CAO Ying Yang: A little Ying, a little Yang

To finish my day off yesterday, I decided to get one from the CAO Ying Yang sampler I got. It came with a CAO Black and a CAO VR and then 3 cigars that were blended with tobacco from each, at varying levels: one has more Black than VR, one has more VR than Black and one has a 50-50 split. I had the 50-50 split, the “true” Ying Yang. Visually this is a nice, box pressed cigar and is well constructed. I toasted it up, got my water ready and relaxed.

The aroma that it exuded was pleasant, with a hint of nuts and pepper in the background. The taste carried the same along with a creamy texture/flavour to it. I was surprised it wasn’t more flavourful or more powerful on the flavour given that it had the CAO VR as the first half. As it switched into the 2nd half, the CAO Black, I began to taste a licorice flavour (fennel, perhaps) and it became rather strong. Hidden behind that was a slight leather taste that would burst out now and again. I’d clean my palate many times to ensure I wasn’t imagining the flavours but soon realized that this was, in fact, what was there. Not a bad cigar for a medium-full mixture but not something I’d have all the time. Certainly interesting to say the least. If you do find one of the samplers, give it a try.