CAO Brazilia Gol

 It was a Friday night in March following a really long week at school. I was stressed out and had purchased a new cigar from Total Wine earlier in the week. I was looking for an opportunity to smoke it, but I had evening plans with other (non-cigar) people, so I was on my way home after those plans at about 11 pm. I was inclined to just go home and go to bed, but why? I needed some solitary self-care and I had the perfect fix: a CAO Brasilia Gol, ranked by Total Wine as the month's #4 selling cigar.

I elected to go Shaker's Cigar Bar in the Walker's Point neighborhood. It’s a traditional saloon built in 1894, with a well-known reputation for being haunted. When the owner sees me, he always nods and smiles and says, "Welcome, home." It is not my main go-to for cigars, but I do frequent the place quite a bit.

CAO Brasilia: strokes your palette.

I ordered a Glenfiddich 12 double scotch and lit up the Brasilia. And WOW!  The flavor was intense, but so delicious, and at first it does not overpower your palette. But it really stimulates it! The sweet, spicy, and tangy flavor was accompanied by a nutty taste. It paired well with the scotch, too. As I told my Facebook cigar friends, the Brasilia doesn't hit your palette, but rather strokes it. And it brought me back down to an unwound, healthy state-of-mind, and the stress of the week merely "went up in smoke," as I felt good again.

However, the longer I smoked the CAO Brasilia, the stronger and more powerful it got. Sometimes I can get carried away and smoke a cigar too fast, and as a new connoisseur, I have to work on slowing down. This was not the case with the Brasilia. I had to slow down, as it got stronger and stronger and I found myself taking several breaks. Remember this if you try this cigar. It is tantalizing at first, and while the flavor remains stable and tasty, the initial pop transforms into a volcano. Plan at least 60 to 90 minutes for this one!

This smoke brought me out of my work-week funk.

The cigar is easily a 91-93, and with the scotch and the vintage Victorian setting of Shakers, it was definitely a 95 for the overall experience.

(I will have to dedicate a post to Shaker's at some point too!)