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I first heard about this cigar from @caocigars on Twitter. I was really excited about this cigar. With a price point of between $5.00 to $7.00 depending on size, this seemed like a nice price point. After hanging around on twitter for a while, reviews started to pop up on this cigar, and the consensus was that the La Traviata was a VERY good cigar for the money. After a few tweets on twitter, and reading through a few reviews on different blogs, I finally broke down and had a friend pick me up a few of these so I could review a couple. I can’t seem to find them anywhere in California, so I had to rely on friends to grab me a few. Thanks to Tim for hooking me up with these! You can read about Tim’s take on the La Traviata over at Stogielife.com, another great BOTL’s cigar blog!

Wrapper: Ecuadoran Habano
Binder: Cameroon
Filler: Nicaraguan ligero and Dominican blend
Size: Radiante 6″ x 52
Price: ~$5.95

Pre-Light: As I took a look at this cigar before lighting, the first thing I noticed was that the wrapper was nice and oily, and had a great sheen to it. Oily wrappers for me are usually a double edged sword. Usually, with oily wrappers, the cigar tastes really good, but I also tend to have trouble keeping it burning straight. As I ran this cigar across my nose, I got hints of spice, with a pure tobacco smell. I clipped this cigar with my ever trusty Palio, and lit up with my Ronson Jetlite.

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1/3: As I started in on this cigar, the first flavors I got were some nice earth tones, with a little spice on the back of the pallete. As I continued on this first portion of the cigar, I got some nice coffee notes, with some leather. The smoke was very creamy, and coated my mouth nicely. The smoke billowed nicely as well. I was also very impressed with the draw on this cigar. It was a bit tight, but not so tight that I wasn’t enjoying it. It allowed just the right amount of resistance. The burn was a little bit wavy, but not so wavy that I found it necessary to take out my lighter and touch it up.

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2/3: As I continued on this cigar, I went ahead and ashed the cigar, because I really didn’t want it getting all over me. It was a bit flaky, but at the price point, I almost expected it, so it wasn’t bothering me. At this point, I got some more of the earthy, leather flavors, with a little spice on the finish. The smoke is still nice and creamy, and plentiful as well. So far, for the price point, I am certainly enjoying this cigar.

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3/3: As I finished up this cigar, I got more leathery, earthy notes, with the creamy smoke, and nice spice on the finish. I smoked this cigar down until my fingers were burning, and finally decided I needed to put it down, even if I didn’t want to.

Overall impression: Overall, this is a really good cigar. The price point is one that cannot be ignored. While its not the most complex cigar out there, the flavors I was getting were very very good, and the construction was outstanding. It is my opinion that the CAO La Traviata is worthy of a box purchase. Since smoking this review cigar, I have smoked 3 others, and they have all been just as great. I really enjoyed this cigar, and I recommend any cigar smoker, new or seasoned, give this cigar a shot!

For more of my take on cigars, be sure to check out www.cigarchoice.net :-)

Smoke Em If You Got Em, Buy Em If You Don’t!
Scott
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Great review, Scott. Thanks for adding yet another entry on my "to try" list. :-)
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Thanks for the review, Scott! I just picked up one of these bad boys yesterday!
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Excellant review Scott! :-)

I liked the ligero taste I got out of it and like Scott said it's got a great price point.
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Yeah.. they are for sure a box purchase.. They may have become my new go to smoke.
Scott
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Nice review, Scott. I'll have to try these. I'm a fan of the Brazilia, Black, and VR.
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Nice review!!
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Thanks for the review.
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Thanks for the review. I'll be keeping my eye out for these.
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Thanks for the review brother. I smoked one of these the other day and had to put it to rest half way through. It was a little on the mild side for me. I didn't think there was much complexity with these smokes. Give this a try if you like something on the mild to med. side.
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I smoked the CAO La Traviata Radiante yesterday!!!:-)

Fantastic smoke at a great price!!!:-)

Thanks for the review Scott!!!:-)
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Nice review....I like these ALOT!
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Nice review, thanks.
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Thanks for the review. Put it on the list.
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Thanks for the review. I have found most of the CAO line to be appealing and will be adding this one to my must try list.
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Smoked my first one last weekend...grabbed a few more to keep in the humi. for the price, these are damn tasty sticks. the only CAO I have thoroughly enjoyed was the MX3...now I can add this stick to the short list. For the price...a must try. :-)
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Good Lord, Huy....people accuse ME of having lava for tastebuds, and I call this a medium!!!

What the hell you been smoking lately, exhaust pipes???

:-)
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Thanks for the review. I've smoked two Radiantes so far and found them to be very smooth for the entire smoke and very enjoyable. :-) I was surprised I liked it so much since I'm newer to smoking cigars (~5 months). I've been trying a lot of singles and doubles and have been very disappointed, so this was a pleasant surprise.

I just picked up a box of the shorter version (Divino) since I usually don't have the time.
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great review thanks
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Enjoying the La Traviata robusto right now. Definately agree that the construction is solid, pre draw and draw are spot on and the earthy, leathery tones are prominent. So far, it reminds me of a Bolivar Royal Corona.
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