CAO Moontrance

This is one of the few aromatic blends that really wowed me. Honestly i didnt have very high expectations on a ten dollar tin however i really did enjoy it. It maintained a consistent burn the entire time and the room note alone is reason enought to purchase another tin. My girlfriend constantly asks me to put the pipe out and smoke the one she likes (of course referring to this one). If your a fan of aromatics this is the one to try.

My first tinned tobacco. I was interested in CAO after smoking a Gold Honey robusto cigar of theirs. I'm not much a cigar fan, but that was one spectacular smoke. So I picked this up to venture away from bulk aromatics and into better, less-flavored blends. I was blown away opening this up. The packaging (as are all of CAOs) was beautiful, and the tin note, which smelled of passionfruit, honey, and (what I can now discern from my learned knowledge of tobacco) some virginas. The flavoring is fairly faint while smoking but can be picked up through very gentle sips and nose-exhales. As the smoke progresses, the topping burns off and the smoke becomes buttery. Very close to Blue Note but more subdued.

I smoke slow, I tend to relight regularly with any tobacco. Moontrance does burn smooth and even if that is a concern for you. The taste is fine. I got a few of the same notes listed by others. Pleasant room note, smells amazing in the tin. It reminds me of my first semi-long term girl friend. She was nice, smelled good, looked good, not very complicated. However I knew there was better stuff out there for me. Even so I stuck around longer than I should have hoping things would get more interesting. They didn’t.

I will start this off by saying the tin I received is new packaging, where half the label warns you about dying if you smoke it. Fun. Don't know if the blend is any different.

Tin note was different from the cigar, a mild fruity smell like mangos and something else that I can only call bourbon maple. Came sticky to the touch, but not overly wet. It was a little easier to light then some of the other tins in the line due to a more ribbon-like cut. The cigar I had tasted of cheap tobacco with no fruit, and very poor construction. The pipe tobacco still tastes funny, but there is at least flavor, and it does taste like fruit to some degree, but in a somewhat artificial way. Room note was tolerable, like a fruity car freshener. Very disappointing for CAO, but the best of their line I've had so far.

Vary bad. Once you have a good blend you try this and just think man I could have just put in one of my good blends. This is something you force your kids to smoke to say “don’t smoke”

I didn't take many notes on this one about specifics other than that it is a light, smooth smoke. The bourbon flavor is much more present on the retrohale.

You can view my video review of this blend here:

https://youtu.be/Gd1GsXzzzXg

Where to begin? Although this is a heavily cased aromatic, it's not a goopy kid's/starter blend. I should not that I prefer English blends but enjoy an aromatic now and then. This mixture hits the sweet spot while still being satisfying for the person who likes tobacco and not candy-blends. Vanilla flavored blends are pretty standard but Moon is notable for having a touch of bourbon with the vanilla. I enjoyed this more than Blue Note because there was ZERO tongue sting and it was more flavorful. Smoked cool. Very nice quality tobacco. I was pleasantly surprised because I didn't think CAO would get pipe tobacco right. I like matthieuduquette's and Pipe guy's review for really getting into detail much better than I. I was close to giving it 4 star but I reserve that rating for the blends that really hit my subjective, personal sweet spot. Definitely will buy it again.

Awhile back I was on a vanilla quest, after trying about five, I awarded Dan's Sweet Vanilla Honeydew the title for best vanilla. It worked by not overdoing the topping and still managing some sugar notes when lit. Opening Moontrace had a similar feel, the vanilla was there and not too pushy, but it also had some (as advertised) fruity whatnot in the background which was bit off putting for me. This was something of a vanilla hybrid.

It was a great burner that took a little more effort to stay lit, but had a slow burn that lasted a long time. It is nowhere as sweet as the other vanillas and to be honest didn't have very much flavor coming through in the smoke, yet I found it pleasant enough as a light aromatic without being too thin on taste.

CAO Moontrance is closer to a warm Vanilla Coke than a sweet sugar cookie.

I also must defer to matthieuduquette's review...nailed the tin note and tasting notes perfectly. The CAO description matches the experience. Fruity citrus, vanilla and bourbon. Although I'm not a heavy partaker of aromatics, I always keep some of this around for the originality, as well as for the wife. She loves the aroma of moontrance, and I find the flavor combination very pleasant, very unique. Toppings are judiciously applied, so the tobacco burns well with plenty of flavor without being a goopy, soggy mess. Very well done for an aromatic. No burn issues here...packs and lights effortlessly right from the tin. If you enjoy bourbon vanilla aros and would like to try one much more original than most, this is a must try.