The aroma carries through well to the smoke. I was hoping it'd be a little more subdued. Very sweet, without much tobacco flavor. Too much flavoring, too little backbone to this one, and the room-note makes my girlfriend nauseous after a little while. Not completely without redeeming factors, I smoke this for a change of pace (out of a cob) but I won't be buying any more.

Smoking at first is unsatisfying, burns a bit hot too.

Room note is a hint of vanilla, but not exactly pleasant.

After caking the bowl with this, the bitterness leaves a bit.

If you can manage to smoke this entire tin, the reward comes in the last 5-10 bowls.

The tobacco comes in nice, wide ribbons, with VA and Black Cavendish being foremost. I bought a pouch, and the aroma after breaking the seal was absolutely delicious. So I stuffed a pipe and let the adventure begin.

Not much of an adventure there, though. The much-advertised wine is noticeable and gives the smoke a nice, dry note. Right after lighting, it seems overwhelming for a few puffs, then gives way to a winey, dry taste and aroma. The 'baccy burns down gently and nicely as delivered.

The bad news is that I'm not certain that I was smoking tobacco. It could have been flavoured hay or maybe coloured paper. There is almost no taste (except for that nice winey note), and the room aroma vanishes almost before it develops. The entire thing absolutely lacks any punch; at times I felt like I was sucking hot air instead of tobacco smoke.

It's mild. It's mellow. If you crave that in an Aromatic, go for it. Me, I'm decidedly underwhelmed and won't buy this blend again.

Da Vinci is a "MUST TRY" for the fan of aromatic blends.

Support your local tobacconist !

Aroma: Think pixie sticks with fruit melange air freshner.

Tin Aroma: Its only saving grace. Interesting and, although overly sweet, pleasant.

Room note: Fruit melange air freshner.

Burning characteristics: burned HOT HOT HOT no matter how I smoked it. It didn't bite much but after a few puffs I had to stop because the pipe was super hot. Left penty of nasty residue at the bottom of the bowl.

Overall: An unpleasant experience. I tried a few bowls and gave the tin away. I don't mind sweet now and then but this stuff was just too sweet. If I was a hookah smoker and wanted to experience flavors other than tobacco I'd probably like this stuff. I'd recommend this to a hookah smoker or people with an extremely high tolerance for pounds of sugar. Not for a more serious pipe smoker.

Now, here's the rub: CAO was bought by Dan Tobacco last January. Dan has decided to discontinue production of the CAO pipe tobacco blends. Supplies are dwindling fast. What is the future of these wonderful blends? Nothing official as of yet. The CAO rep said there wasn't any mention of it at their last sales conference. The word on the street is that Dan sold the formula to one of their manufacturing companies in Sweden, who will rebrand and redistribute the blends in the future.

theThinker

All the flavor is from casing, though, so do not expect too much true-tobacco taste. That said, it makes a nice dessert smoke and makes the room smell fabulous. Because it is so heavily cased, smoke this in a cob pipe with a small bowl.

In a side note, I found that stored under the same conditions as Blue Note for full year, this blend keeps its casing flavor far better and does not go stale as fast - another plus with me since I don't go through aromatics very quickly.

The blending of VA, Black Cavendish & the light wine topping is simply exquisite and very balanced. This blend is very easy to light and rarely needs a re-light at all. To my palate, the red wine could be defined as a good Italian Chianti. The leaves in this blend are of high quality, with very few stems if ever found at all. The VA & Cavendish marry together quite well, and play off each other imparting a memorable smoking experience.

The room note is excellent, and biting is not a worry at all.

If your tired of sub-par aromatics, I urge you to try DaVinci and experience this quality blend.

Very Highly Recommended!

The middle aged man poured himself a brandy and found his favorite chair. His velour smoking jacket echoed the richness of the Da Vinci he puffed in his rusticated Savinelli. Feet up, workday done, he inhaled the aroma of the liquor in his snifter and leaned his head back. The clouds of white smoke billowing from his pipe and toward the open window carried his worries away.

This is rather a nice oddity. There is a sourish smell - not unpleasant - on opening the tin. The tobacco is in chunks of several colours, and fairly dry. Some of the winy overtones come through when the pipe is lit, but the basic taste is of tobacco, and for an aromatic, tobacco of satisfying strength.

It is best to regard Da Vinci as a jeu d`esprit: a light-hearted but not insubstantial composition. I preferred it by far to its stable-mate, Blue Note.

To Kylepoet: If you enjoy tobak's that smell good and does not set your tounge on fire or your g/f running for the fire extinguisher, you might want to sample Trout Stream from Pipes and Cigars. My g/f loves the smell and I have received no complaints from anyone else either. She also likes Dan's Tobacco Blue Note. But then I have my taste preferences and others have theirs.

Depending on your personal tastes this is leaps and bounds above blue note. However, as with all Dan aromatic tobaccos, they are simply too moist out of he tin and drying removes half the flavor. So, you either pick between getting bitten, or not tasting much.

This has very little tobacco taste.

I have read that these tobaccos are much better in bulk and will try them again. Perhaps that is why I enjoy devil's holiday a lot, as it is sold only in bulk at the shop I purchase it at?

Time will tell.