Tonight we continue our look at the personalities behind General Cigar as we welcome Rick Rodriguez of CAO Cigars. Rick has a dual role at CAO as he is both the blender and ambassador for the brand. Rick’s had a unique story on how he moved into this role at General Cigar and tonight we […]
Announcement: Prime Time Episode 151: Rick Rodriguez, General Cigar Company
William Cooper Announcement No Comments Announcement, CAO, Developing Palates, General, Prime Time Show
Tonight we continue our look at the personalities behind General Cigar as we welcome Rick Rodriguez of CAO Cigars. Rick has a dual role at CAO as he is both the blender and ambassador for the brand. Rick’s had a unique story on how he moved into this role at General Cigar and tonight […]
Cigar News: CAO Bones Officially Announced
William Cooper Cigar News, Summer of 20 No Comments 2020 Preview, CAO, General, News, Summer of 20
General Cigar has announced the details around CAO Bones. It’s a cigar that pays homage to dominoes, dice and the good times had playing those games over a good cigar. In a press release announcing CAO Bones, CAO blender/brand ambassador Rick Rodriguez said, ““Bones is about kicking back with your friends with a cold beer […]
Cigar Review: CAO Orellana
William Cooper Reviews No Comments 88-90, Buy One, CAO, General, Review
At the 2019 IPCPR Trade Show, General Cigars showed off what was a new installment to its Amazon Basin series, the CAO Orellana. The CAO Orellana is described as a “prequel” to the CAO Amazon Trilogy series, but for all practical purposes, it is the fourth blend to be released in the series. The CAO […]
Agile Cigar Review: CAO Amazon Anaconda
William Cooper Agile Cigar Reviews, Reviews 1 Comment 85-87, Agile Cigar Review, Assessment Update, CAO, General, Try a Sample
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 Review: CAO Brazilia Select (2019 TAA Exclusive)
William Cooper Reviews No Comments 2019 TAA Exclusive Series, 82-84, CAO, General, Not Recommended, Review, TAA
In 2019, General Cigar would release its second exclusive release for the Tobacconist Association of America (TAA) under its CAO brand known as the CAO Brazilia Select. The CAO Brazilia line is one of the iconic lines of the CAO brand, highlighted by its Brazilian Araparica wrapper. With CAO Brazilia Select, this would be […]
Cigar News: CAO Expedición to be TAA Exclusive for 2020
William Cooper Cigar News 1 Comment 2020 Preview, 2020 TAA Exclusive Series, CAO, General, News, TAA
For third year in a row, General Cigar Company will release an exclusive cigar for the Tobacconist Association of America (TAA) Exclusive Series. Once again the blend will come from the CAO brand. The release is called the CAO Expedición and it will hit TAA retailers this May. Produced in Honduras, the CAO Expedición features […]
Cigar News: With the Big Four Out, Iconic Brands Will be Absent at PCA 2020
William Cooper Cigar News, Summer of 20 1 Comment Acid, Altadis, AVO, Camacho, CAO, Cohiba, Davidoff, Deadwood Tobacco, Diesel, Drew Estate, FSG, General, H. Upmann, Henry Clay, Herrera Esteli, Kentucky Fire Cured, La Gloria Cubana, Liga Privada, Macanudo, Montecristo, Partagas, PCA, PCA 2020, Punch, Romeo y Julieta, Saint Luis Rey, Summer of 20, Tabak Especial, Undercrown, VegaFina, Winston Churchill Cigars, Zino
Earlier today came word that four of the largest cigar companies: Altadis U.S.A., General Cigar Company, Davidoff of Geneva, and Drew Estate were not going to be attending the 2020 Premium Cigar Association (PCA) Trade Show. These companies are owners of some of the most popular cigar brands in the world. The following is a […]
Cigar News: CAO Orellana Arrives at Stores
William Cooper Cigar News No Comments 2019 Preview, CAO, General, News
The CAO Orellana, the fourth installment of CAO’s Amazon Series, is now beginning to appear on retail shelves. This was a cigar that was previewed at the 2019 IPCPR Trade Show. Orellana is named for Francisco de Orellana, the European explorer who was the first the navigate the Amazon River. The cigar is highlighted […]
IPCPR 2019 Spotlight: General Cigar Company
William Cooper Feature Story, IPCPR 2019 1 Comment CAO, Cohiba, Diesel, Feature Story, General, Hoyo de Monterrey, IPCPR 2019, La Gloria Cubana, Macanudo, Odyssey, Partagas, Punch
General Cigar is one of the booths that takes us a long time to cover. There always are plenty of products that are being showcased, but 2019 was particularly challenging. In the past we have had a central marketing contact in Victoria McKee Jaworski. Victoria is no longer with General and this marked our first […]