Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG) has announced that Rick Rodriguez, blender/ambassador of CAO, will be retiring from the company on April 29, 2022. Rodriguez joined General Cigar in January 2000 as a sales representative in Florida. In 2005, he was selected by the late Edgar Cullman, Sr., to participate in a rigorous cigar master training program […]
Cigar News: CAO Arcana Firewalker Announced
William Cooper Cigar News 1 Comment 2022 Preview, CAO, General, News
General Cigar Company has announced the second installment of its limited-edition CAO Arcana Series, the CAO Arcana Firewalker. The CAO Arcana Series highlights old-world processing methods The Firewalker was inspired by an aging method known as Chincagre. In this case, this aging method was applied to the Nicaraguan-grown filler tobacco. General Cigar describes this method […]
Cigar News: CAO Amazon Basin Returns for Limited 2022 Run
William Cooper Cigar News No Comments 2022 Preview, CAO, General, News, Scandinavian Tobacco Group, STG
General Cigar Company has announced that the CAO Amazon Basin, a limited edition cigar first released in 2014, is making a return. The cigar has been one of the most popular limited edition cigars released by General. The Amazon Basin blend incorporates a rare/low yield of tobacco called Brazilian Braganca. Back when we initially reported […]
Agile Cigar Review: CAO Zócalo Robusto
William Cooper Reviews No Comments 88-90, Buy One, CAO, General, Review, Scandinavian Tobacco Group, STG
Agile Cigar Reviews are cigar assessments where we use a lightweight, shorter format. These will never take the place of our comprehensive reviews. They are only used on blends we have previously assessed. This might be a blend we are re-scoring or giving a score for the first time. It might be a blend we […]
Cigar News: CAO 60 Torque Released
William Cooper Cigar News 1 Comment 2021 Preview, CAO, General, News
General Cigar has announced a new limited-edition line called 60. The first release will be called the Torque and it will mark what General says is their largest size to date – a massive 8 x 60 vitola. Produced at STG Estelí in Nicaragua, the CAO 60 Torque features a Honduran Habano wrapper, Nicaraguan Habano […]
Cigar Review: CAO Arcana Mortal Coil (Toro)
William Cooper Reviews No Comments 88-90, Buy One, CAO, General, Reviews, Scandinavian Tobacco Group, STG
At the start of 2021, General Cigar Company announced the launch of a new limited edition series under its CAO brand known as Arcana. The Arcana series is described as one that features unique tobacco forms and techniques from various regions around the world. The first cigar of this series is called the Mortal Coil. […]
The Smoking Syndicate – CAO Vision
Ben Lee The Smoking Syndicate No Comments Cameroon, CAO, churchill, General, The Smoking Syndicate, Vision
At the end of 2020, CAO re-released the Vision with a few tweaks. The original cigar, released before CAO’s acquisition by the Scandinavian Tobacco Group, was a Dominican blend cigar in an interesting box that was fitted with LED lighting that glowed blue when you opened the lid. The new CAO Vision is also a […]
Cigar News: General Cigar to Introduce CAO Flathead V21
William Cooper Cigar News No Comments CAO, General, News, Summer of 21
Over the past few weeks, General Cigar Company has been informing retailers of a new limited-edition extension to the CAO Flathead line known as V21. Today the company has formally announced the details around the CAO Flathead V21 project. The CAO Flathead V21 is a follow-up to the CAO Flathead V19. While the V19 used […]
Cigar Review: CAO Expedición (2020 TAA Exclusive)
William Cooper Reviews No Comments 2020 TAA Exclusive Series, 88-90, Buy One, CAO, General, Review, Scandinavian Tobacco Group, STG, TAA
The CAO Expedición is a cigar that was released by Scandinavian Cigar Group (STG) for the Tobacconists’ Association of America Exclusive Series in 2020. It would mark the third consecutive year that CAO would release a cigar for the TAA. Since its inception, CAO has always been a lifestyle type of brand. The CAO Expedición […]
The Blog: KMA Talk Radio Episode 418 – Rick Rodriguez, General Cigar Company
William Cooper Blog No Comments Blog, CAO, General, KMA Talk Radio, The Blog
Each week, I have the opportunity to produce the news segment for KMA Talk Radio. On the Cigar Coop “blog,” we will now post replays of the shows the week following the date the show is aired. On May 1st, Rick Rodriguez of General Cigar Company was the special guest. Catch the full show below: […]