At the 2017 IPCPR Trade Show, CAO Cigars unveiled the final installment of its Amazon Trilogy series, the CAO Amazon Anaconda.
The CAO Amazon Basin was the first installment of the Amazon Trilogy. It is a cigar that quickly achieved a cult status. The Amazon Basin incorporates a rare-blend, low-yield tobacco grown in Brazil known as Braganca. Because of the low yields, the Amazon Basin has been quite limited and it took over two years until it would see its only other release.
Last month, CAO announced the second installment of the Amazon Trilogy with the CAO Fuma Em Corda. This cigar not only used the rare Braganca tobacco, but it incorporated another rare Brazilian tobacco known as Fuma Em Corda. This essentially is a Brazilian Araparica leaf that is fermented in ropes.
With CAO Amazon Anaconda, this blend incorporates both the Braganca and Fuma Em Corda, but adds another low yield Brazilian tobacco known as Bahiano Habano which is used as the wrapper. As the name indicates, the Bahiano Habano comes from the Bahia region of Brazil.
All of these rare tobaccos were procured directly by Ernest Gocaj, the Director of Tobacco Procurement for General Cigar. According to General, Gocaj spent several years working with the local farmers, teaching them special agricultural practices to improve tobacco yield and leaf quality. Gocaj opted to procure high priming ligero leaves of the Bahiano Habano to use as the wrapper.
Ernest Gocaj (Photo taken at General Cigar Dominicana in the Dominican Republic)
In a press release announcing the cigar, CAO Blender and Brand Ambassador Rick Rodriguez commented, “This was the first time that the blending team and I worked with the Bahiano wrapper, and we devoted a couple of months just to leaf selection. Only the very best leaves were chosen and that shows right away, not only in the look, but also in the flavor of the cigar. It’s got a very unique, earthy taste, with notes of leather and espresso. There’s no doubt in my mind that the fans of CAO are going to wild for this blend.”
The CAO Amazon Anaconda is intended to be a one and done release. It is available in 20-count boxes with pricing set at $10.49 per cigar.
At a glance, here is a look at the CAO Amazon Anaconda:
Blend Profile
Wrapper: Brazilian Bahiano Habano Ligero
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Brazilian Braganca, Brazilian Fuma Em Corda, Colombian, Dominican
Country of Origin: Honduras
Vitolas Available
Toro: 6 x 52
Photo Credit: Cigar Coop
