CAO Brazilia Select TAA Gordo 6.5x60 7/4/19

 Appearance
A dark brown colored wrapper with a few prominent veins. Some of the seams are tight and some are not. The wrapper has a nice oily sheen. There is a bit of tooth. The filler bunch is well packed with a soft spot just under the band.

Aroma
Cedar, earth and spice on the wrapper. Earth, cedar, molasses and spice at the foot.

Prelight Draw
Molasses, dried fruit, earth, cedar and spice.

1st
The initial draws bring notes of earthy cedar with some black pepper spice notes in the background. Sweet notes, a combination of light molasses and light dried fruit appear but then are overpowered by the black pepper spice notes which begin to ramp up. The ash is light gray and tight. The burn is a bit wavy. The draw is a tick on the snug side. On the finish the dried fruit comes thru and lingers as the black pepper spice fades. The overall profile is wrapped in a dry low grade leather texture. Strength is medium. Smoke production is at the medium range. The ash gets a bit flaky as it burns. Ash held firm and straight until removal.

2nd
The draw opens up as I move into the 2nd/3rd. Smoke production increases as well. Cashew notes join the profile. The finish is long with notes of earth, cedar, dried fruit, cashew and black pepper spice. The black pepper fades leaving the dried fruit notes to linger at the end of the finish.

Final/3rd
Moving into the final/3rd notes of cinnamon spice replace the black pepper spice. The profile stays sweet and creamy for a bit then a pinch of black pepper spice comes back and nudges out the cinnamon notes. The profile remains consistent right to the nub.

Overall
The CAO Brazilia Select TAA Gordo provides an enjoyable smoking experience. A nice flavor profile with a good draw and mildly erratic burn.
As you know I’m not a fan of 60 ring gauge cigars but I wanted to see how this stacked up against the original Brazilia blend. Still prefer the original.
GottaTryEmAll™️!!
Give it a go and let me know what you think.