CAO L’Anniversaire “eXtreme” Robusto

Fairly tasteless cigar with some chocolate notes. Tough draw, not impressive in any way.

From a box purchased about four years ago. Maybe longer, actually. I had a bunch from this box that tunneled and/or wouldn't stay lit. This one, however, is a winner. Needed one major touchup, but was otherwise trouble-free. The grassiness that used to plague these is also gone. Well balanced, leathery, with a slight sweetness on the finish. Rich nutty notes came and went throughout. These have finally come into their own. I agree with Smuttly -- these are the best CAOs when they're right.

Had this in the humidor for over a year. It did wonders for the cigar. much smoother to the palate. Mostly leather, earthy flavors Consistent throughtout. burn was fabulous. Best CAO up to now.

some leather and spice tastes i this one also slight cocoa in there as well. burn is great as usual with any CAO I have smoked. wrapper is also beatiful. pre-light aroma fabulous also. overall a fine smoke.

Great looking cigar and smooth start to finish. I love the chocolate, coffee, leather combination. Smoked it to the nub, and enjoyed every minute of it.

I found this in one of my boxes in the back room. Lucky me, after 2 yrs aging these still smoke full and burn a lot better. Mature flavors of coffee, cocoa, leather all blend together in a med-full smoke. Only 2 touches needed for an hour of pleasure. Gets better after half way.

What a great smoke! Easy draw, chocolaty dark taste. Burned easily. Aromatic. Taste was even right through.

I had higher expectation for this one. Dark brown wrapper with minimal to medium veins. Decent construction - box press - with no soft spots. Average prelight aroma. Easy light. Good draw. White ash with a lot of smoke. Started immediately with pepper, spice, and leather. This eventually smoothed out and was joined by a slightly earthy flavor with hints of cocoa and coffee. However, this was all overshadowed by the burn issues I had. Despite a meticulous light and proper storage, this thing canoed right from the start, and did not autocorrect. To boot, I kept having to relight it. Each time I did so, a harsh, sour taste coated my mouth. In the end, I had to put it out (I actually just let it go out again) at the halfway point. It frankly wasn't worth my trouble. I wouldn't buy more, especially after reading the other posted reviews here indicating this is not an isolated problem.

Mine had a super smooth draw and flawless construction. A full bodied smoke that I really enjoyed. Strong coffee flavors

Wanted a smoke with a Camaroon wrapper, looked good, and have enjoyed CAO before, but I had to work too hard on this one. Uneven burn, wrapper burned considerably slower than filler. Relit a few times and the draw was like sucking molasses through a straw. For the price I paid!?...I'll find much better!

Stocked up on these in samplers and after a couple months of rest they have matured to full coffee, leather and ligero fireplugs. The thick maduro wrapper tends to burn slower than the filler so you have to keep torching it. A small price to pay for the enjoyment it delivers.

This smoke has a very lovely wrapper and is oily. The foot lit well but it did not stay lit for long, I must have relit it 4 or 5 times and than gave up on it all to geather, sad because it had notes of leather and earth with spice. I have had C A O that I could not bring my self to put down so, this was a let down to just set it down a count my loss.

Beautiful looking cigar - lit well and drew perfectly - sweet flavor with leather and toast - not harsh at all. Incredibly smooth . Contrcution is good - fairly even burn and ash held on for two inches. A great full bodied smoke.

recently got a new humidor, and i foudn this at the bottom of the old one. This may have been hanging around in there since the pre-perdomo (aka the good old...) days. it had mellowed out a bit, but still a nice stronger cigar. Starts with a little chocolate, ends with a lot of pepper. Very nice, glad Perdomo didnt screw this one up

This smoke exhibited what I believe is the typical young characteristics. Strong, but a bit harsh, moist uneven burn, and rough ending. I did enjoy the 1 St half flavors but that too should improve with age. I fortunately got a box as a gift and can let 19 of them rest a while, I will write back when they age a bit.

Burn problems, problems staying lit, and flavor that was bitter. I've had CAO extremes before that were quite good so maybe I got a bad one this time. Hope so.

good from start to finish

This was a beautiful box pressed cigar. It had a great prelight aroma. Good draw and burn but this is where the compliments stop. I was not thouroughly impressed and expected much more. Someone described the flavor to me as waxy when I talked to them about it. Whatever it was, I didn't particularly like it. Had a great beginning, until I started smoking it. Overall, nothing special. Would rather have something else.

Do not let the size of this cigar fool you it is one powerful smoke. Beautiful look, great draw and outstanding taste combined with a dizzing quantity of smoke by-products make this an awesome stogie. The Extreme has a special spot in my humidor. Can't wait to get my hands on the Churchill.

medium bodied and smooth. very tasty. exactly what I expected from CAO. However, the burn was uneven and I never could get it straight.

A perfect cigar. Dark wrapper, box press, construction and draw were flawless. Medium-full bodied, nutty, smooth, and complex. Slowest burning cigar I've had since Ashton Cabinet #10. This was a work of complete mastery and perfection!

I don't know why I put off trying the CAO Extreme cigars until now. This is a very good cigar. The construction was top notch, with even burning and a perfect draw. It burns slow and provides a lot of heavy, full bodied smoke. The first few pulls seem a bit harsh, but then it settles in to a very smooth tasty cigar. I will say this little robusto had a pretty good nicotine punch, and the finish lasts a long, long time. Its the next day, and I can still taste it. And it still tastes good!

rjs quoting a friend said "Don't smoke this unless you like a very full bodied smoke." He is right. This is obviously a very good cigar, great construction, and a strong aroma. I liked the box pressed construction as I usually smoke a corona. The construction made is seem smaller than a robusto to me. However, I personally found the taste too strong for me. A personal decision. I am an occasional smoker (maybe once a week or two). I am experimenting and this one is not for me.

I enjoyed this with a '97 Cuvaison Merlot - did I mention I enjoyed the wine as well? It was smooth, consistent, not overpowering and was cheaper than a T-bone!

Full-bodied masterpiece.

Just smoked one the other day. Now this is a cigar smoker's smoke. Dark rich wrapper. Moderately box pressed. When I cut this baby, I could barely get my cutter through it. This cigar is packed with tobacco. I saw Cano Ozgener at the Las Vegas Big Smoke and asked him about the newest addition to the Anniversarie line. He said the tobacco is aged for 5 years and follows the spec. described by Mr. 5 by 5. He cautioned, "Don't smoke this unless you like a very full bodied smoke." He's right. The light is a little longer than usual. The burn is even and the draw slightly tight until the stogie warms up. Overall, construction is good. The aroma is strong, but not unpleasant.