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I haven’t smoked a CAO in a long, long time. The brand used to remind me of my days at the humidor back in 2011, when the CAO Brazilia Gol! boxes sold heavily and the company seemed to double down on its sporty, vibrant image. Usually, I’m more attracted to the classics, and I’m a sucker for good packaging.
The CAO Pilon (“pillar”) has that classic vibe. The name itself suggests stability through the ages, and the packaging features an Old World font and vibe. I sat down with the Pilon several weeks ago, and can’t wait to continue smoking these as we move into the fall. I smoked the 5 x 52, or the Robusto, which came in a habano Ecuadorian wrapper, encasing Nicaraguan binder and filler leaves.
The first third contained some real sweet hay flavors with a little bit of cedar and allspice. It’s a perfect autumnal flavor. I don’t want to smoke a candle, but the flavors made for a light, aromatic, and relaxed smoke. After about fifteen minutes, the basketball trøye NBA second third transformed into smokier spice, more powerful and bolder than what was hinted at in the beginning. The sweet, light hay also turned darker, resulting in a thicker, syrup sort of flavor that tasted a little like applejack or maple. This is how I imagine a cigar geek’s version of a pumpkin spice latte, even though there’s nothing that sweet in this smoke.
The final third of the cigar ended up being the darkest, as usually happens. The syrup from earlier developed into a strong maple flavor, and the sweetness was juxtaposed with very prominent spice. The entire stick smoked evenly with absolutely no maintenance needed. Even when it burned hot, it was so enjoyable that I smoked it until the end.
My only complaint with the Pilon was that it smoked a little tight – no Gandalf-level smoke production here. But that could have simply been the luxus uhren replica treatment of the cigar beforehand – the Pilon probably just needed a bit more drying out.
Looking forward to this CAO being a good go-to for the fall season. Let us know your favorite fall cigars. I paired this Pilon with a Dr. Pepper Ten, but we are looking forward to autumnal whiskey tastings soon as well. Enjoy!
