CAO Brazilia Cigars

The CAO Brazilia cigar was not the first cigar from the Ozengers, a family that got its start in the tobacco business making pipes and humidors. But it was the one that vaulted the CAO company into a major player in the years after the Cigar Boom, a position they hold to this day. For the Brazilia, CAO partnered with the Toraño family to create something special; a cigar with a dark and spicy Arapiraca wrapper from Brazil to encircle the filler and binder from Nicaragua. This blend has been rated as high as 91 by Cigar Aficionado. Even the band on the cigar is a tribute to its origins, with the Brazilian flag and the 'Handmade designation written in Portuguese: 'Feito á mão'. As if to signify its unusual character, the smooth and finely veined Arapiraca leaf exudes a unique, earthy and phenolic, almost medicinal, aroma. The cigar is soft without being spongy, but the draw after sniping the large cap is nice and firm. A testament to talented torcedors. Not content to be ordinary, the CAO Brazilia starts with a bang as soon as it is lit, offering up coffee and black pepper. This settles after the first inch, but some additional spiciness is added for the second half, including hints of clove as the flavor develops. The CAO Brazilia is certainly a full-flavored cigar, but the strength is not so potent that inexperienced smokers should stay away, as long as they remember to eat well first. A strong cup of coffee or an icy rum and Coke pair marvelously with this cigar. You can find more of the Brazilian magic in the Le Vieja Habana Brazilian Maduro.