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Cigar Reviews

CAO Arcana Series Mortal Coil

CAO Cigars might hold the record for the largest portfolio of unique blends with Connecticut Broadleaf wrappers. There is the MX2, the Bones, the Session, the Flathead…I could go on. Another cigar on this list, and perhaps the most unique of them all, is the Arcana Series Mortal Coil.

During a year-long hiatus from our shelves, this blend was one of the most frequently requested, and has definitely developed a cult following among leaf lovers locally and across the country. The Mortal Coil has returned, and just in time for our largest, most aggressive CAO promotion yet. More on that in a minute.

First, about the cigar. The Mortal Coil makes use of an ancient fermentation technique where the rare Dominican fillers are bundled together and then rolled into palm tree leaf pods, and left there to age and ferment. This process teases out otherwise hidden flavors, resulting in a strong, naturally sweet tobacco.

Then CAO adds the earthy, salty sweetness of a marble-brown USA Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper. It has tooth and character, both visibly and to the touch. The pre-light aroma is especially sweet, with a definitely chocolate note, as well as something like nougat.  A Three Musketeers bar, but better because I get to smoke it instead of pulling a muscle in my tongue trying to scrape this from the roof of my mouth.

I found it very difficult to put my finger on the central flavor note that makes this cigar so unique. It was familiar, and I was racking my brain trying to place it. So I asked my man Carl, and being the bottomless pit of smoking experience that he is, he immediately recalled the note I was struggling with…raisins. Dark, sweet, sour raisins. Nailed it.

Try one for yourself, it is incredibly unique, and not always available, so make sure you try one while we have them on the shelves. Can’t make it to the shop? No problem, just click this link to buy online! 

Keep Coming Back.

-DP

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Cigar Reviews

Perdomo 10th Anniversary Champagne

I have always had a proclivity for contrarian thinking, but some cigars are just so good that, try as I might to find a reason for a dissenting opinion, I find myself flowing right along with the torrent of positive reviews. Sometimes the masses all agree for a reason…because they’re right.

The Perdomo 10th Anniversary Champagne Epicure (6×54) is one of the most popular premium cigars in our shop, and I mean inside the top 5, outsold only by Romeo Y Julieta Reserva Real Toro and Magnum, Montecristo White Series Toro, and the CAO Flathead 660. The brands on that list are all Behemoths in the cigar industry, with massive sales and marketing budgets and big-time name recognition. Perdomo is a family owned company that earned it’s place in the industry in only one way…making incredible premium cigars at reasonable prices. The 10th Anniversary Champagne is a perfect example. You can snag this smoke in Robusto (5×54), Epicure (6×54), or Super Toro (6×60) for about $10 or less per stick.

So let’s take a look inside:

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade
Binder: Cuban-seed Nicaraguan
Filler: Cuban-seed Nicaraguan

Seems common enough, until you get one in your hand and remove the tell-tale tinted yellow cellophane. This beautiful butterscotch Shade wrapper feels like velvet. Like the thinnest strip of perfectly supple leather you’ve ever felt. The pre-lit cigar has all of the traditional aromas of Nicaraguan and Connecticut Shade tobaccos, but there is an extra hint of sweetness that enters the nose as well. A dry pull yields earthy notes, and some wood, with a hint sweet cream near the front of the palette.

Cream, honey, and oaky, woody undertones are the prominent flavors of the first third-to-half of this smoke once lit. But it is the very specific combination of these flavors in their specific variants and amplitudes that give this cigar its undeniably Perdomo essence. Perdomo fans will know what I mean when I say that every Perdomo cigar has a shared essence, which I was able to taste immediately and which remained throughout the experience.

The cigar does begin to heat up some after crossing the halfway point, but if extra care is taken not to pull too hard or too frequently, the smoke remained cool enough for pure flavors to be drawn out.

This is a mild cigar, but as complex as any Connecticut Shade I am familiar with. I have to put it up very close to the Oliva Connecticut Reserve in terms of quality and flavor. Connecticut Shade is something I typically will only reach for in the morning, but this cigar has been, and will remain in my breakfast cigar rotation.

If you’ve never had the pleasure, see for yourself why so many serious cigar enthusiasts are buying this cigar by the fist full. You can find it in our web store, and as a thank you for reading, use the code CHAMP for 10% off your Perdomo Champagne purchase online!

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Keep Coming Back.

-DP

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