The CAO Session is the latest release and has been introduced as the siganature cigar of CAO Master Blender Rick Rodriguez.
The CAO Session comes in 20 count boxes in the following vitolas:
Garage (5 1/4 inches by 54 ring gauge, $8.59)
Bar (6 by 49, $8.99)
Shop (6 by 60, $9.59)
Todays review is based on the Garage vitola. The Session’s blend is comprised of Connecticut broadleaf wrapper, a Dominican vega especial binder and a combination of Doinican Piloto Cubano and Nicaraguan Esteli filler leaves.
The wrapper leaf is a very dark brown which is atributed to a unique post-fermentation treatment. The wrapper leaf also gives off a sweet tobacco aroma.
The cigar’s cap is a smoothly applied triple cap and also has a finished foot. The foot’s aroma smells like hay and sweet tobacco.
Once I clipped the cap, I took and pre-light draw and found it to be a little tight. I also picked up on notes of savory, earthy tobacco.
The overall burn performance was very good. The cigar had an even burn, a tight, firm light gray ash and produced a good amount of smoke.
The cigar starts off mellow with a mild retrohale sensation and a sweet and savory flavor on the lips.
Moving into the second third, the retrohale becomes quite strong with a mild tobacco flavor on the palate and a medium finish.
The final third has the same retrohale characteristic while the flavor on my palate increases to a medium strength tobacco with a long, satisfying finish.
Overall, the CAO Session is a great medium to full strength, medium bodied cigar. I give the cigar a 92.