2004 CAO Cameroon Trois Diamant Corona L’Anniversaire

[smbauerllc]

Specifications:
Year of Manufacture/Box Codes: 2004

Country of Origin: Nicaragua

Wrapper Color: Colorado Maduro

Wrapper type: West African Cameroon

Binder: Nicaraguan

Filler: Nicaraguan

Vitola: Corona (5.75x46)

Manufacturer: Tabacalera Perdomo

Factory: Nicaragua

Humidimeter Reading: 64%

Environment:

Temperature: 41 degrees

Humidity: 42%

Wind: N/A (5.8mph)

Setting: my usual spot in the smoke shack with a view of the snow covered mountains and a new cushion that’s much more comfortable than the Veteran’s Home old one.

Paired with: Iced Coffee

Couldn’t find any reviews for this that were anywhere close in date, so nothing to compare to this time.

A very smooth, slightly veiny, medium texture cap/head of medium length.

Cold draw airflow was non-existent, and thus no cold draw taste.

Wrapper cracked very badly all over from using the PerfecDraw to try and get some airflow.

Took lots of glue to attempt to repair it, but will still need to be handled very gently, and hopefully it doesn’t start to peel as the heat melts the glue.

We shall find out…

Had a slightly uneven burn, flat coal, and a typical ash structure of a mottled white appearance.

As I feared, the cracks in the wrapper peeled badly during smoking.

Based on the poor smoke volume, I suspect that the PerfecDraw cracked or punched through the binder as well as the wrapper somewhere, as with a slightly tight draw, I should have been getting much more smoke volume.

The aroma was strong , fragrant and woody and plain tobacco smelling.

Richness, flavor and finish/aftertaste were weak. Strength was mild and body was thin.

From what little smoke I got, the balance of herbal and woody flavors was perfect, and the finish/aftertaste, while weak, was also woody and herbal.

Overall, the character was poor and the score was poor at 65 out of 100.

Too be fair, this was all caused by a large plug near the head, and the use of the PerfecDraw to try and open it up, but, in the end, it is what it is with this one.

Very disappointing as the others were a whole lot better.

Sadly, this leaves me with only 2 left to review and enjoy of what Bruce aka @Ljutic sent me.

[Ljutic]

Well it appears these Cameroons didn't age well. The Magnum got an 84 in your previous review.

On the plus side, the crazy packaging made the Trois Diamant assortments an amazing budget buy at the time they were purchased. Plus the little 3 stick bundles make for a handy grab and go cigar day.

[smbauerllc]

Originally Posted by Ljutic

Well it appears these Cameroons didn't age well. The Magnum got an 84 in your previous review.

On the plus side, the crazy packaging made the Trois Diamant assortments an amazing budget buy at the time they were purchased. Plus the little 3 stick bundles make for a handy grab and go cigar day.

Like the Corona, the Magnum may have had one issue that effected every other aspect of the review.

I would honestly have to reread it and see.

ETA:went back and read my review of the magnum, and its hard to say that it too was heavily affected in every catagory by one issue like the Corona.

Without seeing all the details and specifics on my review form, which is long since erased, its hard to say exactly why i gave it an 84, which is still a respectable score, imho

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

[gumby]

Great review. Over the years I have found it interesting that habanos tend to age well but cigars from elsewhere not so much. Maybe it is just me.

[smbauerllc]

Originally Posted by gumby

Great review. Over the years I have found it interesting that habanos tend to age well but cigars from elsewhere not so much. Maybe it is just me.

The vast majority of these particular aged nc's, I have really enjoyed, and they aged quite well.

I can say from experience that its not always the case though, however that's true for cc's as well. There's no "magic" in cc tobacco causing it to age well, while nc's dont.

It's all about the particular cigar you start with, proper care, and catching it during its sweet spot, just like cc's.

I know i have certainly had some cc's that were duds or had passed their prime. Same with nc's. As Bruce has mentioned many times when asked how he achieved such great results in his aged nc's, its just proper maintenance, a good starting smoke and luck.

Age wont make a crappy cigar, cc or nc, transform into a great cigar, it will just make its crappy and older,lol

And thanks for the compliment on my review. I think I have settled on how I prefer to present information, and what information I make sure to include, as that's the main goal of my reviews- giving as much honest information as you could possibly want.

I friggin' love cigars

[gumby]

Originally Posted by smbauerllc

The vast majority of these particular aged nc's, I have really enjoyed, and they aged quite well.

I can say from experience that its not always the case though, however that's true for cc's as well. There's no "magic" in cc tobacco causing it to age well, while nc's dont.

It's all about the particular cigar you start with, proper care, and catching it during its sweet spot, just like cc's.

I know i have certainly had some cc's that were duds or had passed their prime. Same with nc's. As Bruce has mentioned many times when asked how he achieved such great results in his aged nc's, its just proper maintenance, a good starting smoke and luck.

Age wont make a crappy cigar, cc or nc, transform into a great cigar, it will just make its crappy and older,lol

And thanks for the compliment on my review. I think I have settled on how I prefer to present information, and what information I make sure to include, as that's the main goal of my reviews- giving as much honest information as you could possibly want.

I friggin' love cigars

While I agree with that in theory, my overall experience has been that habanos age well while non-cubans tend to go bland. I've found this even with nicotine bombs like Opus X. But using them as an example, I agree that they age to a "sweet spot" before gong bland.
But you are 100% correct about storage, initial quality of the cigar, etc.

[smbauerllc]

Originally Posted by gumby

While I agree with that in theory, my overall experience has been that habanos age well while non-cubans tend to go bland. I've found this even with nicotine bombs like Opus X. But using them as an example, I agree that they age to a "sweet spot" before gong bland.

But you are 100% correct about storage, initial quality of the cigar, etc.

Yeah, i believe everything, cc or nc, has a sweet spot where its just perfectly aged, and after that, starts going downhill, typically growing progressively bland just as you said.

There may be something to do with cc's that gives them a "wider" or more forgiving, sweet spot. That could account for your experience with cc's vs nc's.

Also, i can't really speak on nicotine content, as I smoked a pack a day for 30 years, and just quit a couple years ago, and still seem to be completely immune to nicotine. That's really the hardest thing for me to gauge in my reviews, and what I would caution those sensitive to nicotine to not go by my assessment of it.

I've honestly had way more aged nc's than cc's, so hard for me to contribute too much to the conversation other than that I have been fortunate to enjoy many aged nc's in the 85+ range that certainly weren't bland, but i have certainly had both cc's and nc's that clearly had passed their prime and become bland for sure.

I have a meager stash of aged cc's, but I'll be sure to review them and see how ones of roughly the same age as some of the nc's I reveiwed, compare.

Thanks for chiming in. Always appreciate others opinions and a learning experience.

I friggin' love cigars