CAO Brazilia Piranha

I'm still pretty new at this cigar thing, but there's this girl at the cigar store I go to that is so helpful. I was doing the Macanudo Maduros and the Partagas Spanish Rosado for a while and she says to me she says, "Hey, Handsome! If you like those, you'll probably love the CAO Brazilia and the Piranha is probably just right for you." I was dazzled by her dazzling eyes, bought four Piranhas, went home, poured me a Weller & water, lit the cigar, and really enjoyed it. Very nice flavor. Now the Cigar Girl probably won't give me the time of day outside of the store, but she does give me great cigar advice. I love her.

They look fantastic. At first, I was turned off a little by the firmness thinking that it was overly dry, but that seems to be the trend with all of them. These have an almost foolproof burn, so I don't have to pay attention while I'm talking at the bar. I prefer cigars with a defined, bold flavor, not just regular tobacco taste. These cigars rule in that area. They have a VERY unique flavor and aroma. If you are looking for something different, these are for you.

This little guy sure does think he's a double corona in the flavor department. Great construction, full bodied gem with notes of anise and black pepper from box to box. Reminds me a bit of the 5Vegas A Anomoly but a bit better in both construction and flavor. Full bodied fan with 25 minutes to kill? Buy some!

Very nice, though a bit small for a typical robusto. Appearance a bit rougher than others from this line, but has that welcome Brazilia flavor.

Very easy draw and nice flavor

Burn was very nice, stayed neat and even throughout. Had some sweet undertones, medium body. Draw was too tight – cigar was rock hard, but overall an enjoyable smoke.

I just smoked the third of a five pack I received as a gift, and I have to agree with what one reviewer mentioned below, and that is they are better with a little age. It's a good, solid, full flavored cigar and it takes about half an hour to smoke one. I may buy some more just to have for when time is limited to enjoy a stogie. My only question is, for a little over three bucks a pop, it seems there are others that are close to this caliber but cheaper. The value itself is worth it, it is a good smoke, but it's not spectacular. It kind of reminded me of the Monte Cruz Del Negro, another Nicaraguan cigar which at one point was about $50 for a box. Bottom line, if you enjoy full flavored, Nicaraguan stogies, this won't disappoint, but if you buy and don't like the first one, park 'em in the humidor for a couple months and try again.

this cigar is growing on me, even though i'm partial to the Italia line.
Dark and oily, fairly even burn. Lot of coconut, wood, and grape flavors. Burned a little hot.

A rich dark type smoke, fair draw and decent exhales. I smoke one a month from the box that I purchased. They seem fairly consistent and loosing their harsh notes as they age. I find the initial lighting process on these smokes to be a bit harsh for the full couple of hits. But then the chocolate and coffee bean flavors take over. A pretty nice short cigar with a peppery finish.

when i lit this beast i said to myself...this sucks...after a few puffs it smoothed out and was very flavorful and enjoyable. i smoked it down the nub, great cigar

An enjoyable , fairly quick smoke. nice peppery spice . Good draw and plenty of smoke. Wrapper not the prettiest but a greeat burn.

This stick is a great example of how age effects cigars. The first stick I had was fresh from the B & M and I found it to be a bit harsh and too spicy. I had one that was aged a year-what a difference! The harshness was gone as well as the spicyness mellowed. It also mellowed out a bit, allowing me to smoke it to the nub. For those who gave it lower scores, perhaps an "older model" would suit you.

This cigar is not my type, but for what it does, it does it well. Beautiful construction and appearance (It's a shame I'm not crazy about the flavor of the Brazilia's, because I love everything else about them), and terrific burn. Very earthy and spicy flavor, that for me was pretty constant through the entire cigar. Also had some mineral undertones, which again, is not my cup of tea. If those flavors appeal to you, and you like a bold, flavorful cigar, then this stick is right up your alley.

Very nice and spicy tasting cigar.

Just not for me, a little too harsh. If you like full bodied this might be for you.

This is the cigar that got me hooked. When I first got it, I couldn't stop smoking it. It starts rough, but the flavor builds to a crescendo. You don't want to put it down. So I bought a box, but they seemed to have a lot of plugged sticks, thus the low rating on construction.

I really enjoyed this. Smooth flavor, perfect burn. Took about 45 minutes to smoke with a fantastic finish.

I had heard so much about this stick and had to try one. There was a knot that pissed me off, but once I made it past it was wonderful. I smoked it to the nub. I tasted spicy black coffe and a smoothness I cannot describe. The last half was much better.

These little guys smoke like a champ. I think they have more and better flavor than the gol or anaconda. A strong medium with great construction. These are my golf smokes because they burn flawlessly every time, and I don't want to worry about my burn while trying to correct my snap hook.

Similar to round 1 w/ this little one, burned up one side, all the correction in the world wouldn't fix it, but other than that, it was excellent - went very well w/ strong coffee. Slightly sweet, nice aftertaste, decent draw (considering one side). Really wonder if other sized suffer from the same.

I let this little guy swim around with the big fish in the humidor for about a month. It kept jumping up at me and the other gars were looking a little intimidated by the tooth on this one. I lit him up after a hard day of yard work. Yes! Finally a cigar I love. This little guy had a nice range of flavors in its short body: coffee, leather, spice, and just as I was about to toss it for the short but intense pepper at about an inch and a half—cocoa. Yummy cocoa. I eased back on the coiled fingers ready to flip it into the yard burn pile and slurped it right down until I was hiccupping. Delicious! The only complaint I have is in the burn. It canoed a couple of times. Not what you want when there’s a piranha ready to jump in there with ya. It self-corrected once and I had to help it along the second time. Just a blip on the rating sonar though. Yum.

this smoke had balanced flavor through out.a little tight on the draw but otherwise constructed very well.i did have one that burned up one side but evened out later on .its not bad and i would say worth what i payed.

Not a robusto, as this site IDs it, but a petit corona. This is one of what I call my "core humidor cigars" — that is, I try to always keep a small supply on hand. The problem I've found with many petit coronas is that they smoke either harshly, or lack complex flavors. Not this baby. Terrific intense notes of tobacco, espresso, pepper, and earth. Good draw. Long finish (I often smoke these down to my fingertips). And you know, they look very appealing with that brightly colored band against the dark, almost maduro wrapper. I get them at 5 for $12.75, so these are an excellent value.

Epidemy of bad luck... one side of the cigar would just not burn at all... wet, oddly packed? It probably would have tasted pretty good, but I had to really work to get anything out of it. I love the CAO brand, and have another churchill size Brazilia waiting to be tried, so hopefully my next review will average out these scores...

Completely smoked one. It wasn't all that impressive. Very one dimensional and it didn't finish well. I tried another one just to make sure and it was plugged, had to toss it. I smoked a Gol! from this line and it is superior to this.

Full flavored yet mild. Gets a bit harsh down near the ring but few dont. Overall an excellent backbone for your humidor.

This little cigar packs a punch. Let mine sit in the humidor for 2 months before smoking it and wasn't disapointed. Great smoke, even burn, hint of coffee. Will be buying more!

As promised, I stuck one in my Humidor to sit for a while as my first experience was Blahh. I must say that I must have had a bad stick. This truly is a nice little cigar. I enjoyed it sitting at the local pub sipping on a few Guiness Black and Tans. It is a rich cigar with tons of tasty smoke. It burned very smooth and cool for a short stick...

I love this cigar. Chocolate, coffee. Great construction and burn. My goto smoke now.

I wish I could say I share the same love as many of the other reviewers for this Cigar. After all I read about it, I couldn't wait to bite into it. What a disappointment. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't bad, I just feel the flavor was no better than average at best. It was bland but harsh, if that makes any sense. I did like the burn. For such a small cigar, it lasted quite some time, comparable to a Robusto. I'll pick up another and let it age a bit and see if it changes my opinion. Stay Tuned.

A little powerhouse. Had this one for breakfast. This little firecracker sports a dark toothy wrapper. The construction, draw & burn are flawless. Notes of coffee bean & spice. I just love this little cigar. Anybody wanna arm wrestle?

Top notch cigar. I second what many of the other reviewers have already stated. Highly recommended if you want a short smoke that keeps up with the big boys. Very well made. Great flavor profile.

A favorite of my wife and I. A great little smoke with the ummph of its larger brethern. Dark oily looking wrapper that burned flawlessly and with an easy draw. A full bodied smoke with hints of coffee and leather. A short smoke with some bang..

This is a wonderful cigar! Short corona length perfect for a long dog walk or when you don't have much time. Attractive, mildly oily and slightly toothy rich dark chocolate wrapper with medium veins. Solid construction with no soft spots. Nice prelight aroma. Easy light. Razor-sharp burn without the need for corrections or relights. Smooth draw. White ash. Lots of creamy white smoke. Starts with "in-your-face" spice and black pepper, but then transitions to a much smoother and complex medley of flavors after 1/2-3/4 inches. By the middle third, cocoa, dark chocolate, and earthy notes developed on top of the mild spice which served as the backbone of the cigar. The black pepper had subsided by this point. These were joined by woody notes in the last third, particularly a mild burnt cedar note, which was not overly obtrusive and complimented the flavor profile quite nicely. In the end, this 40 minute smoke (which I smoked slowly) was rich, complex, and thoroughly enjoyable. Would pair well with any scotch, bourbon, coffee, or even a stronger wine, like a Cabernet. Bought a box.

Very nicely constructed, great draw, excellent complex flavor, some of these little guys are turning out to be rewarding quick smokes.

Solidly built, oily, and with a dark, rich color, this cigar looks good. It's an excellent performer: fairly even burn, nice ash, and a good draw producing thick clouds of smoke. Starts off with some strong licorice flavors; eventually it becomes more balanced, with an unusual mix of toasty licorice and spice that is both sweet and slightly bitter. The taste may not appeal to everybody, but it is different and certainly worth a try.

Excellent little smoke with a nice firm draw. Had a good taste with hints of leather and coffee and a peppery/spicy finish.

Re lit this cigar four times, had to constantly correct the burn. Cool down to the nub though, but it just doesn't compare to the Samba of this line. Try that instead to get a taste of what this cigar tries to be.

Wow! That is a really nice short smoke. Real punch of flavor and nicotine. And an interesting one for such a small cigar.
The build and draw is excellent. The wrapper is attractive, shiny, lightly oily with interesting lighter spots.
Despite being a strong cigar, there are no hints of harshnes, even if you overtorch the foot. Now the interesting part. It's almost like two cigars. First half is flavorfull and smoooth, yet strong and peppery. The other half is a huge punch of leathery taste and spicy nicotine, maybe just a little to hot. I smoke it untill it burns my fingers. The change in taste is sudden, unexpected and maybe a little harsh, but after two, three puffs the cigar is again wonderful, yet different experience.

I AM EXPLORING SMALLER CIGARS OTHER THAN ROBUSTO AND TORO SIZE, AND THIS PIRANHA DELIVERS THE FLAVOR. A SPICY ROAST COFFEE TYPE WITH A WONDERFUL DRAW. SIMILIAR TO THE GOL AND SAMBA. C.A.O. ARE SUPER PREMIUM CIGARS!!

excellent. not as full as the mx2 but still has an oily thick wrapped. Leathery and some pepper. I smoked it all the way down. Also it cut realy well, a very well made cigar.

Great Smoke as usual from CAO; very spicy, know what you are getting when you buy this, not for new smokers

Tried one of these that I was gifted by a friend. Nice complex flavors with a nutty taste. Great "quick" smoke that burned well and drew nice until the end. Will definitely get a few of these to go along with my Sambas.

I must have been on the wierd side of things but this little smoke kicked my butt and my sons too. Not i've smoked a hell of a lot of stogies, but this one was so strong it peeled the paint man. And I like strong smokes!! Go figure!! Well anyway it did burn very nicely and the overall construction was very. The flavor was strong with a lot of wood, kind of nutty, rich coffee flavor. I will have to try this one again.

You had better like your coffee strong if you are going to smoke this little powerhouse! An excellent cigar that smokes in under 45 minutes. Beautiful appearance - dark and oily - with a obvious care being taken in the construction. The cap is beautiful and the burn is even and smooth. Great draw that yields to a rich coffee flavor. A medium to full flavor. A wonderful cigar!

Great cigar, tons of flavor...nuts, spice, its just great. Leans towards the full flavored side of the scale, by the end it can really knock you for a loop. For the quality of this cigar, its a good value at the $5-6 price range. Pick one up!

This isn't a bad cigar, but it wasn't great either. I don't think I would buy another anytime soon. It tended to unravel as I was smoking it and the taste was one dimensional. It did have ash for at least aninch, though, which is admirable in my opinion.

When you don't have much time, this is a great cigar. Nice nutty flavor. Burns well, great smoke. Full to medium bodied with no harshness that you sometimes find in these types of cigars. Wrapper has a nice color and sheen.

Burn and draw were great, taste was strong wood, coffee with some bite as the stick gets shorter.

Wow! What a big-time smoke from a small cigar! A very complex smoke, full of surprises. It started out spicy with a nice flavor I couldn't quite define--maybe a charred licorice flavor? It sounds strange, but it wasn't unpleasant, just new and hard to define. Before I could get a handle on the sensation, the Piranha developed a full-on coffee flavor that remained most of the way through to the nub, with occasions of chocolate added in for good measure. Even though this isn't a big stick, I was getting a bit of a headrush by the end. This is a handsome cigar with great flavor and complexity, plus a fine draw and burn. I just wish it was a tad less expensive.

Piranha's a perfect name. This one is aggressive--bites with some spice. Hard packed little stick but decent draw and steady burn. Lots of smoke. Long smoke for a short stick. Slight bite of spiciness to begin--smoothes out halfway, bites again at the finish. Very complex. Full flavor and smell for a 'little' cigar. I've had several of these, and although not my everyday choice, I like with a good stout--when inn the mood for something punchier. Not a relaxing smoke.

This is a little cigar that has the power of a larger one. Very spicy and strong. It was a little rough at the start, but smooted out about a 1/4 way through. The burn was a little inconsistent, but overall a good smoke.

Just a fine 35 minute smoke that is a medium to full bodied smoke, but smooth from start to fiish. Another great smoke in this line.

A nice looking, firmly packed cigar it burned great. The draw was a little firm but gave up mouthfulls of smoke. The taste was strange.. alot of high end harsh spice with most of the fullness coming in the aftertaste. Not really my thing, but I could see where others would like it.

This cigar isn't for the newbies, it is a double maduro and its very tastey. This is a good cigar but for the size, you can probably do better else where. Don't get my wrong, I liked this cigar but, I think the hype is inflating the cost of these smokes. I probably won't buy it again but I didn't feel I got took.

A very full bodied and strong cigar; save it for after dinner. Spicy with some sweetness, the cigar had a strange effect. . .it made me salivate. A lot. I've been smoking a lot of different cigars for a lot of years and I've never had one that had that effect. Overall, a good smoke, but not one that I'd have all the time.

this cigar is listed as a robusto but it's more of a short version of a corona, not a petit corona but a corona short ( if there ever was one ) it starts off a little on the harsh side, but smoothes out after about a 1/5 of the way down, then developes a leathery creamy taste with a touch of anise. good and worth the try.

Wanted to try this line for a while. I got a 5 pack of the Piranhas. I smoke my first today and it was a bit rough. The construction, draw, and burn were fine, but the flavor left a dry, irritating taste in my throat. I could sense bits of spicy flavor, but it was mostly masked by the harsher flavors.

I love this little cigar. Its firm feel, dark wrapper, and stout smoke (for its size) make it a keeper. I've smoked a few, with excellent consistency.

I was looking for nice small cigars. I tend to lean too much to Churchills, double coronas, and pyramids. Someone recommended this stick. First, I got a Gol. That was an amazing cigar. After that, the Piranha was disappointing.

It's nicely constructed. No complaints about that or the draw. But the smoke had a green taste, like burning a green tree branch. I found it had the harsher notes of the Gol without the other flavors to balance it.

Was not impressed with this smoke. Very sour, young taste that lingered on the tongue. The aroma was harsh to the nose. Not worth my time.

This is even better than the Samba that I am already gaga over! Smokes evenly, draws perfect, tastes fantastic! The added bonus with this little stick is, I don't need a headband to finish it like I do with it's big bro the Samba! It is really, really good. In my top 10! Not at all overbearing or too strong, A kick, yes, but no harsh tones or hot draws, just an excellent Brazillia smoke. Can't go wrong!

[as I recover from it] This was a very full bodied ceegar. I didnt expect it, my mistake! All the signs pointed to a VERY strong cigar, but the size diminished my respect for this line of CAO!
Was good though... 🙂

A powerhouse of a little cigar. Full flavored with peppery spice throughout this robust looking petite cigar. Great after a full meal, and will add a tingle to most taste buds.

This packs a punch for a relatively small stick. Lots of spice and just great overall. Highly reccommend them. Have a few more in store so I'll see how they fare after a little storage.

Kind of a rough looking cigar, seemed that the wrapper was very thick. The burn was good and started and finished with a good kick. A pretty straightforward taste, coffee and pepper. Not bad.

This cigar smoked very clean, and all the while maintained a stronger than average flavor. Nice size as well, a good 30 minute smoke.