Pre-light Experience

The wrapper is medium brown with some Colorado red in it. There are some areas of the wrapper where the colors are darker. There are a couple of raised veins and the seams are fairly visible due to the color variations. The head is finished off with a double cap. The band is rolled up tobacco, kind of like a rope that criss-crosses in the front and then is side by side in the back. The aroma from the wrapper is a mix of sweet hay and raisin while the foot gives the same combination, but is more pungent. The pre-light draw is a stone fruit sweetness that I liken to peach.

Pre-light Experience

The CAO Fuma Em Corda Robusto has a spot on maduro wrapper shade. The wrapper feels both rustic and hearty. Veins are well pressed and seams nearly invisible. Bunch and roll feels well executed as I feel no soft or hard spots. The head is finished off with a well adhered, thick double cap. Nosing the wrapper tells white pepper and cedar. Nosing the foot gives sweet raisins, white pepper spice and sharp cedar. Cold draw reveals dried plums, raisins and subtle black pepper.

First Third

Initial draws bring primarily wood with some subtle sweetness. At a half inch in, the wood note gains a bit of darkness while the subtle sweetness remains. At an inch in, some black pepper makes it’s way into the profile of slightly dark wood and subtle sweetness. As the third comes to a close, the profile is slightly dark wood, some pepper and subtle sweetness along with an underlying ashiness in the background. The strength in this third was slightly below medium.

First Third

First third exhibits a good mixture of spice, earth and sweetness. Notes of dry wood, slight earthy bitterness, sweet raisins and subtle black pepper. Retrohaling shows deep notes of black pepper, dry wood, bread and cream. The finish shows the same bread as the retrohale, dry wood and palate layering black pepper spice. Strength and body is for the most part both medium.

Second Third

As the second third begins, the ashy note is becoming a bit more prevalent as the dark wood and pepper notes remain and the sweetness has disappeared. At a half inch in, the ashiness decreases while the dark wood moves back up front with some pepper and the aforementioned ashiness are in the background. The retrohale carries a standard wood note and some of the ashiness. As the third comes to a close, some wood bitterness joins the wood, pepper and ashiness. The strength in this third was right at medium.

Second Third

Second third’s main difference is the increase in spice. It’s by no means overbearing but shifts some of the sweetness away. Mouth draw flavors of dry wood, black pepper, baking spices, earthy bitterness and subdued sweet raisins. Retrohaling still delivers black pepper, dry wood, bread and cream. The finish is medium in length with dry wood, bread and balanced black pepper. Strength and body continues to be medium.

Final Third

As the final third begins, the wood and bitterness are up front with the pepper still in the background. At a half inch in, the bitterness drops down and allows the wood and pepper to be the primary and secondary flavors. This is the profile that the cigar maintains the rest of the way. The strength in this third was slightly above medium.

Final Third

Last third is for the most part a replica of the second third being a tad spice forward than sweet. The sweetness is no longer a raisin sweetness, rather a generic creamed sweetness. Still giving mouth draw flavors of dry wood, black pepper, baking spices and earthy bitterness. The retrohale is still centered around black pepper, dry wood, bread and cream. The finish also picks up an increase in black pepper in addition to dry wood and bread. Strength and body finishes medium.

Burn

The burn was slightly wavy but maintained itself pretty well the whole way through. Ashes held on in one inch increments.

Burn

Burn performance was very good. Only down side is the minor touch up required within the first third. Aside from that, sturdy white ashes averaging 1.5 inches. Cool and slow burn lasting well over an hour and a half.

Draw

The draw was slightly tighter than I prefer, but not really any hindrance to the smoking experience.

Overall

I was hoping for an equal or better experience than the Amazon Basin, but I didn’t get that with this cigar. There was some slight sweetness at the front end of the cigar, but other than that, there wan’t much that made me identify with the unique tobacco used in this blend. Performance was pretty good and the strength and flavor profile would be fine for most smokers. It’s definitely worth a try if you liked the Amazon Basin. This was a miss for me, but I’m really looking forward to the Amazon Anaconda to see how the trilogy wraps up.

Draw

The draw was ideal. The perfect balance between airflow and resistance.

Overall

When smoking the Fuma Em Corda, I have one question I need to answer. That is, is this cigar as good as the original Amazon Basin? If the answer to that is yes, then it is an easy purchase. For me, the answer is an easy yes. This cigar doesn’t have the exact DNA as the Amazon Basin. It’s not meant to. It has more in the sense of greater spice and earthiness that plays off the sweet raisin note very well. Fans of the Amazon Basin will be in for a treat with this cigar.

Aaron Loomis

SCORE

5.50

Cost/Point

$1.45

Scoring System

Jiunn Liu

SCORE

7.07

Cost/Point

$1.13

Scoring System

Team Cigar Review: CAO Fuma Em Corda Robusto