Aromatic Tobacco » CAO Bella Vanilla Tobacco Reviews

About the best vanilla so far.

First off, I am not going to comment on smoking hot or cool, tongue bit or no tb, because I think that is more a function of pipe design, packing technique, smoking cadence, etc.  As far as dottle is concerned, it is an aro, so get used to it!  I personally pack as tight as possible without slowing the draw and used a ¾ inch gauge briar used solely for vanilla aros.  I use a blend for a week to get a good sampling.

  The mouth taste was of a faint vanilla but the French inhale yielded a nice hint of cinnamon straight from the spice can.  I can’t comment on the room note as I smoke outside.

  Overall it was a lot like French Vanilla ice cream with the black specks of crushed vanilla bean(not just vanilla extract – yuck).  It will be in my rotation and I will be cellaring several tins.  I am now experimenting with misting it with vanilla syrup for more taste.  No, I can’t leave well enough alone!

Lost in Smoke

I'm a big Virginia fan and love vanilla but this one falls short in the flavor department for me. The smell from the tin and the room note from the burn are top shelf in my opinion. It burns great right out of the tin (cool and dry) but letting it air out a bit the night before does help a little with the flavor but very little. But the taste is so flat and the vanilla flavor is lost somewhere in the clouds...

Overall it is an extremely mild and smooth smoke to be smoked for others around you to enjoy but the flat flavor will disappoint the smoker every time. So for me (notice I said ME, my opinion) this one only gets 3 stars for the great room note and smooth cool burn but the flat flavor is the only disappointing aspect.

Perhaps it is that the vanilla is too much and overpowering itself? I have noticed this same effect in brewing, a little does go a long way and too much will be counter active.