CAO is a premium cigar brand of General Cigar Co.; Cigar Aficionado reported in 2011 that CAO joined General Cigar when their parent companies merged, and it lists CAO Flathead as made in Nicaragua. Across the four lines below, CAO rates body from mellow-to-medium to medium-full. CAO rates Gold, with an Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper, mellow to medium, with typical nut, earth, cocoa and sweet herbal notes. Brazilia, with a Brazilian Arapiraca wrapper, is medium-full and tends toward toasty, earthy, nutty and floral notes. Box-pressed Flathead, under a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper, is medium-full with typical sweet, fruity, leathery and rich notes. Italia, which CAO rates medium, blends Italian, Nicaraguan and Peruvian filler under a Honduran wrapper for typical spicy, creamy, fruity notes. New to CAO? Start with CAO Gold; for something richer, try CAO Flathead or CAO Brazilia.
CAO Cigars
CAO Cigars is a General Cigar Co. brand whose blends combine tobaccos from several countries, such as the Italian, Nicaraguan and Peruvian filler in CAO Italia. Its lines include Gold, Brazilia, Flathead and Italia, which CAO’s cigar profiles rate from mellow-to-medium to medium-full body depending on the blend.
CAO Cigars
Frequently asked questions about CAO Cigars
Who makes CAO cigars, and where are they made?
CAO is a General Cigar Co. brand. Cigar Aficionado reported in 2011 that CAO became part of General Cigar when their parent companies, Scandinavian Tobacco Group and Swedish Match, merged. Cigar Aficionado lists the CAO Flathead line as made in Nicaragua with a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper.
How strong are CAO cigars?
It depends on the line. CAO rates Gold as mellow to medium in body, Italia as medium, and Brazilia and Flathead as medium to full. Choose by the individual blend rather than treating the whole brand as one strength.
Which CAO cigar should I try first, and how do the lines differ?
CAO Gold is the gentlest place to start: an Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper over Nicaraguan tobaccos, with typical nut, earth and cocoa notes. For more body, CAO Brazilia (Brazilian Arapiraca wrapper) tends toward toasty, earthy and nutty notes, and the box-pressed CAO Flathead (Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper) leans sweet, fruity and leathery. CAO Italia, which CAO rates medium, uses Italian, Nicaraguan and Peruvian filler under a Honduran wrapper for typical spicy, creamy, fruity notes.
Where can I buy CAO cigars online?
Oxford Cigar Company carries a selection of CAO on its CAO category page: https://oxfordcigarcompany.com/cao/. Free US shipping on orders $50+.