January 2nd, 2011 – Snoqualmie, WA
by club co-founder John
In attendance were Robert, Joe, Bruce, and John. Patrick submitted his score from AZ.
We met up Jan 2nd for our third annual herf combo at Jak’s Steakhouse in Issaquah for dinner, followed by cigars at the luxurious smoking room, Lit Cigar Lounge, inside Snoqualmie Casino. This time we chose for our monthly herf tasting the CAO La Traviata Favorito.
To start the night off right, we had drinks and all enjoyed Jak’s tasty 21 oz “Cowboy Ribeye”, then drove up to Lit Lounge, where we were greeted by the knowledgeable and gracious cigar steward, Narong, known to us from our visits to The Vertigo Club in Seattle.
Narong supplied us with our chosen smoke from the ample walk-in humidor at Lit. The football game was winding down as we lit up and we soon had plenty of room to settle down at our table, waited on by server Jenny to supply our libations for the night. Lit has a well-stocked bar, a number comfortable leather loungers and tables, and a casual but upscale atmosphere. This CAO La Traviata, with natural wrapper, was a 5 ½ x 52 petit belicoso.
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano Colorado
Binder: Cameroon
Filler: DR, Nicaraguan
We settled in to enjoy and rate the CAO following Cigar Aficionado's 4-part rating system (Appearance & Construction, Flavor, Smoking Characteristics, and Overall Impression).
This was a well-built, attractive, and precisely rolled torpedo with an oily sheen and no visible imperfections. It was firm with no soft spots. It had great draw, almost too easy, and produced a very good volume of smoke.
Two out of the five cigars had minimal burn issues, going out and requiring a re-light once. The smoke was cool but too dry tasting for some of us.
Mild leather and some silage tastes were noted, with the consensus being that the flavors were not that striking and were somewhat monotone. The overall impression was that this was a good smoke but not great or inspiring. The flavors were just not that interesting and the texture of the smoke too dry.
After throwing out the highest and lowest scores, then averaging the remaining scores, The Cohiba Club’s official rating for the CAO La Traviata Favorito is 85.
The scoring breakdown is a follows:
I. Appearance & Construction: 14 pts (93% of the points possible)
II. Flavor: 20 pts (80% of the points possible)
III. Smoking Characteristics: 22 pts (88% of the points possible)
IV. Overall Impression: 32 pts (85% of the points possible)
This was another great herf, our 3rd at Lit Lounge - with a good, but not great, cigar.
See you at the next herf, February 6th.
Photo credit to club co-founder Robert.
© 2011 The Cohiba Club – All rights reserved
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