BlankMindBlog

Last week (Sunday) I needed to take a trip down to Daytona Beach, Florida, some family business needed attention so I decided to take a C.A.O L‘Anniversaire 1968-1998 Cameroon Toro with me to smoke on the way back. My brother, Robert, went along for the ride even though he had just returned from Atlanta.

Daytona Beach is a little over a hours drive from Jacksonville, all interstate, sunny day and no time constraints. This was the second day of Bike Week and even if you don’t ride or own a bike it is well worth the trip to see the phenomenon of bike comradery. Bikes, from customs to Vespas, as far as the eye can see spilled from the parking lot of the giant Harley Davidson on I-95. Not one fast food eatery will be without a couple of bikes parked outside of it.

The C.A.O L‘Anniversaire 1968-1998 Cameroon Toro is box pressed into a rectangular shape as opposed to the more familiar square shape. I found this somewhat odd to smoke and hold in my hand. It definitely made the cigar a bit unbalanced to hold. Although the 5 1/2” length I would consider to be my ‘usual’, the rectangular press 55 ring gauge takes a few draws to get used to.

The Cameroon wrapper of the C.A.O L‘Anniversaire 1968-1998 Cameroon Toro is classic perfection. The wrapper has a creamy, oily feel and exhibits very few veins. The color reminds me of a well finished leather chair. I could pick up a cedar and tobacco scent from the wrapper before the pre-light.

The weather was still perfect as we pulled out of a Taco Bell after stopping for something to drink on our way back. I stood outside the truck to light the C.A.O L‘Anniversaire 1968-1998 Cameroon Toro after I used my small punch on it. The rectangular press makes for an odd punch, I kept thinking about the saying “putting a round peg in a square hole”, except this was in reverse.

The ash remained intact as I pulled onto the expressway onramp for the trip home. The ash was very compact and stable. I had no worry of it dropping off unexpectedly while driving.

The smoke was thick as cream and whirled around inside the cab before racing out the partially opened windows. I realized after about 3 - 4 inches that my brother was an ardent non-smoker (and non-drinker) when I asked him what he thought of the smell of the cigar.

From the initial light up the C.A.O L‘Anniversaire 1968-1998 Cameroon Toro teased my palate with a toast and straw base and slowly built up a caramel sweetness. I noticed that the caramel revealed itself when I rested the smoke for more than a minute or two. The sweetness would last for several draws before crossing back over to the toast and straw flavor.

This cigar lasted about a hour into the drive before it started to burn my fingers. It was a great smoke and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a “sure thing”. I bought the C.A.O L‘Anniversaire 1968-1998 Cameroon Toro at Tobacco Cove for $6.00 a stick. I think with some diligence you could find this stick for less on the internet and the payoff would be well worth it.