Cigar Review: CAO Vision

Epiphany, 6" x 50 ring
As we kick off CAO month here at the Tiki Bar Online, I have to admit that there a few CAO sticks that have never made my regular rotation for one reason or another...and this is one of them...and the reason is price. Even online and buying by the box, these cigars cost over $10 a stick and they tend to run about $15 or so at your local B&M.

So, besides the fancy humidor box with the cool blue neon lights, what's so special about this stogie? It has filler from Brazil, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic along with a Dominican binder and wrapper. The wrapper is aged for 4 years and the write-up online evokes the memories of Einstein, Leonardo da Vinca, and MLK Jr. for its "Vision" name. The is positioned as CAO's premium smoke. If you want further evidence of that, look no further than the shiny pearlescent band--like a Caddy's paint job--and the secondary band with the cigar's serial number--just in case someone tries to counterfeit it.

The wrapper is smooth and virtually blemish-free. There are no prominent veins. The aroma from the body of the stick is lightly woody; from the foot I pick up a little leather. The aromas just are not that strong in either area, though. Both the CAO website and their video "From Seed to Soul" emphasize the fact that they draw test every cigar, so it comes as no surprise that this cigar has an excellent prelight draw (of course, this might be a bad time to mention the frequent draw issues I've had with MX2s...). The flavors prelight are light and sweet, maybe a little leather and nuts, but very faint.

With the first few puffs, the flavors are woody and nutty. The nuttiness comes through even better on retrohaling (blowing smoke out through the nose); this is an easy cigar to retrohale, too, with almost no burn in the sinuses. The smoke is thick, luxuriant, and creamy. CAO's website rates this as a medium-to-full bodied smoke, but I couldn't see that at the start--more of a mild-to-medium at this stage, exhibiting the smooth and creamy qualities that I enjoy most in a milder smoke.

Near the end of the first third, the cigar began to canoe a bit, but a small touch-up corrected it. As the cigar burned its way into the second third, the flavor was more of the roasted nuts, while the woody quality had dissipated. The smoke was still very creamy and would be great for blowing smoke rings if it hadn't been breezy on the patio.

As the second third winds down and the last begins, I finally got what I was hoping for--some spice to prove the existence of the Brazilian and Nicaraguan tobacco in the blend. Not a lot of spice, mind you, but a nicely balanced bit of heat on the finish.

As this cigar finished, it showed some great consistency and plenty of complexity: it stayed uniformally good throughout while providing enough flavor change to remain interesting. The body and strength were both on the mild-to-medium side and I can recommend this to anyone, even the occasional smoker. The only drawback to this cigar that I can find it the relatively high price of admission.

Body: 4/10
Strength: 3/10
Complexity: 8/10

AFP Scale
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4.5/5
Value: .5/1
Total: 9/10