Cigar: CAO Brazilia
Size: 6×60 (Amazon)
Wrappers: Brazilian Maduro
Binders: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Price: $10.38 at my local B&M; $7.95 per stick at Famous Smoke
To finalize my group of classic cigars, I move to the cigar I chose to smoke when I had my formal introduction to cigars in the summer of 2004: the CAO Brazilia. To be honest, I have no idea as to why I chose this cigar first but I will say that this cigar likely prepared me for much stronger cigars later on. Finding the Brazilia box at my local B&M, I noticed a healthy layer of dust on top of the plastic wrappers so determining how long these cigars have been in the shop is unknown to me.
The layer of dust found on the plastic wrapper were a clue to what I would find when examining the cigar. Going through my examination of the wrapper, I came upon a couple of small cracks, most along or under the band. No other issues were found. Hints of cocoa were evident pre-light. The first couple draws on the cigar using a punch and match were met with some resistance but thankfully it opened up after about ten minutes of smoking. While I would classify this technically as full-bodied in strength, the opening earthy and leather flavors keep it smooth and tame enough on the palette to not scare away new smokers or those who prefer a lighter blend.
Once I hit the halfway point of the cigar, the earthy and leather notes went into the background and in their place came a rich mocha flavor that stayed the rest of the smoking time of 1:53. That flavor change did increase the strength of the cigar but in no way was it overbearing or harsh, nor did it leave as long of a finish that I would expect.
Besides the draw issues in the beginning, the only real issue with the Brazilia I had was the wrapper cracking on me. It thankfully did not hinder the burn in anyway.
By-The-Numbers
Prelight: 1.5/2
Construction: 1.5/2
Flavor: 4/5
Value: 0.5/1
Total: 7.5/10
To recap the CAO Brazilia:
- Besides the cracked wrapper, the CAO Brazilia smoked well and with the same smooth flavors that I remembered from years ago.
- While the middle and ending strength of the cigar is full-bodied, you could give this cigar to a new smoker without them turning green.
- Because of the tobacco taxes imposed on IL, this isn’t a cigar I would buy locally at $10.38 a stick. However, searching online can net you a much better deal so I would encourage you to purchase them there.
- I do enjoy these cigars and I think that if my wife smoked fuller bodied cigars with regularity, these would see my humidor more often than every couple years. But with so many great medium to full bodied cigars in the same price range (or under), the Brazilia is resigned to a once-in-a-great-while cigar for me.
As always, thank you very much for reading and I look forward to the next time I can share my thoughts with you.