A flavorful cigar with a “sneaky left hook”.
By Tom M. It was a few hours before the pending arrival of what would turn out to be the fourth largest snow storm to hit the state of Maryland and I knew I would be at home for while so I shut the laptop and bolted to the local cigar shop for a little “me-time”. As per usual, I spent a ton of time eyeballing every single selection in the humidor and then grabbing one of my favorites. This time I reached for a Brazilia by C.A.O.
C.A.O. is an interesting company in that they have never been afraid to buck tradition and deviate from a game plan so many in the cigar industry have clung to and found to be lucrative. Unlike the replayed stories of heritage, tradition and familia, C.A.O. has charted 
its own course. As a marketing and communications guy at heart I have always enjoyed their unique packaging, ads and colorful cigar bands. They are just as adventurous in their use of tobacco from countries that many traditional cigar makers used to look down their noses at. The Brazilia continues to be a homerun hitter in C.A.O.’s diverse line-up.
The dark Brazilian wrapper surrounds a binder and well blended filler from Nicaragua. That day I smoked their Lambada size (6X50) which equates to a Corona Gorda. From the first few puffs this cigars smacks of pepper. This continues on the finish. What really stands out is the charred meat character. Think liberally seasoned burned-ends cooked on a charcoal grill then allowed to cool for a few minutes. Try as I might to identify more subtle undertones I continued to return to charred meat and as a guy who loves all things beef… it was more than all good for me! I will say that this cigar should come with a warning of some sort because if you are not careful it will sneak up on you. I had this happen to me one time in Vegas while smoking the Robusto size of this cigar and should have learned my lesson. Eat before smoking or you will find yourself wondering who spiked your coffee with whisky! This is not a cigar for beginners. I don’t mention this to discourage you from trying one. It is an excellent cigar but it should not be taken lightly. It has a sneaky left hook!
Nicely written! So the flavor is of meat… what would you want to drink with this cigar?
IMO… It all depends on the moment as much as it does on the cigar. You always have a good chance of complimentary flavors when you pair a blended scotch with a cigar. From my experience with this cigar… Spiced dark rum (or non spiced) with a slice of lime Maybe a splash of ginger ale in the first glass Captain Morgan’s Private Stock is good stuff/ pairs well Other dark/ nonspiced rums that I recommend are Zacappas and Bacardi 8 Anos
I must admit that I’d never meant to read the whole review of this cigar, I’m “only here for the beer” as the aliens say, but when I took a closer look at the first sentences I was pretty much hooked. I don’t know anything at all about cigars but I do enjoy one once in a while, so I figured I should learn some more.
It would seem this blog has more than one good writer; nice review!
Thanks, Christian! Glad you enjoyed the review! RE being here fo rthe beer… what are a couple that you find yourself returning to lately?
If you mean beer I like to pour myself a glass of some dark, fruity Belgian beer and just enjoy it’s complex flavours with a slice of cheese.
If you meant cigars however, I’m afraid I have to disappoint you; I don’t think I’ve ever seen a cigar shop in Stockholm, and the cigars I’ve had were all some cheap stuff I found at the local shop…
Last time I had a cigar must be New Years eve 2008!
But after catching up on the subject I think I have to try harder to find some good cigars! Maybe my brother knows of a good place; despite his being five years younger than me, he does have some surprising knowledge of cigars!
Tom: Sounds like a nice cigar. I like C.A.O in general, though this one might be a bit big for me (without a nice glass of scotch to go with it).
that was really nice to read that.. that was really a great post.. i love cigars..