Below is a review I wrote a while ago about the CFO Kermit Candela. My conclusion is that they needed a little rest before trying again. Well the cigars have rested and I tried them again. I'm please to report that the spiciness that I didn't like the first time around was mostly gone and what was left was a smooth creamy smoke. I don't think a Candela will ever be my go-to-smoke but at these prices it's worth it to keep a few in the humidor for when you want something different to smoke.
note: CFO can now be found at
http://www.discountcigars.org/
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The Cigar Factory Outlet (CFO) Kermit Candela Toro
I've never had a Candela before. I was ordering a sampler pack of the Nub Alts at wwwthecigarfo.com and I saw they had 5 packs of Candela Toros. They're cheap, only $1.50 a stick, so I ordered a pack. Fast forward to about a month later, I finally got the shipment which is about normal looking at other threads. After a quick few days rest in the humidor I'm ready to try my first one. After pulling open the five pack, I find that the stick feels like it's a bit on the moist side. Dammit, I knew I should have taken them out of the plastic before putting them in my humidor. Oh well, any burn problems will be ignored.
Construction: For a $1.50 stick I found the construction to be more then acceptable. A bit rougher then a true premium stick, but nothing to complain about. The wrapper seems very thin, I think it's just the nature of the leaf.
Draw: No issues cutting the cigar. The cap stays in place (and will stay in place for the entire smoke). Draw is better then expected from the moist cigar.
1/4: The sucker lit right up, a nice clean even lighting. For the first few puffs I wasn't able to pick out any unique flavors other then what I'd describe as typical NC bundle cigar. Then slowly I begin to taste a slight floral aftertaste. Ok, I've got the candela flavor picked out now. It's very subtle, but now I can taste it clearly. I can see why it's often described as a "green tea" taste.
1/2: A pepper flavor has been brewing in the first quarter of the smoke. Now it's hitting really hard. I can't even taste the candela anymore because the pepper is overwhelming my taste buds. Now here is the problem, I'm not a big fan of pepper bombs and this is a pepper bomb. Other people love them, but in this case I don't see the point of smoking a candela if you can't even taste it. If this cigar was a drink it would be like taking a shot of Jack then a sniffing a bottle of Baileys.
3/4: I didn't make it to the final 3/4. I just wasn't enjoying it so I tossed it. It'll be interesting to see if sitting for 6 months to a year calms this cigar down into something I'll smoke. However I'll say that the burn problems due to the cigar being so moist did not happen like I expected. The cigar burned fairly straight the whole way down.
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