CAO CX2 Review
About The Cigar
Origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: African Cameroon
Binder: African Cameroon
Filler: Nicaragua & Colombia
Size: 6 x 54 (Toro)
Strength Medium bodied
The CAO CX2 – which stands for Cameroon Times Two – is a double cameroon wrapped (one as a wrapper and the other as a binder) cigar filled with tobaccos from Nicaragua and Colombia. Now for veteran cigar smokers this will come as no surprise – the cameroon wrapper is notoriously fragile. What does that mean for you? Well, it might lead to a somewhat difficult or unpleasant smoke if the cigar isn’t stored properly in a humidor. Why? With the wrapper being so brittle, you can easily butcher the cap of the cigar which, more than likely, ends up with you having pieces of tobacco flake off the cigar and into your mouth. A turnoff to some, but not a deal breaker for me. With that said, here’s what cigar expert Tony Vainosky had to say in his CAO CX2 review:
Pre-light Appearance & Construction:
When you first look at the CAO CX2 toro you’ll notice the velvety smooth looking light to medium milk chocolate colored wrapper. Expect slight veins in this cigar, but minimally so where it’s barely even noticeable in your hand. The cameroon wrapper also has a beautiful felt/velvety-like fabric feel to it, which makes you not want to put it down. A quick squeeze of the cigar and you’ll notice it’s a nice balance between spongy and firm, but leans more towards the firm side. The band on the CAO CX2 is a rather attractive one in my opinion. While simple, it still gives off a classically elegant vibe. Many have referred to it as a “cigar thong” or have said that, when spread out flat, it looks like a raccoon mask (too bad it isn’t big enough for us to wear).
Flavor
Ahhh, the flavor. What everyone focuses on the most when it comes to smoking a cigar. The CAO CX2, during pre-light, surprisingly doesn’t have much more than that natural tobacco leaf smell. In between slightly resistant dry puffs you’ll pick up hints of cream, but other than that, it’s a pretty straight forward stick. The first half of the CX2 stays light and creamy and produces velvety smoke on the palate. Once you reach the midway point you’ll notice, hardly at first, a nice golden brown toast taste on the palate and nose. That flavor tends to stick around with the velvety cream notes until the end of the stick. If you’re looking for a complex cigar that’ll knock your socks off, the CAO CX2 is not what you’ll want.
Smoking Characteristics
Put this cigar down for a minute and you’ll probably mistake it for being put out. But don’t worry, just take a few long and slow puffs to revive the cigar and you should be back in business. While not a complex cigar, which many cigar smokers complain about with this cigar as they feel a cameroon wrapper should have more complexity to it, the CAO CX2 is still a respectable cigar as it lights fairly easily and holds a satisfactory, slightly cracked, light grey ash.
Editors Final Notes
With a price point between $7-10 depending on your location, the CAO CX2, while decent, leaves a bit to be desired from more veteran smokers. If the cigar was priced closer to $5-5.50 per stick I think veteran cigar smokers wouldn’t be as tough on this cigar. A quick Google search on the CAO CX2 will also show quite a few reviews from customers (both aficionados and beginners alike) saying many of the CX2’s they’ve smoked were plugged, rendering them unsmokeable. We have not encountered that problem (at least not yet, knock on wood) and we’ve gone through two boxes of the CAO CX2, so all we can say for now is to either look at the tobacconist you purchased the cigars from or look at how well your own humidor is actually retaining the humidity to try and remedy the situation.
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