I picked up some of these from a fellow BOTL on another board. He got them when they were first realeased in '04 and has aged them in a Hemmingway Short Story box w/o the cello.
Pre-light:
Thought they were a little dry for my liking, not much springiness to them at all, and the caps and feet were slightly chipped from the storage but nothing major. Clipped it with a Xikar, and the pre-light draw was just loose enough, and there was definately spice to it, so I lit 'er up with a butane torch.
First taste:
I'm loving the stick right off the bat, taste is great and draw is just right. Burn is nice and even, and I have a good feeling that I'm in for a treat.
1st 1/3:
A little bit of a let-down here, the taste is good, and the burn is mostly even, but the smoke seems airy. There's plenty of smoke, the draw is just right - not too loose but not tight at all - but the smoke doesn't seem to have any body to it. Also, as it approached the 1/2 mark, the initial smoothness seemed to disappear. Not exactly bad, but not the best either.
2nd 1/3:
More of the same thoughs, tastes good enough, but i like to be able to almost feel the smoke in my mouth, this seemed like it was missing some body. Around the 1/2 mark, though, it got really good. Notes of ceder are clearly there, and the smoke is smooth and full again. Hints of some spice and pepper are starting to come through too. This is more like it and is really starting to live up to my (high) expectations now.
3rd 1/3:
Yeah, this is it now! Great flavor, smoke is smooth as silk, and more dense in my mouth. Pepper is getting stronger, and the ceder is definately there. I'm absolutely loving this stick now. Burn has been even the whole way, plenty of smoke, draw is still (almost) perfect, and I don't want to put it down.
Nub:
This has grown into a real finger-burner, I put it down only to pick it back up at least 3 times. Don't even want to take a drink, the taste is superb, and I have all I can do to finally let it go.
Overall, this was a very good smoke. Probably 8 out of 10. Easily among the top 10% of sticks I've had. Took me about 70 mins to finish it.
It may be worth noting that I am most certainly a fan of CAO. I've liked/loved all but the Criollo (I've had almost all of the lines at least once), and I've been looking forward to smoking one of these for a long time. I'm glad I did.
Pre-light:
Thought they were a little dry for my liking, not much springiness to them at all, and the caps and feet were slightly chipped from the storage but nothing major. Clipped it with a Xikar, and the pre-light draw was just loose enough, and there was definately spice to it, so I lit 'er up with a butane torch.
First taste:
I'm loving the stick right off the bat, taste is great and draw is just right. Burn is nice and even, and I have a good feeling that I'm in for a treat.
1st 1/3:
A little bit of a let-down here, the taste is good, and the burn is mostly even, but the smoke seems airy. There's plenty of smoke, the draw is just right - not too loose but not tight at all - but the smoke doesn't seem to have any body to it. Also, as it approached the 1/2 mark, the initial smoothness seemed to disappear. Not exactly bad, but not the best either.
2nd 1/3:
More of the same thoughs, tastes good enough, but i like to be able to almost feel the smoke in my mouth, this seemed like it was missing some body. Around the 1/2 mark, though, it got really good. Notes of ceder are clearly there, and the smoke is smooth and full again. Hints of some spice and pepper are starting to come through too. This is more like it and is really starting to live up to my (high) expectations now.
3rd 1/3:
Yeah, this is it now! Great flavor, smoke is smooth as silk, and more dense in my mouth. Pepper is getting stronger, and the ceder is definately there. I'm absolutely loving this stick now. Burn has been even the whole way, plenty of smoke, draw is still (almost) perfect, and I don't want to put it down.
Nub:
This has grown into a real finger-burner, I put it down only to pick it back up at least 3 times. Don't even want to take a drink, the taste is superb, and I have all I can do to finally let it go.
Overall, this was a very good smoke. Probably 8 out of 10. Easily among the top 10% of sticks I've had. Took me about 70 mins to finish it.
It may be worth noting that I am most certainly a fan of CAO. I've liked/loved all but the Criollo (I've had almost all of the lines at least once), and I've been looking forward to smoking one of these for a long time. I'm glad I did.
