CAO Bella Vanilla

It came rather moist. The first few bowls were rather harsh and not so flavorful. After the tin had been open for a few days the harshness faded and the flavor seemed to come through better. The tobacco didn't seem to be of a great quality. I've had other vanilla aromatics that had better leaf.

When I first started on this tin, I thought I had found something. I'm about done with the tin and I'm not sure if I'm going to get another one. It's ok but it gets old. Everyone once and awhile on first light you get this fantastic roasted marshmallow blast of flavor. However, that quickly wears off. It's a decent blend and I may pick up another tin down the road, but this wouldn't be my first choice...

I bought a few cans of this in 2011. Not sure when I opened this one but it has been some time. I just finished it. When I read that it had pure Madagascar vanilla I expected something rich and refined. The packaging did not match the vanilla flavor I was expecting. I must agree with quite a few of the other reviews in that there just isn’t enough vanilla for me. It is good, mild, but not something that I will probably purchase again.

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.

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.

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.

When I smoked years ago, Bella Vanilla was one of the blends that I enjoyed as a treat once in awhile. I remembered it having a nice vanilla taste as well as a great roomnote.

Wanting to revisit those days, I picked up a couple of tins when they were on sale and added them to the stack. I decided to smoke one recently and popped it. The tin note was how I remember it. Nice rich vanilla scent. The tobacco is very moist even after time in the tin and the cellar. I used to smoke it straight from the tin, but I decided to let it dry a little. After several hours, it was a "little" more dry which makes me think there might be PG on it.

Packing was easy. Lighting took a couple of tries to really get going which is a smolder. The charring and real light have a nice vanilla note to them. The smoke loses that quality and becomes much less noticeable as the bowl continues.

All in all, not a bad smoke, but not what I remember. For the normal price, you can do much better with Casey Jones Hero Blend or 1Q. On sale, might be worth it.