Torpedo, 6" x 54 ring gauge / available at UPtowns in Nashville
Not much was told about many of the Escaparate blends when CAO released them. Many were--and still are--shrouded in mystery, but a bit can be told about this 615...it is almost definitely nothing more or less than a CAO Criollo with a Maduro wrapper. Once part of the growing Escaparate program, just a few of these are left at UPtowns Smoke Shop in Nashville, the city that formerly was home to CAO. The 615 moniker was a tribute to the city's area code. I received a few of these from a friend of a friends...one of these people used to work in the industry...actually both still do, but...well, I'm just not going to say more.
The 615 was dark and rugged in appearance and felt a little rough and gritty to the touch...but with a little oil under the pads of my fingers, too. I got leather and autumn spice aromas when I sniffed the wrapper, and a faint earthiness on the foot. It was the hot, humid beginning of another Southern summer when I took this one outside, so I accompanied the cigar today with a special iced tea made with a higher end Black Tea I got from World Market Cost Plus. The cold draw of my 615 was slightly tight, but I got flavors of earth and an almost berry-like sweetness...nice!
After lighting, I got slightly sour notes amid an assortment of dried fruit, wood, and earthy flavors. The draw was tighter than I like and I'll admit that this is not my favorite CAO Escaparate blend, but it was nice this day...not too heavy or full-bodied, which would be a drag on such a warm day. The iced tea was marvelous; sold as a Chinese breakfast tea, it really hits the spot, delivering a wonderful "tea" flavor with a decent strength even after being diluted in bottled water. Really, it goes well with practically any cigar for those times you want a cold, non-alcoholic beverage.
Not much was told about many of the Escaparate blends when CAO released them. Many were--and still are--shrouded in mystery, but a bit can be told about this 615...it is almost definitely nothing more or less than a CAO Criollo with a Maduro wrapper. Once part of the growing Escaparate program, just a few of these are left at UPtowns Smoke Shop in Nashville, the city that formerly was home to CAO. The 615 moniker was a tribute to the city's area code. I received a few of these from a friend of a friends...one of these people used to work in the industry...actually both still do, but...well, I'm just not going to say more.
The 615 was dark and rugged in appearance and felt a little rough and gritty to the touch...but with a little oil under the pads of my fingers, too. I got leather and autumn spice aromas when I sniffed the wrapper, and a faint earthiness on the foot. It was the hot, humid beginning of another Southern summer when I took this one outside, so I accompanied the cigar today with a special iced tea made with a higher end Black Tea I got from World Market Cost Plus. The cold draw of my 615 was slightly tight, but I got flavors of earth and an almost berry-like sweetness...nice!
After lighting, I got slightly sour notes amid an assortment of dried fruit, wood, and earthy flavors. The draw was tighter than I like and I'll admit that this is not my favorite CAO Escaparate blend, but it was nice this day...not too heavy or full-bodied, which would be a drag on such a warm day. The iced tea was marvelous; sold as a Chinese breakfast tea, it really hits the spot, delivering a wonderful "tea" flavor with a decent strength even after being diluted in bottled water. Really, it goes well with practically any cigar for those times you want a cold, non-alcoholic beverage.
This review ended up being the start of an experiment of sorts, too, to see if I could change the way I write reviews. For almost 3 years, I've been writing reviews long-hand, then transcribing them onto my computer into blogger's "Posting" page. To cut down on the time it takes to do that, I am trying to use my iPad (seen in the accompanying picture) to type in the reviews as I smoke, then just copy and paste from a text file. So far, so good...the one drawback is that many times I've taken the "typing up" time as an opportunity to edit...this method makes that more difficult.
My Draw Poker--probably the best purchase I ever made from Thompson-- successfully opened the 615 making for a very pleasant cigar on a hot afternoon. As it progressed I got flavors of cedar and hickory, earth and citrus, grilled meat and rich natural tobacco. Not bad at all. Get these while you can...actually, horde them if you like them!
Have a different opinion on this cigar? We'd love to hear it! Leave a comment below...
My Draw Poker--probably the best purchase I ever made from Thompson-- successfully opened the 615 making for a very pleasant cigar on a hot afternoon. As it progressed I got flavors of cedar and hickory, earth and citrus, grilled meat and rich natural tobacco. Not bad at all. Get these while you can...actually, horde them if you like them!
Have a different opinion on this cigar? We'd love to hear it! Leave a comment below...
I do like the 615 quite a bit. I picked up several in the fall and am now down to one last robusto. Glad I am headed to UPtown's today to pick up a few more. Cheers!
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