danthebugman
BoM Nov '10
Size: 5 x 50
Wrapper: Olancho San Agustin Sun Grown
Binder: Connecticut Broadleaf
Filler: Nicaraguan & Honduran
Price: ~ $5-6
Intro: Today's cigar is the CAO OSA. The name OSA comes from the region of Honduras where the wrapper was grown...the Olancho San Agustin Valley. Supposedly this valley produces tobacco with some unique oils to the leaf. How much of that is true and how much is marketing I'm not sure. What I do know is that I've been interested in trying this cigar since its unveiling at ICPCR this past year. I have been a fan of CAO cigars (the America and Brazilia are among my favorites), but like many I have had some concerns about the quality of the product since merging with General Cigars in 2010. This merger resulted in the resignation of Tim Ozgener and soon after Jon Huber. This cigar is the first release from CAO since this merger and will either confirm or help aleviate the concerns that many have regarding the direction of CAO.
Prelight: Visually this cigar is appealing. I've always considered CAO's bands eye catching and the OSA is no exception, but has a slightly more modern feel to it that their other cigars. The wrapper is a light to medium brown color with a web of darker, small veins covering it. Nothing that should have an affect on the burn. The cigar feels well packed with a slight give when pressed between the fingers. Interesting in that the cigar I am smoking seems to have a slight flat surface on each side of the cigar resulting in what can only be described as the world's slightest box press. Not sure that this is an intended thing as it is not mentioned in any of the other reviews I've seen or any of the marketing. The aroma coming from the wrapper is a sweet cedar with an underlaying musty earth. The earthy aroma is more pronounced at the foot. The seams are tight and the cap is neatly applied. The cap cut cleanly, but the draw was farily tight so I cut a little farther down and that helped. It was still a little on the tight side, but I was uncomfortable cutting any further down and didnt' think it would help if I did. Prelight flavors were a slightly sweet tobacco flavor with a hint of cedar to it. Torched it up...
First Third: ...and away we go. Sort of. Initially there wasn't much smoke output and the draw bad. At this point I was prepared for a less than stellar experience. Then, a little less than half and inch in, it just opened up. Poof. The draw wasn't perfect, but it was certainly respectible. There was a short shot of mild black pepper up front that died away to a sweet cedar nuttiness. The burn line started out mostly straight. On one side it must have caught a vein cause it ran away for a bit, but evened out by about an inch or so into the cigar. Toward the end of the last third an earthiness crept into the flavor mix and the pepper died out. Overall I was pretty pleased despite the poor start.
Second Third: In the second third things kept right on rocking and rolling. The sweetness decreased a little through the course of this part of the cigar. The cedar became a progressively more generic woody profile. And the earthiness that crept in at the beginning took center stage. The burn was superb throughout. The ash clung strong, falling in 1.5" clumps and was a light gray color. There were a few cracks that developed just below the band during this section of the cigar, but they did not end up detracting from the smoking experience.
Last Third: The final third witnessed a return of the pepper from the first third (especially noticable on the retro hale) mixed with the earthiness. The sweetness was completely gone at this point leaving a woody and at times perhaps slightly leathery flavor. Unfortunately as the last third progressed there crept in some harsh notes. Despite purging a few times they kept getting harsher so I bid adeu and dropped it in the Stinky about half way though the last third.
Final Thoughts: All things considered, not bad. Not bad at all. In fact pretty good compared to some cigars that share the price range. It was a flavorful medium bodied cigar. If it weren't for the slow start and the harsh notes at the end I'd say that this would have been a wonderful cigar. Certainly if you like a dominant earthy profile you'll want to give this one a try. I'll certainly be revisiting this down the road and I could see it becoming at least a halfway common visitor to my humidor. CAO may not be in so much trouble afterall.
