cigar has a medium carbon ring and develops a firm salt and pepper ash. The cigar burns evenly and the ash drops after an inch and a half, or so.
During the first third of the cigar, I picked up on a mild spice during the exhale. The smoke coats my palate and has a long savory finish. The cigar also produced a good amount of smoke volume.
Going into the second third of the cigar, the savory spice finish lingered in my sinuses and on my palate, creating the base of this cigar's flavor profile. Layered on top is a little bit of sweetness along with some toasty tobacco flavors.
I am now into the final third of the cigar and there is an excellent balance of flavors, all melding together. Along with the flavors I described earlier, there are hints of dark roast espresso floating around my mouth. The cigar ends with a burst of pepper on the last few puffs and then it is time to put this cigar to rest.
Perfect Harmony is apropos for the Concert blend, all of the flavors that I picked up on blended wonderfully with each other. As a bonus, the cigar’s band slid off easily allowing me to thoroughly enjoy this cigar to the very end. I hate having to fight with a band and risk damaging the wrapper leaf on a cigar I’m really enjoying.
I would consider the CAO Concert to be a medium strength. medium bodied cigar. It has great construction and wonderful flavors. This is a cigar I know I will enjoy again and again.
CAO cigars are available at these fine Tampa Bay tobacconists:
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