Review: CAO Lx2

matthewjmichael

Original Post Here

Size: Robusto, 5×52

Wrapper: Nicaraguan

Binder: Honduran

Filler: Dominican and Nicaraguan

Strength: Full

Price: Box of 20, $110

Grade: 8.7

The Lx2 had a lot of buzz when it first came out; I picked one up at my local shop and let it rest for about six months. The Lx2 is slammed full of ligero, the highest priming on a tobacco plant. This portion of the plant receives the most sunlight and produces a dark and thick leaf that is stronger and more flavorful. Here is CAO’s word on the powerhouse:

CAO Lx2 (“Ligero Times Two”) is the third and final installment to the CAO “x2” trilogy. This ligero-heavy powerhouse possesses a full-bodied flavor profile and was inspired by tobacco grown on the 140-acre “Pueblo Nuevo” farm located just outside of Condega, Nicaragua.

CAO Lx2 features a sungrown Nicaraguan wrapper, Honduran binder, and three different ligero fillers from Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic.

CAO Lx2 boasts a bold, muscular structure but also shows flavors of bittersweet chocolate, paprika, and woody tobacco notes that fan out superbly on the palate. Available in three shapes, CAO Lx2 cigars have been draw-tested to ensure a consistently flawless smoke.

You can learn a bit more here. Let’s get to it, shall we…

Appearance 1.8:
The dark chocolate wrapper on this smoke is very appealing. The texture is smooth and the cigar is very firm with good weight. The label is very eye-catching and really draws you in with its double banding. The cap was a little rugged but when cut it came off very clean. The pre-light aroma was that of cocoa along with the clean smell of dark tobacco; the foot had an aroma of hay. The cold draw followed the above profile with some spice, but the barnyard was not present in the cold draw.

Burn 1.5:
The Lx2 lit well but, as far as burn goes, it was downhill from there. The ash did not hold past ¾ inch, and I had to re-light going into the 2/3 and the cigar starting flowering into the 3/3 mark. The draw was also very tight throughout the smoke, though it did loosen a bit when reaching the 3/3 mark—however, it was never comfortable and required consistent thought and work. This is the biggest point deduction for this smoke and a better burn would have marked this cigar a 9.0+.

Flavor 2.8:
As to be expected, the Lx2 was very flavorful. The first puff produced notes of green pepper and smoothed out into a earthy tobacco profile with a cocoa finish. About halfway through the first third, I picked up a nutty flavor on the finish coupled with the continuing cocoa, which was quite nice! The second-third of the Lx2 continued to smooth out and notes of fresh cut grass seemed to jump out at me. There was also some mint on the finish. The final third returned to a more pronounced earthy tobacco taste with a caramel type finish. The smoke was very complex and I enjoyed the transition in the smoke.

Overall 2.6:
The complexity of this smoke makes it a good value at around $6 a stick, but the burn issues really detracted from the enjoyment of the stick. I am going to pick up another one the next time I see it in a shop and I will re-review to see if the burn issues are consistent or if I just got a bad one. Overall, a very interesting and engaging smoke.

(Total: 8.7)

kuzi16

matthewjmichael:

As to be expected, the Lx2 was very flavorful. The first puff produced notes of green pepper and smoothed out into a earthy tobacco profile with a cocoa finish. About halfway through the first third, I picked up a nutty flavor on the finish coupled with the continuing cocoa, which was quite nice! The second-third of the Lx2 continued to smooth out and notes of fresh cut grass seemed to jump out at me. There was also some mint on the finish. The final third returned to a more pronounced earthy tobacco taste with a caramel type finish. The smoke was very complex and I enjoyed the transition in the smoke.

this is interesting. I smoked one a few weeks after it came out. I didnt find it very complex at all. it was strong. it had spice, and i seem to remember getting ribbed that i found nut flavor to it. the only complexities i found were in the spice... noting pepper and cinnamon
i also found very little of the earth flavor and a good amount of leather instead. the sweet associated with the earth and coco flavor just was not there when i smoked one.

i gave it an 8.4 btw

TatuajeVI

I've had a few of these and loved them. I need to get a few more and let them sit for a while like you did.

matthewjmichael

Have you had burn issues?

kuzi16

it didnt burn evenly, but i dont remember it being a struggle. I didnt note in my catalog that it was burning horribly.

phobicsquirrel

I've had 4 of them and I seem to enjoy the robusto size. I think the cigar isn't bad, but I didn't get too much flavor out of them. and sadly no nut taste... Most CAO's I've had usually burn uneven.

Lakota72

It looks like I am rekindling an old thread. This is my first Lx2 and I am happy that I'm having it. This is a Lancero so I was kind of skeptical on how powerful the ligero wrap may be. Much to my surprise the start of the cigar was not overpowering. Strong...but not too strong. Initially the first flavor I caught was chocolate.

This did not last long before I started picking up the spice and strength of the cigar. One thing I have noticed is that some of the flavors are very similar to a 262 Paradigm I smoke a couple of weeks ago.

this cigar is pretty full bodied even for me. The burn has been fairly even throughout however the draw was initially a bit too tight for the first inch or so. Since then it has been better and very consistent. I do believe I will revisit this cigar later down the road but in a different vitola. I'd say this cigar ranks in my top 30 or 40

laker1963

Daniel, give them a try in the Robusto format. These are very tasty little numbers.

Lakota72

Thanks Doug. I think that would be just about the right size for me for this type of potent cigar.