The CAO Black line is perhaps the closest thing to a classic the company offers. The company founder, Cano Orzinger, was a pipe maker who decided to branch out into cigar making. Thanks to his vision and entrance into the cigar market at the right time, his cigar business soon surpassed his pipes in popularity.
Notable for its mind-bending innovations, CAO started out more sedately with this cigar. A blend of Nicaraguan, Dominican, and Mexican tobaccos comprise the filler, an Ecuadorian Connecticut the wrapper. No bells, no whistles: Just a fine-tasting cigar.
As you would expect from CAO, the construction of this cigar is solid through and through. It has the easy draw and steady burn that are hallmarks of the CAO brand. Medium-bodied, it has a dry finish and an incomparable aroma. This cigar is just excellent. It received a perfect 10 out of 10 score from Cigar Buyer magazine when it was first released.
First released in 2005, finding a CAO Black may present as much of a challenge as finding a parking space in Midtown Manhattan during the Christmas season. The CAO Black is essentially a limited release. Each box is numbered, so these are truly considered to be a collector’s item. The CAO Black is made in very small production runs these days.
They’re rare, but it is a sin against the cigar gods to allow these fine cigars to languish forever in that special corner of the humidor. The CAO Black was made for relaxation. Smoking one of these after an awards dinner where you garnered all the top honors qualifies. Go home, take off your shoes, light up a precious CAO Black, and reflect on what set you on this path. Allowing a CAO Black to languish in the back of the humidor would be a waste.
