“Hearty aroma” Havana Day Dreamin’ by CAO Cigars review.

Brand History

CAO International, Inc. is the producer of one of the country’s top lines of premium cigars.  Founded by Cano A. Ozgener in Nashville as a labor of love 41 years ago, today CAO products can be found on every continent in the world with the exception of Antarctica.  They have a terrific reputation of delivering quality products at fair prices.  The line consists of a wide variety of blends such as American, Brazilia, Colombia, Criolla, Flavours, Gold, Italia, L’Anniversaire Cameroon, L’Anniversaire Maduro, Lx2, Mx2, OSA Sol, Sopranos and Vision, La Traviata, Brazilia, America, Italia, CAO Gold, and CAO Maduro as well as unique flavored brands like Moontrance and Eileen’s Dream.

CAO was later acquired by General Cigar Company,  one of the world’s foremost manufacturers and marketers of premium cigars.  Their artisans in the Dominican Republic, Honduras, and Nicaragua are passionate about handcrafting their iconic products to maximize the cigar smoking experience.  General Cigar’s portfolio of acclaimed brands includes Macanudo, Cohiba, Partagas, La Gloria Cubana, CAO, Hoyo de Monterrey, Excalibur and Foundry.  Given their large size, they are able to buy, age and store their own tobacco, operating three factories in each of the top cigar-making countries.  As a result, their team of cigar masters can utilize an extremely broad base of tobacco in creating new blends, and they can move quickly to bring innovative new products to consumers.  Their joint venture with the Plasencia Group provides additional capabilities in leaf growing, processing, and cigar making.  The Plasencia Group’s highly regarded, family-owned operations encompass five cigar factories and more than 20,000 acres of tobacco farms.

CAO’s new extension line, Flathead Steel Horse, pays tribute to motorcycle culture. A great handmade standard parejo with a squared-off head will be something you can truly enjoy.

Appearance:

This cigar is solid to the touch with an oily wrapper.  It has a hearty aroma filled with sweet earthy notes and offers an incredibly rich pre-light smell at the foot.

 Journey Profile:

1^st quarter: Right away, you are introduced to sweetness along with some nutty and cocoa notes.  There are hints of a salty taste on the palate as well as a light spice.  2^nd quarter: An aroma of toast and dry fruit was on the palate.  The aroma then turned earthy, offering wood tones as spices lingered.  There was some creaminess along with delicate sweet notes.  3^rd quarter: In this portion, there was a touch of nutty texture, sweet notes, rich tobacco and a mild creaminess.  The ash is just amazing, holding strong throughout while remaining fully intact.  The burn line is razor sharp and produced a huge aroma that filled the room with some tobacco and earthy cocoa tones.  4^th quarter: The ash grew to 2 ½” long and had just fallen off, producing delicious notes of sweet cocoa and spice along with some creamy texture.  Plenty of rich tobacco notes were present and a lingering spice continued to deliver great characters down to the nub.

Final Thoughts:

The Havana Day Dreamin’ cigar has a very rich overall character.  Its outstanding construction allowed for a slow and even burn that produced a long and dense, tight gray ash.  It offers medium-full flavors and a very aromatic and alluring aroma.  Overall, it is an extremely well made and complex cigar that delivers a great balance.

Myron Gooch Sr.

Time Smoked: 1 hour 15 minutes.

Cost: $8.50

Wrapper: Connecticut.

Binder: Dominican.

Filler: Dominican.

Size: 5” x 50.

Rating: 90