I first heard about this cigar from @caocigars on Twitter. I was really excited about this cigar. With a price point of between $5.00 to $7.00 depending on size, this seemed like a nice price point. After hanging around on twitter for a while, reviews started to pop up on this cigar, and the consensus was that the La Traviata was a VERY good cigar for the money. After a few tweets on twitter, and reading through a few reviews on different blogs, I finally broke down and had a friend pick me up a few of these so I could review a couple. I can’t seem to find them anywhere in California, so I had to rely on friends to grab me a few. Thanks to Tim for hooking me up with these! You can read about Tim’s take on the La Traviata over at Stogielife.com, another great BOTL’s cigar blog!
Wrapper: Ecuadoran Habano
Binder: Cameroon
Filler: Nicaraguan ligero and Dominican blend
Size: Radiante 6″ x 52
Price: ~$5.95
Pre-Light: As I took a look at this cigar before lighting, the first thing I noticed was that the wrapper was nice and oily, and had a great sheen to it. Oily wrappers for me are usually a double edged sword. Usually, with oily wrappers, the cigar tastes really good, but I also tend to have trouble keeping it burning straight. As I ran this cigar across my nose, I got hints of spice, with a pure tobacco smell. I clipped this cigar with my ever trusty Palio, and lit up with my Ronson Jetlite.
1/3: As I started in on this cigar, the first flavors I got were some nice earth tones, with a little spice on the back of the pallete. As I continued on this first portion of the cigar, I got some nice coffee notes, with some leather. The smoke was very creamy, and coated my mouth nicely. The smoke billowed nicely as well. I was also very impressed with the draw on this cigar. It was a bit tight, but not so tight that I wasn’t enjoying it. It allowed just the right amount of resistance. The burn was a little bit wavy, but not so wavy that I found it necessary to take out my lighter and touch it up.
2/3: As I continued on this cigar, I went ahead and ashed the cigar, because I really didn’t want it getting all over me. It was a bit flaky, but at the price point, I almost expected it, so it wasn’t bothering me. At this point, I got some more of the earthy, leather flavors, with a little spice on the finish. The smoke is still nice and creamy, and plentiful as well. So far, for the price point, I am certainly enjoying this cigar.
3/3: As I finished up this cigar, I got more leathery, earthy notes, with the creamy smoke, and nice spice on the finish. I smoked this cigar down until my fingers were burning, and finally decided I needed to put it down, even if I didn’t want to.
Overall impression: Overall, this is a really good cigar. The price point is one that cannot be ignored. While its not the most complex cigar out there, the flavors I was getting were very very good, and the construction was outstanding. It is my opinion that the CAO La Traviata is worthy of a box purchase. Since smoking this review cigar, I have smoked 3 others, and they have all been just as great. I really enjoyed this cigar, and I recommend any cigar smoker, new or seasoned, give this cigar a shot!
For more of my take on cigars, be sure to check out
www.cigarchoice.net 
Smoke Em If You Got Em, Buy Em If You Don’t!
Scott