CAO America Potomac

I know the CAO America gets a lot of flack for not having "complex flavor." I'm not going to contradict those opinions, but instead highlight the simplicity of the sweet, creamy smoke. I've smoked half a box of these puppies, and haven't had a problem with the burn yet. They're the sexiest looking sticks on the market, and they are a little expensive. There may be better values, but I like these quite a bit, and go to them whenever I need to center my palette. Consider these to be the sorbet in the middle of your gourmet meal.

Did not enjoy this cigar at all. It had no flavor at all except smoke flavor. Did nothing for me at all. Burn was so so... had to relight once even with steady puffs.

I smoked this with the two black dogs on the Potomac River, which is a great river. However, this is only a good cigar, not that it has to apologize. Still while it's a beauty, the taste while on the full-bodied side and smooth was only indicative of a good cigar and not a great one. The flavor while rather one dimentional was tangy and earthy had hints of sweetness and cocoa. The problem was that for the price the competition is just too strong. I've got one left, so I'll see if another year in the humidor, might improve the taste of this stick.

I am not a huge fan of the Brazilia, which I feel lacks complexity. The America on the other hand I felt to be considerably better. It was a nice even burn, great flavor, and was visually a striking cigar. I would definitely recommend giving one of these a try.

Smoked it right out of the humidor at the local B & M so it may have been a little more moist than it usual. Draw was a bit tight. Burn and construction were both excellent but there wasn't much flavor and it was absolutely more towards the mild side. I've loved the Brazilia Gol!, the Italia Ciao and several of the Sopranos line but this one didn't come close.

I tend to enjoy most CAO sticks. The flavors vary, but the construction is great..99% of the time. It would have gotten 100%, but this cigar just could not maintain structural intergrity through the entire smoke. I did like the flavors though. Smooth and nutty with a few changes as I went along. I like the big gauge smokes for what they can offer in terms of blending. So, a good smoke, but below CAO construction standards.

Wrapped up one of these beasts about a half hour ago and have to say that I wasn't all that impressed. This is a very attractive looking cigar with an over-sized ring gauge and toothy barber pole wrapper. This thing feels solid as a rock, packed to the brim with filler tobacco. Used a punch cut since it was too big to fit into my Xikar. Opening tastes were pepper and spice. After the first inch cedar came in on the front half with creamy coffee on the finish. This sounds like a rather complex smoke but it really isn't. The finish is very short and the other flavors don't last all that long either. Draw was fine and it smoked cool from start to finish. The burn though was another story. Tunneled on me three times and would run on one side unless it was monitored carefully. With about an inch and a half left it started to run again and I just let it go. One thing I can say though is that the wrapper didn't come apart on me like others here have reported, so I guess that's good. Overall, this was an O.K. smoke. Of all the "national" series CAO makes (Brazilia, Italia & America) this one is probably my least favorite. Wouldn't recommend unless you're really dying to try one.

very smooth....started to unravel.....not a lot of complex flavor....better values out there..

Most disappointing smoke of my life. It canoed. It tunnelled. It completely fell apart. I tried to smoke this while driving and this thing actually made that dangerous. I threw it out the window before I wrecked or got burnt. Would only give it out as a joke.

Like other reviewers I've got a lot of regard for the CAO smokes, I think they've got a diverse line of cigars with distinct honest flavors. I ordered a box of the Potomacs and when I got it, I wanted to salute the box -- damn good looking, included a hydrogel to keep 'em humidified, a silver and blue eagle-crested band around the foot and the CAO label in the red, white, and blue around the head, whew. So, who cares, how'd they smoke? Peppery, wrapper had good bite, great cedar aroma, strong taste of Virginia tobacco (?!) like a Turkish-cured tobacco. The spiral-wrap did indeed come loose but it didn't interfere with the smoke, so nothing lost. No construction problems, 8 stogies into the box. Who should try this? Anyone who digs a stronger-bodied smoke that doesn't go in the chocoloate-earth-coffee direction of flavor, but in another direction, hay-hops-bourbon.

I had previously written a review that noted the poor draw and construction of this cigar. My second attempt at the America was a much different experience. The draw and construction were fine. The taste, though mild-medium, was smooth and complex, becoming more medium bodied as it went along. A very unique tasting stick. I would definately recommend it.

I've sampled most of the COA line and have enjoyed all of them to varying degrees. One charictaristic of all COA's is a good draw. Unfortunately the draw on this Robusto was terrible. So bad in fact that I had to give up halfway through. Additionally it began to fall apart as others have noted. What made this so dissapointing was that I was truley enjoying the taste. It was mild to medium body with a unique nutty flavor. I'll give it another shot before paning it completely. Hopefully this was just a fluke.

I had some of the same construction issues other reviewers had. My cigar canoed, then tunneled, then the wrapper came loose near the band. That is not to say it was a bad smoke. Very nice aroma and mellow flavor. I did not notice any pepper what soever as did one reviewer. This was mild to medium in strength and not very full-flavored. I have one more in the humi which I think I'll store for awhile hoping for more character in the future.

When it comes to CAO America, it seems like everyone either loves 'em or hates 'em. I have always been a fan of many of CAO's lines, so maybe I'm biased, but I really enjoyed this cigar. The double wrapper is a bit gimmicky, but it does add a touch of complexity that might not be there otherwise. Overall, the flavor is nutty and mellow, this is a pretty mild cigar compared to most of CAO's other offerings. It put out loads of smoke and the draw was easy, but not too easy. My only gripe is that the second wrapper started to come off towards the finish... oh well, at least there was still one wrapper one the thing! I will be having this again; I just picked up a few more to add to the humidor. If you're a fan of CAO or just in the mood for something different, try one of these, I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

This was not a full bodied smoke. A decent taste of light coffee with some chocolate. Wrapper came apart once it hit around the band. Nice to try but won't buy again with better smokes out there for the same price. The MX2 is a better more complex and heavier smoke.

Wow I tried another one of these last night and was amazed at how wrong I was. My mind must have been somewhere else because this cigar is phenomenal!

I was excited to see these at my B&M and I picked up 3 of each size. I allowed them to sit for a couple of weeks because they felt jus ta bit soft from the shop. I wanted to love these cigars but every one had a problem with either canoeing or tunneling. Maybe they just got a bad shipment. I will try them again later but so far my experience was sad.

I didn't find this to be very strong bodied of a cigar, but I thought the fullness of the flavor was exceptional. I've never smoked a barberpole cigar, or in this case they call it a pinstripe, before but I was pleasantly surprised by the experience. I expected difficulties with the burn and gratefully didn't have any. I also was able to taste the influence of both the shade and maduro wrappers. Exquisite! Plus I found that the cigar had an unusually long and enjoyable finish. I typically like a stronger cigar so I probably won't buy another but recommend this to anybody who likes a mellow yet full flavored maduro

I dont know what these guys are talking about!!!. I only had one but wow I was impressed. I heard this cigar was supposed to be strong, But to me it was medium, complex and delicious. It tasted diffrent from any cigar I ever smoked.

I received one of these from a friend who attended the RTDA. The construction and appearance were beautiful, but this cigar lacked in depth of flavor and complexity. Based on the hype I had seen about this cigar, it disappointed.

Wasn't impressed by this at all. Tacky band, extremely tacky foot band, and sloppy construction. Flavors included, chile peppers, cardboard, cinnamon, and young tobacco. Might be a fun cigar for a amature smoker, but for the seasonsed veteran, it's nothing special.

The America is a beautiful pinstripe cigar made with two Connecticut wrappers, one a Natural and the other a Sungrown broadleaf. The binder is Brazilian and the filler is a mixture of Nicaraguan, Italian, Dominican and USA tobaccos. Fitting if you ask me. An American named cigar with influences from all over the world. A mirror of our culture. The cigar was not near as mild as I expected. With the Connecticut wrappers, I didn’t expect the spice I tasted, but the cigar was full of spicy, peppery flavors throughout. It started off a bit rough, but finished a little smoother. The Potomac is a nice sized cigar at 5×56, and the presentation of the cigar is one of the best I’ve seen. I was a little dissapointed, but not unsatisfied and would rate the cigar overall at a strong B+.