Originally posted by littoines: Well since E-cord received an e-mail from the CAO president of the company I would have to say yes.
Wow...I completely missed that post on the Myspace page. Im glad someone was paying attention!
Actually, the gentleman said he was a sales rep for CAO in Texas. It was nice of him to chime in. I'm glad to hear the Vision is selling well in other markets; I can only speak for what I hear about the northeast US.
I do disagree strongly about his argument that "taste is subjective." My judgement of the Vision (when I was being serious, not kidding around and being intentionally outrageous) was based on purely objective criteria -- the same criteria one might use to judge a hamburger: if the bun is stale, if the meat is funky, if the thing just plain doesn't look good. Listen, some guy like a 1985 Dodge Omni better than a 2005 Honda Accord but that doesn't make the Omni a good car by sane engineering standards.
I'll be the first guy to stand up and say that a certain cigar is a quality product, even if it's not to my taste.
And for the hundredth time, I like many CAO products. I have boxes of MX2 and Gold 10th Anniversary perfectos aging up right now. You can probably see them in my MySpace pictures. The 10th Anniversary in particular is a lovely morning cigar -- the tobacco equivalent of sipping a cup of hot, scratch-brewed tea.
I actually planned to talk about the Vision with the local CAO rep in my area, but he was let go, I guess do to the recent reorganization at CAO. A shame -- he was a great guy and a terrific brand ambassador. He turned us all on to Red Breast -- a really terrific 12yo Irish whisky. It's been a staple at our gatherings ever since.
I appreciate the guy's offer to send me some samples but I'll probably pass. If it's true what he says, that the Vision is aging well and coming into its own, I'll buy some at retail and give them another chance.
I love the dedication to this, you seem to actually be mad at the cigars as if one of them gave you a rectal exam, without giving you a heads up.
Sorry if I end up derailing the temporary seriousness of this thread, but when I initially clicked on it, the above page came up and I read the post above. I now have to wipe diet pepsi off my monitor.
Just for the record...A rectal exam isn't any better when you're warned.
Just for the record...A rectal exam isn't any better when you're warned.
You sound like speaking from own, harsh experience
E-cord, I guess I understand why you prefer buying yourself, rather than accepting the samples. However, tell the guy he's free to send samples to all CA forum members, especially those who never smoked one and who are not going to spend a fortune to do that Like myself <hint, hint>
------- "And it is not just a business. It’s a love affair." Paul B.K. Garmirian about making cigars
saw a few remarks about gurkha prices being high.i have been buying from cigarsinternational.com.and you can buy themvery reasonable .4 to 5 dollars a stick for black puros,101 maduros.class regents ,triple ligeros etc i never pay over 5.00 a stick and i am smoking great cigars
I was actually given one of these while at my local this past week. He was buying a few and asked me if I had ever tried one. He said they were "Amazing." I told him that I had not, because I heard they were dogrockets, and I just couldnt see myself paying $19 for a stick that I KNOW is bad. I said if it were a stick I didnt know about and wanted to try I would gladly pay that much, but because of this thread I told him I had chose not to. So he asked me if he bought 2 would I stay and smoke it with him. I told him that I would if he really wanted me too. So we sat down and smoked it.
I must say that it was very bland, and did not taste like a refreshing cigar at all. I could never really put my finger on what flavors were coming out of it, but some woody notes and maybe cedar? Just kind of like smoking a Macanudo Hampton Court only more flavorless. It just was not good and I would not smoke another one. However I would buy the box for a reasonable price for the travel humidor purposes. Not that its really awesome, but it would kind of be cool I guess...
__________________________
"'Classic.' A book which people praise and don't read."- Mark Twain
Posts: 839 | Location: Oklahoma | Registered: December 27, 2007
Being a casual smoker, I rely on the experiences of others and steer clear of "marked" cigars. However, curiosity built from this thread got the better of me and I decided to try a Vision for myself. I eventually purchased the Catalyst, the Vision's robusto for $14 (gasp!) and I finally had it last night after sitting for a couple months in the humi.
Like RP's The Edge, the Catalyst features a band on the foot but with a serial number. The wrapper itself was dark and quite veiny. But the pre-light draw was firm but not too tight. Once lit with my trusty Xikar executive, the Catalyst burned fairly evenly through-out and ash held on very well. And that pretty much sums up all the good points.
Alas, I was hit initially with some sourness on the first few draws. Fortunately, that subsided about a half an inch into the cigar. What replaced though was a whole lot of blandness. For nearly half the length of the cigar I was desperately looking for some sort of flavor and found none! The flavor profile I managed to scrap together was a sorta woodiness with a touch of spice in the middle of my tongue. No taste from this mild/medium smoke.
Well, I paid $14 to do this to myself. But at least can say with conviction that this cigar sucks!
"Knowing is not enough, you must apply; willing is not enough, you must do." - Bruce Lee
Posts: 868 | Location: Signal Hill, CA | Registered: April 26, 2007
Originally posted by jms2788: "Gurkha cigars are available for as little as $12.95 retail". As little as $12.95??
Wow thats a rip off... I've had a couple Gurkha's I got from CI for a third that price and they STILL weren't worth it IMO. Only CAO I've had was the America, not sure the exact one, but it was the big torpedo. Pretty good cigar.
You can always find Gurkha for three to four bucks at CI. I wouldn't pay more than that for any of them. As far as the Vision goes I can't see paying that kind of money for one. For less money I can have some types of Opus X, VSG's, Don Carlos', or Tatuaje's.
So is this thread dead or does the Vision still suck? I've had one in my humi for a couple months, maybe I'll bust it out soon and let you guys know...
Posts: 95 | Location: Detroit | Registered: January 23, 2008
Apparently. The Vision is soooo last year; its all about the Nubs now! But yeah, bust out that Vision and a couple good things will happen. One, you too will discover that it sucks. Second (and most important), you'll open up a space for a more worthy smoke.
"Knowing is not enough, you must apply; willing is not enough, you must do." - Bruce Lee
Posts: 868 | Location: Signal Hill, CA | Registered: April 26, 2007
I have heard that they are: 1. Too darn expensive 2. Burn uneven 3. Limited production but....they suck They way I see it is why not by three maybe even four in some cases, of the Oliva V, when I know that it is a great smoke and what I want. So the answer is simple....yes it still does suck!
Like myself <hint, hint>
