Smoke Blog: CAO Criollo

I’m supposed to be writing. Instead I’m getting sucked into the news and blogging (thus, procrastinating). So here’s a quick cigar review to clear the head, and then it’s off to work.

I dropped by the comic shop to pick up my monthly stash and grab some copies of W:CotW #1 from my publisher the other day, and then I hung out with John for a while. Normally John and I will have a smoke together, but he wasn’t feeling up to it that night so we drooled over some electronics at Best Buy and then I had the smoke on the way home. I knew that might happen, so I brought along a CAO Criollo. I don’t recall having a CAO before, and definitely not one from this line, but I’d heard good things about them and I figured I’d give it a shot.

As I lit up in the parking lot (I wasn’t about to destroy my night vision on the highway), there was a distinct, spicy tang to the smoke. Not acrid or nasty, but strong. It quickly smoothed out, however, and became finer with a nutty hint. It didn’t turn harsh when I had to relight it (twice — which I’ll discuss in a minute), and that’s always a plus for me; those nasty relights can really kill the experience. The finish was a bit bolder, similar to the taste upon lighting. All told, it took over an hour to finish (the car ride was an hour and a half), and I enjoyed it. I don’t count it among my favorites, wouldn’t hesitate to pick one up again barring some better options or if the mood strikes me.

I also learned two things about having a cigar in the car:

First, if you crack open both the driver’s side window and the passenger window behind it, most of the smoke will get sucked right out of the car, but your wife will still tell you you stink when you get home.

Second, it’s a good idea to have an ashtray of some kind handy: when I flicked the ash out the window, the wind tore out some of the ash inside the barrel and it snuffed itself out.