For those of you that are familiar with the CAO Amazon Basin and CAO Brazilia cigar blends, you understand that CAO has quite a bit of experience working with Brazilian Tobacco. Now enters the BX3, which aptly stands for Brazilian times 3. That’s right, the new BX3 incorporates Brazilian tobacco in the wrapper, the binder, and the filler. That my friends is a bold blend – at least on paper. Done right it would be amazing but done wrong it could be overpowering, unbalanced, and offensive. I will cut to the chase before giving all the details, CAO did it right!
The CAO Website notes:
“BX3 boasts a deep and complex smoking experience from its three Brazilian tobacco leaves. That’s right. Triple the exotic Brazilian tobacco. The marriage of these tobaccos yields a rich and smooth flavor profile synonymous with the incredible terroir of Brazil.”
The CAO BX3 full body 4-country blend is described as:
- Wrapper: Brazilian Mata Fina
- Binder: Brazilian Arapiraca
- Filler: Brazilian Mata Fina, Honduras, Mexico & Nicaragua
When talking about the BX3 blend, Ed Lahmann, CAO’s senior brand manager stated:
“Being trailblazers of tobacco is in CAO’s DNA, and with BX3, we’re continuing to pilot the path. Our inspiration was the legendary X series which had put our blending expertise on the map. With BX3, we set out to take the best of Brazilian tobacco and bring it to the next level. The easy thing to do would have been to make a Brazilian puro.
Our blending team went that route, and it felt like we were just dialing it in. So they kept at it, peppering in Nicaraguan, Honduran, and Mexican tobaccos in just the right proportions to add character, dimension and layers to the smoke. We’re really proud of the way the blend turned out. To us, BX3 is everything a Brazilian-centric smoke should be. It’s memorable, savory and thought-provoking and it complements our portfolio beautifully.”
The BX3 was released to market in July 2022 and is expressed in 3 popular vitolas, each packaged in 20-count boxes:
- Robusto (5 x 52) – MSRP $8.99
- Toro (6 x 54) – MSRP $9.49
- Gordo (6 x 60) – MSRP $10.49
For this review, I sampled 3 of the BX3 Robustos, which I received from the company for the purpose of reviewing on Stogie Press.
Pre-Light Examination
The CAO BX3 is wrapped with a dark brown and veiny leaf that exhibits a decent oily sheen. The wrapper has a slight bit of marbling to it and it has a mild gritty feel. The cigar is solid in the hand with a decent weight and seems to be well packed, especially looking at the foot. A double cap finishes the presentation.
A single colorfully festive band adorns the the cigar with an overlay of gloss back. The CAO BX3 logo is presented in the center using a large “X” and the name “CAO” and “BX3” on top and bottom of the X in a bright neon green color. Off the to right side of the band is a QR code that will take you to the BX3 webpage for additional details on the cigar.
Running the barrel across the nose, I picked up sweet and pungent fermented tobacco notes while the foot exuded notes of fruit and butter cracker. Enticing for sure.
Using my Baller Cutter from CigarMedics, I neatly opened the cap and gave it some cold draw puffs that I found to be much to my liking from a restriction perspective while offering additionally enticing notes of black pepper, cracker, and a slight fruitiness.
Using my single flame torch, I warmed the foot gently to an even orange glow and drew in the first puffs of peppery smoke to start the journey. Follow along as I burn the BX3 to ash.
Cigar Review Notes
- Black pepper starts the journey on both the palate and the nose
- Medium grey ash forms on top of thick and wavy char line
- Sweet cracker aroma quickly fills the air around me
- Cocoa nuances fill in the introductory profile as the pepper receded
- Spice notes begin to emerge deep in the first third
- Solid ash fell revealing a well formed burn cone
- Cedar notes enter the profile along with a delectable caramel sweetness
- Dark chocolate builds midway wrapped in a mouth watering citrus note
- Earthiness enters in the final down to the finish
- Medium-Plus in Strength
- Total Smoking Time was 1 hour and 40 minutes
Final Analysis
I have to say, the description from the company “deep and complex” adequately describes the CAO BX3. I thoroughly enjoyed this new offering with its bold and balanced array of flavors, aromas, and nuances through the journey. The transitions were smooth and enjoyable. I especially enjoyed the caramel and dark chocolate notes and would have like them to have lasted deeper in the the final. Perhaps the toro would offer a bit more of that. The burn exhibited just a bit of jag and the cigar never needed to be touched up or re-lit. It did however have a medium to dark grey ash. This certainly one of those cigars, a most experienced palate would enjoy and I would say it is a box buy. I rate this a 93
Point Deductions: (-1) Jagged Burn; (-2) Dark Ash
Bonus Points: (+1) Box Buy; (+1) Pleasurable and Consistent across Multiple samples
