CAO Criollo Pampa

I was really excited about tasting this little fella. However, while better than the "Mancha" of the same CAO Coriollo, it still was a disappointment. My major complaint is the taste. It IS unique. Very leathery, piney, with some pepper, nothing to get that excited about. The taste is kind of like "Pinesol meets football". On a positive note the burn of this cigar was well above average.

A good looking, well constructed little cigar. Not as tasty as the larger sizes in this line, but quite acceptable.

Smaller than I usually like them, but great for a short smoke. This was my first experience with the Criollo wrapper. Has what I'd call the "typical" creamy tobacco taste of any fine cigar. But, too, there was this elusive sweetness tantilizing me the whole time. I can't wait to try a larger size - probably reveal more of that haunting sweetness I noticed. Good stuff, especially for the price!

wow total disappointment. No flavor and no smell. Tasted like dry grass. for the price these things run normally they are trash. CAO should be ashamed of themselves for having this out there.

I bought these by accident, I thought I was getting the Robusto. Initially I was pissed that the stick was so small, I am not a big fan of tiny cigars - no flavor and not enough ooompf. This cigar is a bit different. Even though I am still not a big fan of this size the cigar did pack some flavor in a small package. It reminded me of toast points with a nutty taste to it. And the constrution is flawless, like all CAo cigars. I would nto buy them again, not for the taste or anything, simply for the size. I will though buy the larger ring gauge next time.

Got one of these as a freebie. I don't usually smoke smaller sticks but I wanted a smoke and had this sitting in the console of the car. It had been there about a week, but here in the Oregon rainy climate, it seemed fine. Not a bad little smoke, though the draw seemed a bit tight. I don't like to mention individual flavors like leather, cocoa, etc, but for some reason, I kept thinking of pine trees when smoking this. It did have its own unique flavor, which is a good thing. Would I buy it? No, not my size. I am coming around to finding though that CAO makes some pretty good cigars. One thing however. This little firestick had a 3/4" ash that would not break off, even with me flicking it out the window driving at 50mph! I've never seen that before - perhaps affecting the tight draw?

This was a tastey smoke that I enjoyed on a chilly Superbowl Sunday while grilling some wings. This one got better as I smoked it to the nub. Nice even burn, good draw, nice ash with a hint of spice. This is a good 40 minute smoke. I smoked the 03' release that has the tan ring and white tissue wrapper.

Full body, full flavor smoke, very close to cuban Bolivar Petit Corona

This is one of my favorite smokes. Unfortunately they are very inconsistent . I have had some that are amazing and some that are just ok. All that I speak of are wrapped in tissue, and have either a red label or a tan label. I do not know what the difference is in the releases between these two labels. -This is a very rich flavored smoke with flavors of coffee and caramel. The smell is devine. If it wasn't for the inconsistency I would have rated all 9s, and I'm a picky bastard.

I agree with the other poster who mentionned the older ones.

The corona was very good and flavorful. Much beter thenany of the other sizes.

This cigar was purchased as a quick smoke when I did not have time to enjoy a Robusto. It had very good construction and pre-light aroma. It was a lot more flavorful than I thought it would be with a chocolate and pepper essence. It had a bit of a kick as well. Overall a good medium body 30 minute smoke. I believe that for the same price I can get a good Robusto and just smoke half of it but I would still recommend it.

Revision Note: My review the other day referred to the older release of the Pampa that was packaged with a tissue and ribbon. This morning I smoked the later release that came packaged in cellophane. This version of Pampa had a looser construction with a very easy draw. It burned slightly uneven as opposed to the tissue-packaged version, which burned like a charm and lasted. The flavor and nose was greatly diminished deflating my rating. It seems CAO has taken a substantial amount of filler out of the cigar unfortunately resulting in more average and shorter smoke. Please bring back the old Pampa and you'll have a regular buyer. Not as flavorful as the older Pampa, might still smoke occasionally though.

woody, earthy-mushroom, slightly sweet.
tight, firm draw, nice burn. unique flavor and nose, you'll either love it or hate it.
Lot of flavor. For my tastes, big thumbs up.
Perhaps not an everyday cigar, but if you try it and like it a nice treat at a decent price. Stronger medium body.

Great flavor, slightly spicy and earthy but no aftertase. Good burn, good draw, good ash. Nice for a quick smoke. Beautiful construction and packaging.

Great little smoke. Well worth the small price tag.

Really enjoyed this little cigar. Has a great draw, lots of smoke, does get a little spicy toawrds the end. Did have a little wrapper problem wen I cut it, but still very enjoyable.

Many cigars this small are usually disappointing falling short of their larger brethren, especially in the flavor department. Perhaps the tight draw I experienced was due to the large amount of tobacco packed into this cigar. Burn was good and if not for the draw issue, this would have been a great little cigar. Will try again.

I've tried the Brazilia and noted some similarities with the Criollo...tastes roughly the same, except the wrapper is totally different,which has a real hard-to-explain sort of "rustic" taste. I liked it though. Seems like CAO "specializes" in great wrappers.
As for the filler, it is very complex. Tastes nutty and a little woody, spicy, earthy and floral all at the same time. I can't think of many cigars that are as multi-dimensional as this one. Very interesting and is a taste CAO sort of has all to its own. Taste did start to bum out though about 1/2 way down.
Burns very hot, mainly because of this ones' small size. Construction is typical CAO, very good but a slightly tight draw.
If you like other CAO's you will like this one too.

a great little smoke for the second half of your lunch hour. good construction, no spots or heavy veins on wrapper. easy draw and good burn. earthy with hints of leather. hot near the end. only CON: the band was glued to the wrapper, causing a rip. excellent for the price.

Nice flavor and smoke, well made and tasty with a little bit of spice. Mine burned well but was a little to hot at end to smoke all the way. Did enjoy and would like to try one of its bigger cousins. Good for when you only have a few moments to enjoy your cigar.

If you like’em short, this is one fantastic little smoke. The small ring allows the full flavor of the wrapper to come through. The small size caused it to burn a little hot near the end, but it was smokable to the nub. I’m going to keep a handful of these handy for when I only have a few minutes, but want a good smoke.

This was a very pleasant 40 minute smoke with a great burn, ash and unique and pleasing flavors.

This has got to be the best Cigar I've smoked all year long. It is constructed well,burns very evenly,and is quite tasty. This is better than any Cuban cigar I have smoked in a while as well. Mellow,yet spicey,with and lovely rustic wrapper. CAO,I love ya babe!

This was a well made decent tasting small cigar. I won't start buying these instead of Partagas shorts or other small cigars that are much better, but I won't turn one down. Solid little cigar, not spectacular but nice.

I love this cigar, this is one of the best I've tasted in YEARS, it is so smooth and the aroma is divine. I HIGHLY recommend this cigar, one of the best smokes that you'll get for your $$.

Love the box, love the cigar. C.A.O. has to be the gre

Not sure which CAO Criollo I smoked (it was a few weeks ago, and it was a gift) but it was very impressive. Kind of distinctive; I can't think of another cigar to compare it to. Well made, nice construction, the smoke was rich, flavorful, and toasty. I'll be smoking more of these in the future.

Smooth, with lots of flavorful smoke. I really enjoyed this.

8 months in the humidor and this baby rocked! So smooth and tasty. Tons of highly aromatic smoke. The taste is unique, medium bodied, and right on target. I heartily recommend this stick.

Nice small ceegar. CAO once again came in with a medium bodied cigar with nice flavor and lot of smoke. Had a bit of a nutty, earthy flavor. It burn evenly all the way to the very, very end. 🙂

I loved this little cigar. I picked up a cpl of these not to long ago and am awaiting my first box in the mail! you cant go wrong with these tasty little smokes. CAO has hit a home run here!

Amazing little smoke packed into a 4x40! Beautiful presentation, great construciton and nice medium body flavor. Draw is a little firm. Produces a good amount of smoke.

This is a great everyday cigar. If you don't have a long time to sit and enjoy a cigar this little baby is for you. Smooth with a great draw.