I would normally skip a press release like this, but there’s something important about this I wanted to point out. No offense to my Canadian readers, but they represent a fairly small portion of my readership. Notice the box and bands on this new CAO release below. Not pretty or very imaginative, are they? This is what’s known as “plain packaging”, and this is how cigars have to be packaged in Canada (and Australia, I believe). In Canadian Cigar stores the windows have to be blacked out and you can’t see the cigars before buying them. They all have to have this same, drab band and box. Imagine how easy it would be to counterfeit cigars like this? If we aren’t careful in the U. S., this is going to happen here. That would suck. I may never know how this CAO cigar is, maybe one of my Canadian readers will let us know!
CAO leads the pack in bringing the world’s most unique and unexpected tobaccos to its fans. The brand team has gone deep into the Amazon jungle, to the wilds of Africa, and to Italy, Columbia and many points in between to create exciting blends. And now, with their newest release, CAO Borealis, CAO has set its sights on the North.
A new expression made exclusively for the Canadian market, CAO Borealis features a rare Canadian tobacco in its blend.
CAO Borealis gives a nod to the awesome skylights that only occur in locations as targeted as pinpoints on a map. This speaks to the fact that geography and climate are pivotal in so many ways, just as they are for tobacco. It’s why the CAO team ventured to the province of Ontario, where Canada’s highest quality farmland is located. There, in the province’s Southwest corner, near the Great Lakes where humidity and warm evenings prevail, a special Cuban-seed variety of dark air-cured tobacco is grown.
Rick Rodriguez, CAO’s blender/ambassador said, “When you think of great tobacco growing regions, tropical climates and hot, humid growing seasons come to mind. That’s of course true. With ‘Borealis,’ we wanted our fans to experience something new, so we once again took an unconventional path. This time, we’re featuring Canadian tobacco and are delivering a blend that has an air of something different. It’s an experience that’s enjoyable and colors slightly out of the lines. A cigar you’ll want to talk about. And that’s exactly what we wanted to deliver.”
Wrapped in Ecuadorian Habano Viso, with a Nicaraguan binder and a filler that blends Nicaraguan tobacco with Cuban-seed Canadian leaf, CAO Borealis is a true medium-bodied cigar that’s subtle in its uniqueness and deep on intricacy. The experience brims with notes of spice, cedar, pepper, nuts, and cocoa.
CAO Borealis will be available in two frontmarks, both packaged in 20 count boxes (5-4 layout), and released to all Canadian provinces. The line is handcrafted at STG Esteli and will ship to select retailers on April 11.
CAO Borealis Robusto (5” x 52)
CAO Borealis Toro (6” x 54)
