I have a confession to make. I was not looking forward to this West Tampa Devil Crab after the initial two releases that were honestly terrible. But you changed my perspective entirely with this blend. Such delicious full flavors packed into this man bun. I didn't think I'd ever say this, but based on this experience, I look forward to the next one.
The West Tampa Circle of Life Robusto started fairly average as the carboard note wasn't a great supporting note, but when it departed in the second third and was replaced by walnut nuttiness which transitioned to walnut shells, it picked up in enjoyment. The final third dropped back down as some of the components mellowed. This was an interesting transition of flavors and while I wouldn't see coming back to this necessarily, I might be interested in trying another vitola to see how the flavors get delivered.
The West Tampa Attic Series Attic started with a nice combination of flavors and balance. As the earth took the lead in the second third, the profile dropped a level and was fairly mundane the rest of the way. The cigar carries a fair bit of strength to it, so something to watch out for. I don't see this as a cigar I'd come back to with any frequency as it wasn't very interesting after the first third and the strength was too much for the flavor profile.
The West Tampa Black Toro started out promising in the first third, with an interesting combination of flavors. By the second third, it became flat with wood and earth largely defining the profile. The last third was almost entirely defined by earth. There wasn't much here in the flavor combinations that grabbed my attention and would have me seeking out a second experience.
The CAO Arcana Firewalker was fairly mundane throughout. It was a basic flavor profile with not much transitioning and was just boring. The strength did build up as the cigar went along and finished at medium-full. I don't see myself coming back to this cigar.
The West Tampa White Toro began with an average level of enjoyment with a fairly simple flavor profile. The enjoyment level remained at average throughout. The burn issues were a bit of a detriment to the cigar, but didn't cause any real negative effects to the flavor profile. Not a great showing for my first try of this new brand, but we'll see how the Black version fares in a future review.
The CAO Flathead V21 Carb was pretty monotonous and started with a typical General Cigar profile. It built in strength as it went along, but at no time did I find the profile interesting or all that enjoyable. Definitely not a cigar I see myself returning to.
I don’t know what I am doing here, but I dug this CAO Pilón Añejo Robusto! Some cool flavors here and there with a solid core of cocoa, leather, floral and herbal qualities. Great construction! Final third was not as good as the first two thirds, but overall, I thought this was a good cigar.
Quite a linear profile of musty cedar and dry earth with the profile becoming quite dry by the midpoint. No complexities or transitions to really speak of. The snug draw was a bit of a downer, but didn't have any ill effects on the performance. The price point is quite attractive, but there's nothing here that would make me want to come back to the CAO Zocalo Robusto.
I never smoked the original so I can't say how it compares, but this CAO Vision was a fairly average experience overall. I can see it appealing to a wide range of smokers that gravitate to this basic type of profile, but I need something more to maintain my attention. With the experience I had, combined with the high price point, I don't really see myself returning to this cigar.