Cigar news: New product for B and M’s.
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CAO Expedición Made Just For TAA
If your local cigar shop is a member of the Tobacconists’ Association of America—and hasn’t shut down for Coronavirus—you’ll soon find a new CAO cigar on the shelves, and it’s an entirely new brand.
The CAO Expedición is a unique blend created exclusively for TAA members, and General Cigar Co. says it was named for “the brand’s exploration of the world’s finest tobacco growing regions.” The idea is echoed in the logo, which has been stylized to resemble an aviator’s pilot wings.
The cigar comes in only one size, a dark Toro that measures 6 1/8 inches by 52 ring gauge. The blend consists of an oscuro Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper, a Connecticut shade binder and filler from Nicaragua, Honduras and the Dominican Republic. The cigar will have a retail price of $9.50, before taxes, and will come in boxes of 10.
CAO Expedición was created by brand ambassador and blender Rick Rodriguez. “The TAA is an important association to us,” he said. “And it is a pleasure to be able to provide members with an exclusive blend year after year.”
General hopes to ship the new smoke by May, but the Coronavirus outbreak and the ensuing logistical issues have made time frames uncertain. The cigars are being rolled at General’s HATSA facility in Honduras, which—like all cigar factories in that nation—is temporarily closed due to the pandemic.