#nowsmoking: CAO Consigliere Soldier
#nowsmoking: CAO Consigliere Soldier Cigar Review
#nowsmoking: CAO Consigliere Cigar Review – Soldier
Origin: Nicaragua
Size: 6×54
Strength: Medium-plus
Wrapper: Brazil Mata Fina
Binder: Honduras
Filler: Nicaragua, Dominican Republic, Colombia
MSRP: $8.99
You can’t tell the story of the CAO Consigliere cigars selection without going back to the original CAO Sopranos Edition. That selection, made at CAO Fabrica de Tabacos in Honduras, debuted in 2005 under a licensing agreement with HBO Television. The blend boasted a Brazilian Mata Fina wrapper, Honduran binder, and a core blend of Nicaraguan, Dominican and Colombian tobaccos. Although it received a number of high tasting scores, unfortunately, the line was discontinued in 2013, and slowly faded into obscurity—almost. . .
With the release of CAO Consigliere in 2016, the company proved you just can’t keep a good blend down. Presented in three shapes: Associate (5 x 52), Boss (7 x 56), and Soldier (6×54), CAO moved production to Nicaragua, and maintained the original blend, breathing new life into the selection, proving that it’s not what you name a cigar, but how it tastes.
Expertly. The Brazilian Mata Fina wrapper offers an attractive, oily sheen, and the cigar is well packed with a neatly applied triple cap. The rolling on my sample was also virtually invisible. The cap clipped easily offering a firm but passable draw that offered a distinctive leathery flavor and a note of chocolate.
My Soldier smoked excellently, offering a wealth of creamy smoke, a clean burn, and a very firm gray ash. The draw also opened-up revealing flavors of leather, cedar, sweet spice, light salt, and a remnant of cocoa throughout the first act with dead-center medium body and strength.
By the midsection, the smoke sweetened up even further creating a “salted caramel” effect. Several retrohales offered a smooth, cedary note, too. The Soldier remained very consistent in smoke volume, flavor, and body right down to the nub. For all the details, watch the video.
Medium to medium-plus in body and strength. Modestly complex, yet impressively consistent and balanced. For me, the base flavors consisted of leather, cedar, and sweet spice, accentuated by additional notes of light salt, caramel, and dark chocolate.
Purely by coincidence, Rick and I went with the Macallan 12 Year Double Cask for the Consigliere Soldier, which was excellent. For the beer fans, Rick also suggested Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. Plus, its medium body and sweet-spicy character allows the Soldier to pair pretty much with just about anything.
(Find more cigar and drink pairing combinations here.)
If you’re looking for a solidly built and consistently flavorful medium-bodied cigar at well under $10, the CAO Consigliere Soldier is an excellent buy for novices and veteran smokers.
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