CAO Moontrance

CAO - Moontrance.

An equal addition of both black Cavendish an Virginia. The composition of the blend's mainly mid-size ribbons with one or two coarser pieces. It smells quite strongly of the aromatics, and has a good hydration.

I wasn't too sure how I'd get on with this, the ingredients vary from site to site, but it turned out to be a winner! For the first quarter the prominent flavour is a sweet vanilla one, from the honey and vanilla extract. These two are way ahead of the rest of the additives for the inaugurate part of the smoke. Once a quarter's been burned the fruit announces it's presence, having a tropical flavour; we're not talking plums and cherries! Because the toppings are quite heavy don't expect much from the tobaccos. It burns cool, independent, even, and bite-free.

Nicotine: mild. Room-note: lovely.

CAO Moontrance? A four star aromatic:

Highly recommended.

Of the CAO aromatics, this is my favorite (not including the Bella Vanilla, which is really a different thing altogether, and very unlike the other mixtures in their aro line). Frankly I put off cracking this tin open for a long time because the others were so nasty. I got a good deal and ended up buying one tin of each. I made the mistake of smoking the Cherrybomb and Eileen's Dream first, and they were both very dissapointing. I am going to be giving each of those another smoke and then will post reviews, so I will not belabor the issue here.

Moontrance is another animal however, for a couple of reasons. First, it is a more well -balanced and less cavendish heavy blend. I like cavendish, and some of my favorite blends use it as the primary condiment leaf. The CAO cavendish, however, strikes me as similar to the goopy drugstore variety, and that I do not care for at all. This, however, has less of that effect (although it is still there, alas), and has evident virginias which are absent in the two aforementioned blends. This smells nice from the tin, but it is a lot less fruity than the description might lead you to believe, and less so than other fruit-topped or cased aromatics. With that said, the tin aroma is very pleasant with a nice sweet heaviness to it, some fruit overtones, and even a little lakeland type floral odor. The room note while smoking has even less fruit, but is a rich sweet mixtures of tobacco and honey. I really do not detect the bourbon, but for me this flavor rarely stands out, so perhaps that is just how my palate works.

Second, the burning characteristics are pleasant, and that is what pushed this into 3 star category. It is not overly damp in the tin and dries nicely. That is always a good sign, as it means that they have not used a heavy hand with the humectants. I personally try to avoid smoking those types of additives, and stay away from blends which have clearly been coated in the stuff. it takes a char nicely, and with one or two relights burns readily, and not too hot if you do not puff wildly. While it never reaches any serious level of flavor, strength, or complexity, I agree with some of the other reviewers who have noted that it improves and becomes richer (not rich, but richer than where it started from) throughout the bowl. It burns with a nice clean ash and does not seem to funk the pipe. Tongue bite is minimal to nonexistent with proper pacing.

This is nice aromatic. I do not think that it rises to the level of the truly great aros (if you are looking for this type of aromatic, Boswell does it better, and I personally like the English style aromatics which are usually less casing-forward, and offer a richer tobacco experience), but it is a tasty change of pace. It seems that a little age will do it good. This would be a good blend for smoking if you are planning on a multiple bowl day, as it is easy on the tongue and palate.

This blend is pretty awesome. I really love the tin note that it has: dark dried fruits and cream. Like the other CAO blends I have tried, this one is not overly moist or gunky. It packs well and it hasn't ghosted any pipes. Upon the first light, the fruit flavor is definitely persistent. The bourbon vanilla doesn't come in until about mid bowl and it creates a wonderful, mild, thick smoke. I love smoking aromatics, and this is definitely one to keep around. It would be good for just about anyone. No bite, mild but delicious flavor, and no mess: just how I like 'em!

All the other reviews say the same thing I will. Light on flavor but a good smoke.

My wife used to smoke the CAO flavored cigars years ago before I changed to a different type of cigar. When she saw the CAO pipe tobacco, she wanted me to get these so that she could see what they were like. I bought a 4 pack sampler and I was more afraid of this blend than the others.. because I never liked it as a cigar (and never touch those kind of cigars anymore).

Suprise! It is not bad at all. In fact, it is the only one of the four CAOs that I enjoy. There is a very nice bourbon smell in the tin that is actually present in the smoke. Its very light but it didn't dissapear on me like many aromatics do. The burn is great right from the tin and hardly ever needed any attention from the lighter. The nose exhale is sooo easy and it is very easy on the eyes.

I would call this my "Forgettaboutit" blend. I fire it up, put the pipe in the corner of my mouth and go about playing on my phone or watching TV. I forget about it. The wife was happy with the smell though she said the "mustache smell" was cigarette smokey. I use the balsa filter in my Savinelli while doing these kind of aromatics and did not get any bite or gurgling. I tend to puff too much.

I can't say for sure if this will be kept in stock as there are other aromatics that have more robust flavor, but it is a great smoke for those, like me, who just keep puffing while doing other things.

I got a tin of this before leaving on vacation to Florida recently. I needed something for mixed company, as mostly women accompany me on this trip. The shop I purchased this from didn't carry any peterson or dunhill aromatics, and so I bought this one. I will say that it has gone over well with the ladies here.

The tin note is strong sweetness, not really noticing fruit, but the vanilla is coming through well. It does also taste like tobacco. It's burning a little moist, but I'm stuck outside in fairly intense humidity in comparison to Connecticut. Kinda sipping at it. The second half of the bowl is better than the first to me, which is normal. Burned down well in a cob I bought for this blend.

Not much nicotine to this blend, but a nice light smoke with a pleasant smell. It is serving its purpose well enough. Drinking goose island 312 urban wheat today, and it's pairing nicely. I would recommend this if you need something pretty smelling that won't make you gag if you smoke stronger tasting tobacco. I won't buy more of this one I think. After the ladies retire this evening I will break out my 965 and some scotch and have a real smoke.

Just got this today. This is an outstanding aromatic. Smells gorgeous in the tin. Room note is sensational! Smoked beautifully straight out of the tin. Some bite if you puff excessively but if sipped it's great. I'll be adding this to my regular rotation.

Picked up a tin in a recent order.

It's a nice combination of bright and dark Virginas.

The tin note is fruity with a bit of bourbon noticeable. It smells similar to Peterson's Connoisseur's Choice.

The blend does come a bit moist, but is smoke able straight from the tin. For a better experience though a bit of drying time will help.

It takes a lighting well and burns nice and evenly to a fine white ash. Definitely a quality leaf.

The casing/top dressing, in my opinion, was done well. It's noticeable in the background but not over powering. I got just hints of vanilla and fruit with a bit of bourbon flavor here and there.

As long as you sip on it like most aromatics it shouldn't bite you much.

The room note is pleasant and even piqued my friend's interest enough to ask if he could have a bowl. He seemed to have similar feelings about the blend as I did.

Overall it's an aromatic that's worth trying out if you're into aromatics.

Top quality aromatic through and though. Quality tobacco, top notch flavoring. Despite the description here stating it is flavored with bourbon, it is actually bourbon vanilla, big difference!

Tobacco taste comes through, and a slight sweetness of the vanilla and fruits. Flavoring is done with a light hand, and is not one bit cloying. Burns very clean and dry, which is is a hard trait to find in aromatics. I've been smoking Va flakes almost exclusively the last few months, it was nice to take a break with Moontrance.

Many Aros don't work for me. This one, however, does. Very little bite when the tobacco is given a little time to dry and smoked a little on the slower side. Luscious vanilla and fruit flavors. As far as smoking around others, I suspect your wife or girlfriend will beg you to smoke this one. A total departure from the Dunhill london mixture I smoke mostly. I will say I picked up some of the moontrance cigars as well just to try. I'd recommend those for something different as well, if you are so inclined.