Review Notes: From the first moment it picked it up, it was clear that this cigar was going to be different. The square-pressed torpedo was firm and flawlessly rolled, and I got the impression that its design had been pained over, ensuring that it fit the human hand perfectly. The wrapper was a nice caramel colored Cameroon with tiny grains covering it that were not directly obvious, giving it a nice uniform color and texture. When it comes to the draw of any CAO, it is as the wind goes… variable. This one required only the smallest cut to achieve the draw which I find perfect: little laboring, and an as-desired draw strength. I tend to dislike it when a cigar dictates how it should be drawn, often pulling on the thing like those too-thick milkshakes that render the straw useless and provide minimal returns. The burn was cool to medium, and it refused to go out, even if left untouched for 5 minutes or so. On to the flavor. Caramel and toast reached an agreement here, and their final product is a magically smooth, rich flavor that continued to impress me. The body is medium, and didn’t change at all when I drew it long, spiking the temperature. The ash of this smoke should be mentioned, and “unique” is the only responsible description. It was brown and gray, with tan and white grains that stood out on the ash. During the entire burn, it produced only 6 large ash cylinders, and not a speck or flake more. I then stood up and held the cigar several feet above the ashtray, and tapped one of the cylinders in. Not to my surprise, it stayed perfectly in tact. The experiment did raise one question though, and it was from the bartender: “Ummm… What the hell are you doing?” I burned this cigar down to one inch long, and had to finally and reluctantly snuff it out before it burned my fingers. At that exact moment, and I certify that this is true, a man with his underwear on the outside of his leather pants walked in to buy a couple of cigars for himself. Suddenly my experiment didn’t seem so strange.