If I have one beef with the fine folks at CAO Cigars it's that they have too many different cigars to choose from.
Right now, my humidor contains the following CAO offerings: Italia, Brazilia, CAO Cameroon, CAO Maduro, Criollo, and, of course, the CAO MX2.
There are three more CAO cigars that I don't have: the CAO Gold, the eXtreme, and the CX2.
With a line as extensive as CAO has, it's sometimes hard to keep track of what you like and what you don't. Lots of folks rave about the Italia. I don't particularly care for it...or wait, was it the Brazilia I don't like? They both end with "lia" and they're both from CAO and they have very similar bands. It's very confusing.
But there's no confusion about the MX2. I have 20 of them. I just bought a box yesterday.
The MX2 (which stands for "Maduro times 2") delivers lots of full-bodied goodness. It has Connecticut Broadleaf maduro wrapper, a Brazilian maduro binder, and lots of full-bodied fillers (from Nicaragua, Honduras, the Dominican Republic, and Peru).
This is my current favorite "second course" cigar. Some folks call it medium-bodied, but I think it's on the full side of medium-full. I really can't handle fuller-bodied cigars unless I have one after I've already had something milder. The MX2 is great for my second course because it can deliver good flavor to an already beleaguered palate.
The MX2 has lots of rich smoke. I really love that. When I take a deep draw, I want my mouth to be filled with smoke (delivering flavor all over my palate). MX2 delivers that. It is also supremely well constructed: tonight when I lit one, I did a bad job, but the cigar still burned evenly right until it was burning my fingers. The draw is exactly as I like it: not too easy, not too firm.
But even if it was poorly constructed, you'd have to love the MX2 just on flavor. It gives and gives and gives. It starts out very spicy and rough and smooths out about a third of the way in. It's hard not to smoke it too fast because it's just so wonderful.
Oh, one more thing: the MX2 looks beautiful in your humidor. The wrappers are super shiny and oily, and the band looks like it belongs on the set of Star Trek. I don't place a lot of stock in a cigar's prettiness, but the MX2 has that in addition to all its other great qualities.
So, bottom line:
Strength: Medium-Full Taste: Excellent Draw: Excellent Price: $80 for a box of 20, $4.50 if bought individually.
Go out and try one. Have one of your regular sticks as an appetizer and have the MX2 for dessert. You won't be disappointed.