Size: 6 1/4″ x 52
Vitola: Torpedo
Wrapper: Brazilian
Origin: Honduras or Nicaragua
Age: Fresh
The MX3 is one of the more popular of the CAO Escaparate line. The MX2 or Maduro times two is an an extremely popular cigar in it’s own right. But the MX3 features maduro leaf in the filler as well as the wrapper and binder. This is a very hard cigar to make and have draw and burn correctly, which is why it has ended up in the small release Escaparate line, available at W. Curtis Draper’s in DC.
Personally I am not a huge fan of the Mx2. I always found them to be one dimensional and unnaturally dark. But I was intrigued by the broadleaf in the filler.
This super dark cigar has a lovely band, silver and very elegant. The wrapper is rough and veiny, but the draw is perfect.
Upon lighting the cigar, I get that CAO acridness I always find in the first few puffs from one of their cigars.
After that it’s like smoking a bowl of Cocoa Crispies. Lots of chocolate and a hint of leather on the finish.
To be honest, I had tried the robusto earlier, but the draw and burn were so bad, I thought I’d give the Beli a shot before I wrote a review. This cigar draws fine and burns fairly well considering all of the thick oily tobacco throughout, but the flavor was just a tad too one-dimensional.
While this was better than some of the other Escaparate lines, it still was also not one of the best. But it was fun to be able to smoke such a unique and hard to find cigar.
Rating: 85 (B)
