CAO Black
(2.54)
CAO Black is a unique aromatic blend. The tobacco has a rich and tangy raspberry note, with a subtle undercurrent of creamy vanilla and cocoa, giving it a sweet and smooth flavor. Best of all, it's one of the most gentle smoking blends you're likely to try. For a bite free, blend with a great aroma, you've got to try CAO Black.
Details
| Brand | CAO |
| Blended By | Scandinavian Tobacco Group |
| Manufactured By | Scandinavian Tobacco Group |
| Blend Type | Aromatic |
| Contents | Black Cavendish, Burley, Virginia |
| Flavoring | Cocoa / Chocolate, Raspberry, Vanilla |
| Cut | Coarse Cut |
| Packaging | 50 grams tin |
| Country | United States |
| Production | Currently available |
Profile
Strength
Mild
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
Medium
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Very Pleasant
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Medium
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming
Average Rating
|
2.54 / 4
|
Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 Reviews
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 11, 2014 | Very Mild | Very Strong | Medium | Very Pleasant |
This tin smells like dessert, seriously. I considered dipping it (and may still) the topping smells that good. No "chem" smells, just raspberry jam and vanilla upfront, roasted cocoa/coffee when you really get in there.
Initial char, a hollow, tinny smoke with a strong dry raspberry. As I tamped and did a full light I got a great big mouthful of raspberry and cocoa smoke that was incredibly thick. Just as with the tin note, not a lot of chemical taste or smell, just raspberries. The smell was heavy on the vanilla where I didn't really detect it as much when competing with the raspberry flavor of the smoke.
Halfway through the bowl, I started to pick up some coconut flavors. I also picked up a very familiar aromatic taste, like the smell of Dad's Borkum Riff vanilla cav.
Despite smoking this pipe rather hot (like a fat kid eating cake, really) I didn't get any tongue bite, even when I could tell the smoke was hotter than it should have been.
This is a wonderful aromatic, for the reason that it is more strongly flavored than anything else I've had, yet does not have any of the more synthetic flavors once it starts burning. The burn qualities were exceptional, even when hot this didn't bite.
The only drawback being that the tobacco, at no time, takes anything more than the role of "flavor delivery medium". That's ok, but I think I would have liked to taste some more distinct tobaccos in there as well.
Initial char, a hollow, tinny smoke with a strong dry raspberry. As I tamped and did a full light I got a great big mouthful of raspberry and cocoa smoke that was incredibly thick. Just as with the tin note, not a lot of chemical taste or smell, just raspberries. The smell was heavy on the vanilla where I didn't really detect it as much when competing with the raspberry flavor of the smoke.
Halfway through the bowl, I started to pick up some coconut flavors. I also picked up a very familiar aromatic taste, like the smell of Dad's Borkum Riff vanilla cav.
Despite smoking this pipe rather hot (like a fat kid eating cake, really) I didn't get any tongue bite, even when I could tell the smoke was hotter than it should have been.
This is a wonderful aromatic, for the reason that it is more strongly flavored than anything else I've had, yet does not have any of the more synthetic flavors once it starts burning. The burn qualities were exceptional, even when hot this didn't bite.
The only drawback being that the tobacco, at no time, takes anything more than the role of "flavor delivery medium". That's ok, but I think I would have liked to taste some more distinct tobaccos in there as well.
Pipe Used:
Benton Bulldog (Edwards)
PurchasedFrom:
Pipes and Cigars
Age When Smoked:
Unknown
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Jun 18, 2014 | Mild | Medium | Mild to Medium | Very Pleasant |
This is a Lane Tobacco and as a fan of CAO products, I don't feel that it's a good representation for CAO. I don't care for the whimsical clear plastic disk on top of the tobacco as it hinders the drying of the opened tin (and it needs to dry desperately). There's surprising little flavor, other than vanilla. The Virginia content is just a teaser and not a player. This stuff smokes like a coal furnace; once it's burning, it continues to burn like a scented bathroom candle - magic hee hee. If you're looking for a great Raspberry flavor, buy some Lane Black Raspberry in bulk; it smokes much better and has less PPG. CAO Black is saturated with goopy oily gunk and besides leaving my mouth raw, it made one hell of a mess in my pipe. If you've never tried CAO Moontrance or Eileens Dream, please don't prejudge CAO based on this muck. I bought two tins when CAO Black first hit the market because they were on sale 2 for 1; I gave one tin to a friend (he likes it). I don't like giving bad reviews, and perhaps the first batch had some problems. But if you're looking for Captain Black, buy Captain Black and if you plan to smoke aromatics regularly, it might be best to purchase them in bulk as the preservatives seem to be much more prevalent in tins.
Pipe Used:
MM Country Gentleman COB
PurchasedFrom:
pipesandcigars
Age When Smoked:
4 month tin
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 06, 2019 | Mild | Medium | Medium | Pleasant |
CAO - Black.
I had a few bowls of this last night, and fancying a change of pace, smoked some more this morning. I think it's nice enough, but nothing incredible.
The coarse cut mixture includes more black Cavendish than lighter Burley and Virginia. The note from the tin says it contains more raspberry than chocolate/vanilla. My moisture made it ready to smoke straight away.
Lighting a bowl isn't a problem, and then it burns steadily and independently, however I find it can creep above medium in temperature. The flavour: the raspberries come over unquestionably, but, sadly, taste a little too sharp; for me. The chocolate and vanilla meld together to form a creaminess, which takes away some of the asperity from the fruity side. Where the tobaccos go, I notice they don't seem as smooth or sticky as the appearance suggested; there's a coarse Burley flavour and the black Cavendish isn't too sweet or sticky. I haven't found it gives much of a bite, unless pushed too hard.
Nicotine: not much. Room-note: perfectly inoffensive.
CAO Black? If the raspberry flavour wasn't as sour I'd rate it higher, maybe some more chocolate and vanilla would help? But, for how it is, I'll go with two stars:
Somewhat recommended.
I had a few bowls of this last night, and fancying a change of pace, smoked some more this morning. I think it's nice enough, but nothing incredible.
The coarse cut mixture includes more black Cavendish than lighter Burley and Virginia. The note from the tin says it contains more raspberry than chocolate/vanilla. My moisture made it ready to smoke straight away.
Lighting a bowl isn't a problem, and then it burns steadily and independently, however I find it can creep above medium in temperature. The flavour: the raspberries come over unquestionably, but, sadly, taste a little too sharp; for me. The chocolate and vanilla meld together to form a creaminess, which takes away some of the asperity from the fruity side. Where the tobaccos go, I notice they don't seem as smooth or sticky as the appearance suggested; there's a coarse Burley flavour and the black Cavendish isn't too sweet or sticky. I haven't found it gives much of a bite, unless pushed too hard.
Nicotine: not much. Room-note: perfectly inoffensive.
CAO Black? If the raspberry flavour wasn't as sour I'd rate it higher, maybe some more chocolate and vanilla would help? But, for how it is, I'll go with two stars:
Somewhat recommended.
Pipe Used:
L'Anatra
PurchasedFrom:
eBay: 757habano
Age When Smoked:
About a year
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Aug 21, 2014 | Extremely Mild | Strong | Medium | Very Pleasant |
CAO black is in a class of tobaccos I refer to as the modern American aromatics, the flavor is ALL topping and NO tobacco. I never smoked a Hookah but imagine this weed would be at home in a hookah as well. The cavendish here, as a reviewer stated already, is a flavor delivery substrate and nothing more. Upon opening he tin you get smacked with the raspberry. It is a delicious smell and very strong. You can also get the cocoa and maybe some vanilla in the tin note but you have to try for it. It is excessively moist and needs a few hours dry time but once aired sufficiently it's ready to bring the goods. This tobacco is all about the topping and it delivers. Raspberry up front then cocoa and/or vanilla in the background depending on the puff. You'll need a few extra matches but Black is nice and consistent to the bottom. You'll be left with some sticky goo, some crusting, and a ghosted pipe but that's to be expected with this type of aro. Excellent room and beard note also expected with this class of tobacco. Hardly any nicotine to be had, just topping, topping, topping. I like this for an after lunch pipe before heading back to work or when doing something outside and feeling like a sweet smokable treat. Unsuitable for real, heady, pre-bedtime piping. Highly recommended for lovers of the highly cased leaf, for everyone else, meh.
Pipe Used:
grabow
PurchasedFrom:
PandC
Age When Smoked:
new
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Aug 15, 2014 | Mild to Medium | Extremely Mild | Extremely Mild (Flat) | Unnoticeable |
The can of tobacco I got was pretty moist so it may need some additional time to dry. I agree with some of the other reviews that Eileens dream is a much better blend, as I couldnt taste any of the rasberry or coco taste so much. Ill give it another shot in a briar pipe and see how that goes.
Pipe Used:
Mo Meerschaum Mini
PurchasedFrom:
Pipesandcigars.com
Age When Smoked:
New
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 22, 2020 | Very Mild | Medium | Very Mild | Very Pleasant |
I had never tried this one so I picked up a tin when traveling on business to smoke in my trusty cob that I carried with me.
The tin note matches the description of berry, vanilla, cocoa. The tobacco was really moist. I laid some out on a paper towel before dinner and smoked it later that evening. Packing once a little drier was easy. Lighting was quick.
The berry vanilla roomnote is like a bathroom spray or air freshener. It lingers and will get compliments from others. The tobacco taste was not that strong, but it was all flavor and none of the tobacco under it. It made for an ok smoke around others as no one complained about me having a couple of bowls during the evening.
At the end of the trip, my poor legend cob was ghosted and I had 2/3 of a tin left, but instead of bringing it home I just chucked it before packing for the flight as it was not something I'd see myself smoking again.
The tin note matches the description of berry, vanilla, cocoa. The tobacco was really moist. I laid some out on a paper towel before dinner and smoked it later that evening. Packing once a little drier was easy. Lighting was quick.
The berry vanilla roomnote is like a bathroom spray or air freshener. It lingers and will get compliments from others. The tobacco taste was not that strong, but it was all flavor and none of the tobacco under it. It made for an ok smoke around others as no one complained about me having a couple of bowls during the evening.
At the end of the trip, my poor legend cob was ghosted and I had 2/3 of a tin left, but instead of bringing it home I just chucked it before packing for the flight as it was not something I'd see myself smoking again.
Pipe Used:
Cob - sacraficed
PurchasedFrom:
B&M when travelling
Age When Smoked:
new from tin
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Oct 01, 2016 | Very Mild | Mild to Medium | Very Mild | Pleasant |
My first CAO pipe tobacco. I like this better than their cigar offerings. 3 stars immediately for its description being super accurate. No bite, no goop, no ghosting. Easy to smoke once dried for at least 3 days. The raspberry flavor is there, for a day, then it dissipates. Very enjoyable when it was there, but you must let this dry for a long while, otherwise it will never stay lit. Catch 22. The remaining flavor is indeed creamy, not so much cocoa, but definitely a little vanilla. So no 4 stars because the nice raspberry flavor went away too quickly, but a solid 3 stars and a recommendation because I smoked the whole tin in record time without really intending to.
EDIT 11/9/16: I have to take a star away. I really miss the raspberry flavor that disappeared for the majority of the time I had this tobacco. The remaining flavor is cheap. It does not last long after about 2 weeks in a pouch. AND, I thought I detected a slight ghosting of a couple of pipes from this tobacco.
EDIT 11/9/16: I have to take a star away. I really miss the raspberry flavor that disappeared for the majority of the time I had this tobacco. The remaining flavor is cheap. It does not last long after about 2 weeks in a pouch. AND, I thought I detected a slight ghosting of a couple of pipes from this tobacco.
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