In 1998, for example, CAO released the L’Anniversaire to mark its 30th year in business. The anniversary edition was made with a Cameroon wrapper enveloping the Ecuadorian filler. Those who have smoked one of these are certain its one of the finest-flavored cigars they ever found.
CAO accomplished a coup of sorts in the 1990s at the peak of the cigar boom. Good Brazilian tobacco was scarce because of high demand and a disappointing crop. Five years of persistence and a bit of serendipity resulted in the acquisition of some premium Bahia leaves. The outstanding Brazilian wrapper encased the filler of premium Nicaraguan. The result was little short of spectacular.
Perhaps the most striking in appearance is the
CAO America, variously described as barber-pole or pin-striped. A lighter Connecticut wrapper shows itself in the gaps produced by wrapping yet another Connecticut Maduro leaf around it in a spiral. Beautiful to behold, it’s also a great-tasting cigar.
Expect the unexpected from all premium CAO brands. Its line of Flavours bears some rather exotic names and labels: Bella Vanilla, Kama Sutra Splash, and Moontrance are just a few. Eschewing artificial ingredients, CAO incorporates natural flavors like vanilla beans, Irish coffee, and orange blossoms with Nicaraguan and Dominican tobacco. Something quite different from the usual, the Flavours line offers some surprisingly good cigars. Quality is the one thing a cigar smoker can expect from CAO.
In 1996 they launched the
CAO Gold, a mild smoke made with a Nicaraguan filler and binder and finished with an Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper.
The
CAO Italia is of course quite a bit stronger with its dark Honduran Maduro wrapper and a blend of Italian, Peruvian, and Nicaraguan tobaccos in the filler.
For a cigar that will make you truly glad to be sitting in a solid chair in a safe environment, you must have a
CAO Mx2. Consider a cigar with a broadleaf Connecticut Maduro wrapper surrounding a binder of Brazilian Maduro. Think of what filler is composed of a blend of Peruvian, Dominican, Honduran and Nicaraguan tobaccos would be like. The Mx2 was designed to double the cigar taste. You be the judge. On those occasions when you really need something completely different in a cigar, CAO will have one to perk your interest.
Other CAO Brands:
