CAO CX2 Robusto Review

[thebiglebowski]

well, i must say, that my nashvillian buddies, the Oxgeners, have redeemed themselves...

those of you, out here in the jungle, who have been paying attention, would know i had a bad experience with the Brazilia Gol! the other night (and that i enjoy the Italias). here's the thread:

http://www.clubstogie.com/vb/showthread.php?t=10941

well, i had my first CX2 robusto last night, and i'm happy to say, it comported itself with more than just a modicum of dignity! pre-light, this is a good looking cigar - nice complexion. clipped the end, draw felt good.

lit the cigar and I must say, it was strong from the get-go. probably, the first 5-10 minutes of the cigar were the strongest, which is odd, but it was good. peppery, tangy flavors. as the cigar progressed, it mellowed into a medium (maybe med-to-full) bodied smoke. i could taste cocoa and chocolate and still, the spicy, peppery component in the background.

construction-wise - you couldn't ask for a better burn. only one minor touch-up in the last third. burned like a dream, perfect draw. (see above link on the Gol!...)

my only complaint about this cigar (other than price - although, this one was given to me during a tasting event at the local B&M) would be a short finish. not enough flavor on my tongue after exhaling...

all things considered, a very good smoke. when bringing price into the equation, i would probably stick with the Italia Ciao as a go-to. definately worth having again, though!

[Alpedhuez55]

I posted a review of these a few weeks ago. I found these more in the mild to medium taste flavor. THey are a nice smoke with an underlying sweetness from the Cameroon Wrapper & binder. It is a very nice smoke that I would have from time to time.

I enjoyed it but I do not think it is much of a value. If you like it that much, I think you should try Fire by Rocky Patel or the Ovation By Alec Bradley Cameroon series. Both have a simular taste to the CX2, but retail for about 1/2 the price of it. You should be able to pick up a 5 pack of either of these on the Devil site for about the retail cost of one CX2.

If I were to get a 2fer 1 deal on the CX2 I would pick some of them up, but I just do not think this is an $8-$9 cigar

I also really liked this cigar - although I've been hooked on Camaroon wrappers from the get go. It seems like it gets really bashed by CAO die hards because it is a mellower smoke than many others in their product set. But, I'm with you. I'd definitely buy it again.

[8ball917]

I have one sitting in my humi thats been aged for about a month now. I cant wait to light it up.

[God]

Received my free one from CAO a couple of weeks ago and decided to light it up this morning. I generally like most of the CAO line with the Brazilias being one of my favorite go-to cigars.

I am writing this as I am smoking the cigar...

Construction: Seems to be well constructed. Cap clipped fairly neatly and what rough edge I had was the fault of my cheap cutter... didn't bother to dig out my Xicar. Seems to have the right amount of fill... not too much... not too little.

Appearance: Nice toothy wrapper with a definate vein pattern... oily texture... looks appetizing!

Pre-Light: A couple of quick draws would indicate that it should be fine

Lighting: Excellent... even burn all the way around with a torch lighter... not too fast... not too slow... what you want from a good cigar

First 1/3: Draws easily... solid white ash... holds for the first 1"-1 1/2" before dropping... slight peppery taste within just a few draws... a good sign!... initial heavy smoke from cigar tapering off now...

Middle 1/3: Solid smoke... mellowing out slightly... flavors coming thru now... continued slow, even burn... moderate smoke from cigar... vein pattern from the wrapper distinctly shown on the ash...

Finishing 1/3: Wrapper split... however that was due to my rotten cutter and not the cigar... continued peppery taste... even burn... cigar starting to warm up a little bit but the right amount of fill is keeping it at the right level... tongue is tingling just a little now... good stuff... label came off easily (I always like it when the label comes off good... doesn't stick to tightly to either itself or the wrapper)

Overall: Nice solid smoke... good flavor, construction and appearance... not sure what they sell for since this was a freebie from CAO but I would put it the $5-6 range...

[Ironfreak]

I enjoyed my CAO freebie yesterday on the golf course. I was pleasantly surprised with the CX2. Nice construction, good draw, and lots of mild tasty smoke. I have another one in my humi that I will let sit for a while.

Overall, I don't know if I would purchase the robusto again because of the size, but I will buy another CX2 in the future.

[Aaron]

Originally Posted by God

Received my free one from CAO a couple of weeks ago and decided to light it up this morning. I generally like most of the CAO line with the Brazilias being one of my favorite go-to cigars.

I am writing this as I am smoking the cigar...

Construction: Seems to be well constructed. Cap clipped fairly neatly and what rough edge I had was the fault of my cheap cutter... didn't bother to dig out my Xicar. Seems to have the right amount of fill... not too much... not too little.

Appearance: Nice toothy wrapper with a definate vein pattern... oily texture... looks appetizing!

Pre-Light: A couple of quick draws would indicate that it should be fine

Lighting: Excellent... even burn all the way around with a torch lighter... not too fast... not too slow... what you want from a good cigar

First 1/3: Draws easily... solid white ash... holds for the first 1"-1 1/2" before dropping... slight peppery taste within just a few draws... a good sign!... initial heavy smoke from cigar tapering off now...

Middle 1/3: Solid smoke... mellowing out slightly... flavors coming thru now... continued slow, even burn... moderate smoke from cigar... vein pattern from the wrapper distinctly shown on the ash...

Finishing 1/3: Wrapper split... however that was due to my rotten cutter and not the cigar... continued peppery taste... even burn... cigar starting to warm up a little bit but the right amount of fill is keeping it at the right level... tongue is tingling just a little now... good stuff... label came off easily (I always like it when the label comes off good... doesn't stick to tightly to either itself or the wrapper)

Overall: Nice solid smoke... good flavor, construction and appearance... not sure what they sell for since this was a freebie from CAO but I would put it the $5-6 range...

I'm having my first CX2, the freebie. I searched the forums here for other CX2 reviews and this took all the words from my mouth.

Besides, as an observant Jew, I'm not in the habit of arguing with God.

Of the CAO's, the Criollo is my least fave. I prefer the Brazilia, the Italia and the MX2.

My local B&M has a Buy-Two-Get-One-For-1/2-Price deal (that's 3 for the price of 2 1/2 or about 17% off each) and I could see myself picking up 3 for the humi to have around. I also like the Cameroon wrapper.

Enjoying it now, about halfway through, with a cinnamon-laced coffee.

My favorite part is taking the smoke in my mouth and then lightly inhaling through my nose. I find myself wanting to inhale the nice gray smoke through my nose. I wish I could describe the aroma better with adjectives. VERY nice.

And like all but one CAO I've ever had, the construction and draw have been flawless.

Yes, there are better smokes out there, but this one, if I can get it at a good price, is welcome any day.

[vtdragon]

Originally Posted by Alpedhuez55

I found these more in the mild to medium taste flavor. They are a nice smoke with an underlying sweetness from the Cameroon Wrapper & binder. It is a very nice smoke ....
If I were to get a ... deal on the CX2 I would pick some of them up, but I just do not think this is an $8-$9 cigar

Also got as a freebie from CAO and . If I could get these for around $3 I would smoke a lot of them.

[mhillsing23]

Originally Posted by Aaron

Of the CAO's, the Criollo is my least fave. I prefer the Brazilia, the Italia and the MX2.

Couldn't have said it better. My free CX2 that came as a freebie has been resting for a while now. I will have to get it out soon and put it to an end.

Thanks for the reviews!

[trnsam]

Great review, thanks for the info.

[jeffjt]

i just had my freebie CX2 from CAO and i agree with the all that's been said regarding the flavor and value. however, i noticed a very prominent stem that ran up about half the length of the cigar (in the binder or filler, not sure) and i could definitely notice that the clipped end was sticking out a little where this stem was. it was a little disconcerting, but less so since it was free.

[tadams17]

Just had mine tonight also...I agree that it was a very good smoke.
But like everyone else has said not worth the extra cash...Many,many others are just as good...

[cb25]

i enjoyed a Cx2 tonight -- actually was my 2nd time trying this brand -- CAO messed up and actually sent me 2 freebie cigars instead of just the one. i plan on thanking them by buying more CAO

anyways, the first one i smoked just a few days after i got it...very tasty, not crazy impressive, but very enjoyable.

this one sat in my little desktop humi for a few months...and i must say it was 10x better than the first one. very solid smoke -- tasty, even burning, solid white ash. very nice construction...i really can't say enough

i'm still not sure they're worth the price tag -- but if it were a few bucks less per stick, i'd want them in regular rotation!