My Weekend Cigar: CAO CX2 Toro

Another beautiful weekend in the Lehigh Valley allowed me to enjoy several fine cigars, among which included a cigar I haven't had in a while - a CAO CX2 Toro. It was the last one left in my humidor, and I suppose I was saving it for some special occasion. But Life is short, so I plucked it out of the box and thought, "What the heck."

What I find interesting about some cigars I haven't smoked in a long time is that I find myself gaining a whole new appreciation for them. The CAO CX2 Toro is a wonderful example, too. I'd even go so far as to say it's the ultimate medium-bodied "full-flavored" cigar. Once it gets going, there's no stopping this chewy, 6" x 54 flavor-fest. I'm partial to Cameroon wrapper, and since CAO CX2 cigars are made with a top grade Cameroon binder and wrapper that surround a blend of Nicaraguan and Colombian tobaccos, it makes the experience doubly nice.

The pre-light draw was effortless and predominantly leathery in flavor. But once lit the cigar took on an entirely different dimension. The smoke was creamy, earthy, and sweet from the start, and by the midpoint had bloomed into a fantastically complex smoke simmering with notes of sweet cedar, nutmeg, white pepper, caramel and a hint of dark chocolate on a long, luscious finish.

Just about everything about this cigar was on point; the balance of flavors, the evenness of the burn and firmness of the ash. During the third and final act, the cigar increased somewhat in strength, yet without enervating all those marvelous flavors. Without a doubt, one of CAO's most outstanding cigars, and a must-try if you have a yen for robust, multidimensional cigars.

~ Gary Korb