CAO Bella Vanilla

I am generally an aromatics smoker and love good vanillas, so I ordered two tins of this. This is the first CAO blend I have tried.

Tin note is Virginia and Cavendish. No top note was really forthcoming. Very nice tobacco aroma. Dark and somewhat sticky, the tobacco requires a bit more rubbing out to pack easily. I rarely have the patience to let things dry out, so I pack directly from the tin.

It lights nicely, stays going well and burns cleanly with ample amounts of rich smoke. Wife says the room note is pleasant, and most of the aroma is spent, strangely at the charring light. Smokes well to the bottom of the bowl resting smoothly on the tongue with no bite. Wife says room note for the rest of the bowl smells nice, "like someone just smoked a pipe in the room."

This is a very high-quality tobacco that I can smoke all day. The sweetness of the Virgina and Cavendish really shine.

What's missing from this review, and apparently from this blend is the vanilla. The description notes "essence" of vanilla. Essence is about right. Like a very dry martini made with outstanding gin and the presence of an unopened bottle of vermouth in the room, I would say this was produced with a very pricey vanilla bean maybe somewhere nearby, or waved ceremonially over the blending table.

It's an outstanding tobacco, but sadly lacking its namesake. There's really nothing here to compel me to buy more. However, I would recommend this blend to someone who is terrified of aromatics, as it is otherwise a very pleasant and satisfying smoke. But if you are looking for a good vanilla blend, seek elsewhere.

This is a decent offering from the CAO Flavours line. This is not my favorite set of offerings from CAO in general, and I have been disappointed with the quality and smoking characteristics of these blends. This one is better than average, however, and is a strong offering in the VA vanilla flake category, of which there are several. While my personal preference is the Mac Baren Vanilla flake, which has a little more sweetness and flavor, this presents a "drier" alternative.

In this tin this is a deep red broken VA flake with a rich vanilla scent. While already broken, I rubbed it out a little more when packing the pipe, and let it dry for about ten minutes. It dried out quickly and this is a very good sign of a tobacco which has not been soaked in humectants. It lights readily and burns evenly down to the bottom of the bowl with a few tamps and relights.

The smoking qualities of this flake are very nice. It burns cool for a Va flake, and does not bite so long as respect is shown. The flavor is very consistent, and consists of a nice light VA flavor with an overtone of vanilla. It is not a huge flavor and it is not multidimensional, but it produces a decent volume of smoke and a nice mild smoking experience.

Tin note was strong, but the taste was too mild for me. You barely notice the vanilla. Room note wasn't as nice as I thought it would be. Not a bad smoke but was expecting more flavor.

I'm a big Virginia fan and love vanilla but this one falls short in the flavor department for me. The smell from the tin and the room note from the burn are top shelf in my opinion. It burns great right out of the tin (cool and dry) but letting it air out a bit the night before does help a little with the flavor but very little. But the taste is so flat and the vanilla flavor is lost somewhere in the clouds...

Overall it is an extremely mild and smooth smoke to be smoked for others around you to enjoy but the flat flavor will disappoint the smoker every time. So for me (notice I said ME, my opinion) this one only gets 2 stars for the great room note and smooth cool burn but the flat flavor is the only disappointing aspect.

Like noted before me perhaps it is that the vanilla is too much and overpowering itself? I have noticed this same effect in brewing, a little does go a long way and too much will be counter active.

I love vanilla but have been disappointed by the various vanilla pipe tobaccos that I've tried, looking for "the one." MacBaren, Dan, Holger Danske, Lane...all left me feeling that there just HAS to be a better vanilla aromatic out there.

This one is flawless.

This is without doubt just about the best vanilla pipe blend I've ever smoked. I bought a tin a few months ago simply because I'd never tried it before. What a good suprise! Great natural vanilla flavor that last to the bottom of the bowl but never becomes overpowering, bitter, or bites. The high quality Virginia tobaccos used here really shine through with good flavor that marries perfectly with the vanilla. The cut of the blend is course so a bit of drying is required before smoking but the result is well worth the wait. If you enjoy vanilla smoking tobaccos you owe it to yourself to give Bella Vanilla a shot. Numm, numm, neighbor! Delicious with a cup of strong black coffee.

As a longtime cigar smoker and somewhat newbie to pipes, was intrigued by CAO's offerings also in the world of pipe tobaccos. And it doesn't disappoint, from the pleasant aroma beginning in the tin, the pleasant vanilla room note and taste, to the mild black cavendish with the total absence of any discernible bite (and that's from a confirmed 'puffer'). Short ribbon cut & ready rubbed, no noticeable nicotine hit, plenty of 'smoke', requires few re-lights, and with a slight alcohol taste from the vanilla, but nothing objectionable... my new all day go-to, and highly recommended.

A middle of the road vanilla from a company that has made some great aromatics (check out Eileen's Dream). The "alcohol" topping dominates the tin aroma, causing the vanilla to have an almost cherry musty finish. It isn't so much syrupy, just doesn't have a vanilla sugary smell I would look for.

Took a bit of work to get lit, which was odd for a product that wasn't excessively moist. The revealed flavor was pleasant with some brown sugar notes and the vanilla was present, but not in a bright french vanilla way (think ice cream with little black bean flecks) - it was more of a vanilla Coke.

I was told it smelled heavenly, so consider smoking it for your loved ones, they might appreciate it - or get pissed you lit up since they don't smoke.

I was considering giving this one a weak 3 stars, but the fact that I enjoy other vanilla blends more, I gave it a strong 2 stars.

Opened up a tin of this yesterday from JR's. Had it in the clearance bin. Thought that for 2.99 I would give it a try. First I opened up the tin and it had a very light smell. Nothing special. Second I grabbed 3 large pinches and laid it out on the table. Tobacco was a little wet. After finishing my lunch I loaded this up and attempted to smoke it. Took forever to get a good light and char going. Smell did come out more. Once lit it smoked even and required only one relight about half way down. Never tasted any real flavor. Light smoke and I would give this to a new pipe smoker to try. I found no value here at all and it failed to push any button for me. Much better tobacco is out there this is a no go for me.