CAO La Traviata Maduro
Friday, December 10th, 2010For those of you who tuned in earlier today, you may have noticed a review vanished. Thanks to Nick and Gus Mantas for setting things straight. There was a reason it was hard to find info on an H. Upmann Edicion Limitada for 2010 when they don’t exist! So I got to work and reviewed a real cigar, not some bullshit Cuban knock-off!
Not too long ago the Bonita Smoke Shop bombed me with some cigars. I was rooting around the other day and came across today’s review. The CAO La Trivata Maduro shares the same binder and filler as the original, with the obvious difference being the Connecticut Maduro wrapper. I thought the original La Traviata was a good cigar for it’s price range, so I looked forward to trying the Maduro version. Paired with a glass of water, I offer you my thoughts…
Wrapper: Connecticut
Binder: Cameroon
Filler: Nicaragua, Dominican Republic
Size: Radiante 6 x 52
Price: Around $5.00
Pre-Smoke & Construction:
The wrapper had an oily sheen that looked great. The smell off of the wrapper and foot resembled a barn yard. For the most part, the cigar was evenly and firmly packed. The draw was a little tight, but tolerable. The pre-light draw was a pretty simple earthy/woody flavor.
The burn required no corrections, and the ash held for an inch. By the way… The draw loosened up after about two inches in.
Flavor:
The first few puffs of the first third gave me a nice blast of black pepper. It wasn’t harsh, but there was enough to grab your attention. After about a half of an inch. it mellowed out. Cedar seemed to be the main flavor. When passing smoke through the nose, that pepper let me know it was still there. At times there was a sweetness along with earthiness. Not bad at all!
The second third had a dominant woody flavor. At about the mid way point, the sweetness evolved into coco. The pepper kept a bit of a punch, but it became more of a sweet spice. Coffee notes lingered in and out of the back ground. The smoke volume kicked into high gear with pillowy clouds.
The last third had a coffee, wood, and coco. None really stood out over the other. Just a nice blending of flavors. About the spice… It was still there, and although it mellowed out a little, there was enough punch to remind you of it’s presence.
Conclusion:
I really enjoyed this medium to full bodied cigar. The maduro wrapper added those sweet spicy notes that I expected it to. So which one do I like better, the natural or the maduro? That would simply depend on my mood. Both are equally good, it just boils down to if you enjoy maduro flavors or not.
