4. CAO Amazon Anaconda
General Cigar Co.
- Country of Origin: Nicaragua
- Factory: STG Estelí
- Wrapper: Brazilian Bahiano Habano Ligero
- Binder: Nicaragua
- Filler: Brazil (Bragança & Fuma Em Corda), Colombia & the Dominican Republic
- Length: 6 Inches
- Ring Gauge: 52
- Vitola: Toro
- MSRP: $10.49 (Boxes of 20, $209.80)
- Release Date: August 2017
- Number of Cigars Released: Regular Production
- Original Score: 91
It would seem safe to say that no one could have anticipated the smash that General Cigar Co. would have on its hands when it released with the CAO Amazon Basin line in 2014. Based around Brazilian Bragança tobacco that is grown in the rainforest, the first cigar became highly sought after. This year, the company released two more cigars in the line, Fuma Em Corda, and Anaconda, which combines Bragança with Fuma Em Corda tobaccos in the filler, the latter of which refers to the fermenting process for the arapiraca tobacco from Alagoas. Those are complemented by Colombian and Dominican fillers, a Nicaraguan binder and a Brazilian Bahiano habano ligero wrapper.
The result is a cigar that offers a symphony of flavors as well as textures, ranging from super smooth to robust and rough. It offers plenty of sweetness to complement cinnamon, meatiness and pepper. The cigar’s biggest downside is its limited availability; while it’s a regular production release, constraints on the availability of the tobacco keep it from being readily available. — Patrick Lagreid.
