TL;DR - unique and rich like few others. EXTREME nic strength. Pair with BBQ brisket and ribs. Recommended. 👍 Aged 9 mos ⏳️ Pre-light deep barnyard and apricot. Nice. 👌 Construction and burn great. Oily AF. Draw is obstructed. Light-up is a solid wow. Apricot lingers. Hints of tangy molasses BBQ. Hell yes this is delicious 😋 And now a PSA: make no mistake, this is a nicotine hammer to the head. Not for beginners, and best with a meaty meal. Pair this with good whiskey, brisket and a campfire 🔥
A Real Blockhead…
‘Murica, son! Home of hot rods, pin-up chicks, and CAO’s greatest offering: CAO Flathead. Borrowing inspiration from American muscle cars, Flathead not only sports a highly-unique shape, but backs it up with a high-octane blend. Instead of the traditional round or torpedo shaped head, this sleek handmade is completely squared off.
Heavy in the hand, CAO Flathead starts with a well-fermented Connecticut Broadleaf maduro wrapper. Thick and chewy, the leaf conceals a bevy of Nicaraguan and Dominican long-fillers embraced by a Connecticut Habano-seed binder. Then, each cigar is carefully box-pressed. We could tell you how good it is, or we could say this — CAO Flathead has over 2,000 customer reviews on CI, averaging 5 stars out of 5, and is the highest rated 60-ring cigar by Cigar Aficionado. Ever.
Named the #3 Cigar of 2015, Flathead received an astounding 95-rating, noting: “From the first light, this seriously squared-off cigar takes off with notes of ripe fruit, leather, and molasses that only gain intensity.”
Aged 3mo. Draw started tight but loosened. Burn wavy and uneven to start but also straightened out. Delicious flavors. Chocolate coffee and molasses. Paired very well with the sweetness of Kaniche Perfeccion Rum
Solid, tight feel. A little give near the foot. Not too many veins in the maduro wrapper, and the seams are hidden well. Not much scent off the foot or the wrapper, but coffee and barnyard are there lightly. Cap is large, cut according, or punch it. Cold draw is a little spicy, chocolatey, and bready. Post light up notes are chocolate, leather, must, barnyard, raisin, and sweet tobacco. Black pepper and clove on the retrohale. The foot puts off a fair amount of smoke, but it’s pleasant. Into the first third and the fruit notes peek out. Raisin is complemented by pineapple? I also get a touch of creaminess, probably from the connecticut broadleaf wrapper. The chocolate seems to be dark chocolate, not milk chocolate. Burn is steady, but not razor sharp. Ash is lightly flaky, but holds on well. By the end of the first third a hint of coconut shows up, the clove comes up a little, and the pepper dies down a touch on the retrohale. Second third begins with a good blend of all the flavors, and an increase in both strength and taste. Pepper, chocolate, and raisin linger on the palate with a long finish. Foot smoke is aromatic and increasingly pleasant. A fruit note, maybe apple, pops in and out from puff to puff. Bread notes linger more. The band is large, so handle with care. It came off easily with warmth, but a small flake of the wrapper wanted to come off with it. Flavor notes don’t change much through the second third. Final third and the intensity comes up again. Ash as a flavor note along with leather appears. Unfortunately it wasn’t as enjoyable as the first two thirds. Fruit note makes one final appearance but only on the retro. Smoked down to a 1” nub. Overall a decent smoke, but I’ve had better.
Wrapper and foot have a subtle leather and earth aroma. Cold draw is molasses and chocolate. On light up I get earth, molasses, chocolate, and black pepper on the retrohale. Into the first third some cedar, baking spice, and cream fall in with the other notes. All notes are very smooth but bold. Notes hold into the second third with a hint of black licorice occasionally on the back end. Burn was somewhat uneven until about the halfway point then it straightened up. Smoke is thick, creamy, and abundant. The final third the licorice fades away and a dark roast coffee note comes in. This stick held flavor notes consistently from light up to the nub with only slight variations. I can see why this was a #3 in the top 25
This one was very full, very flavorful. Slight burn issues, but only one or two corrections needed so no big deal. I would call this a heavy bodied smoke, and I loved it for that. Be ready for it though, if you're used to some light to medium Connecticuts then this will punch you in the face.
First time with this stick. Paired w buskers whiskey. Great pairing. Slow even burn. Enjoying it immensely. Dogs raising hell in the backyard. Happy man right now. Would totally 6ish 6k87lj8o8jj⁷ngu.
Leathery and woody and delicious. Third time I’ve smoke this stick and it is very comfortable and nice to smoke again. Good with the repasado tequila but it doesn’t really do much for the flavor of the tequila?
Bold, the most bold cigar I've ever had.
Nicotine rich, I haven't been able to finish a whole stick yet of the 10 I got in a pack. Not a starters smoke unless you're wanting to have something big and bold. Wife also hates the smell of these
Just MEH. I didn't pick up on any flavors I was expecting based on reviews. Not a bad smoke by any means, just doesn't stand out to me. Guess I'll keep working on my palate...
