Cigar Review: CAO Lx2 Toro

Nick:
As far as premium cigars go, CAO is probably one of my favorite brands. CAO has an extensive variety of cigars, which means that no matter what your taste is, CAO will more than likely have several cigars to suit you. Several months ago I tried a CAO Lx2 Toro and liked it so much that I bought a box of them. The price is fairly reasonable with a single stick running you anywhere between 5 and 7 dollars depending on the size you choose and the establishment you buy from and a box of 20 running about $125 or so. They have been sitting in my humidor since then gradually disappearing at a steady rate. The Lx2 is a pretty strong smoke and I would not recommend it for first time smokers, but if you are not a novice and can appreciate a strong cigar you should most definitely try this one out. The Toro is a nice 6", 50 gauge cigar that is a perfect size for the Lx2 in my opinion because it is not as short as the robusto, but not so long that it will turn you green (keep in mind this is a fairly strong smoke). It is categorized as a full strength cigar, its country of origin is Nicaragua, it is made up of Dominican and Nicaraguan Ligero long-filler with a Honduran binder and Nicaraguan wrapper. This cigar is extremely peppery with flavors of wood and leather for the first quarter of its 6" size, but after the spicy introduction it mellows out and delivers an extremely smooth velvety smoke with rich flavors of sweet spice and coffee. I personally love this cigar and have found it to be one of my favorites among the extensive CAO collection. It has a nice draw that is neither to hard nor too loose, as well as having an even burn and a firm gray ash. I personally enjoy this cigar with one of three beverage accompaniments: Dr. Pepper (if I am not in the mood for anything stronger), a nice dark rum such as Gosling's Old Rum served neat, or a good bourbon or whiskey such as Maker's Mark served on the rocks. The spiciness and sweetness of all three of these beverages compliment the cigar nicely. So in closing, if you find yourself looking for a good strong cigar to wrap up your evening or add to the pleasure of your weekend, the CAO Lx2 Toro is a fairly inexpensive and tasty cigar to pick up and try out.