Good day to all the smoking fans out there and welcome to another edition of cigar reviews. On today's menu is the silky smooth CAO Gold Vintage Crémant and the highly respected and rated Alec Bradley Tempus Terra Novo.

CAO Gold Vintage Crémant

CAO created the Gold Vintage line to appeal to smokers who enjoy milder cigars. By creating such a cigar, CAO allows the Gold Vintage to appeal to not only experienced smokers, but beginners as well. Now it's time to find out just how smooth this baby is.

The Gold Vintage Crémant measures 6 x 52. The line is offered in just one other size, the 4 7/8x 60 Bouchon. The cigar has a filler blend of tobaccos the Esteli region of Nicaragua and the Jamastran region of Honduras. The binder is Nicaraguan. Topping off each cigar is a special Ecuadorian Connecticut Seed wrapper taken from a harvest in 2004. What makes that particular year's harvest special is that the amount of rainfall, climate, and soil were about as good as one could hope for. CAO's Fabrica de Tabacos in Esteli, Nicaragua is the manufacturing location for the Gold Vintage line. It's considered to be a smoother offering from the brand and falls into the mild to medium-bodied category.

First thing's first: this is one smooth looking cigar. The Connecticut Seed wrapper has a creamy brown color that is very enticing. Just a bit of oil can be noticed on the surface when the cigar is under direct light. Only a few small veins are visible, and the Crémant has very few imperfections. Touching the cigar from top to bottom tells me that it's pretty firm and well packed. CAO usually produces attractive decorative bands on their cigars, and this case is no different. The band lies near the head and is pretty large. Its mainly gold and red color scheme looks great against the wrapper. CAO's logo and the Gold Vintage label are printed on the band. Before lighting, the Crémant has a cold taste of leather and a rather sweet scent.

Although the Crémant looks great, its burn does not quite live up to expectations. The draw is fine, and some solid white ash is produced. The burn has a problem staying even on its own, however, so quite a bit of touch-ups are necessary. Luckily, it does not need any re-lighting.