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Quick Smoke: CAO La Traviata Maduro Luminoso

27 Oct 2012

Each Saturday and Sunday we’ll post a Quick Smoke: not quite a full review, just our brief verdict on a single cigar of “buy,” “hold,” or “sell.”

I remember a lot of cigar enthusiasts being, well, enthusiastic about the value-priced CAO La Traviata Maduro line when it was introduced in 2010. Since, I haven’t heard much about the blend, which features an Ecuadorian wrapper around a Cameroon binder and filler tobaccos from Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. So when I came across a Luminoso (4.5 x 50) in my humidor that had been resting for about two years, I couldn’t help but fire it up. What I found was a cigar with excellent construction and a surprisingly spicy profile of red pepper, leather, cocoa, nut, and warm tobacco. You can’t argue with that for $5.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

5 Responses to “Quick Smoke: CAO La Traviata Maduro Luminoso”

  1. @undefined Saturday, October 27, 2012 at 10:41 am #

    La Traviata used to be one of my absolute favorites…unfortunately, I've found that since GC took over CAO, the quality of the La Traviata line has fallen off a cliff…if you find a box with the humidipak inside, it's pre-GC…oh how I'd love to find another box of those…

  2. mighty Saturday, October 27, 2012 at 1:09 pm #

    Agree. Before General took over, it was a very nice value cigar.

  3. Patrick A Monday, October 29, 2012 at 7:55 pm #

    It has been brought to my attention that the Luminoso size in the La Traviata line was not released until 2011 in Natural and 2012 in Maduro. Please accept my apologies for the oversight. I simply got my acquisition date wrong, which isn't a huge surprise since I kept this cigar with my other La Traviata Maduros, some of which I've had for a long time.

    Interestingly, though, this proves the sample I smoked (and enjoyed) for this Quick Smoke did indeed come from General Cigar's factory, not CAO before it was acquired by General. And it came with very little age.

  4. SmokesandSteel.com Saturday, November 3, 2012 at 12:49 pm #

    The new ones dont do justice to the older ones. 🙁

  5. Satyana Miller Tuesday, November 13, 2012 at 1:28 am #

    The good ol' days, tobacco while playing poker. Now, I'm about to finish my last e juice and I'll be free from smoking at last! I just thought it wouldn't hurt if I make some harmless surfing on some fine piece of thing such as this one.