CAO Amazon Basin Extra Anejo cigars are made in Nicaragua with an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper, Nicaragua binder, and fillers that include some Dominican and Colombian leaves that were blended with a Braganca varietal tobacco that is organically grown in the Amazonian rainforest. The cigars were made in 2021, and then aged for two years before being released in January 2023. CAO Amazon Basin Extra Anejo cigars are available in one Toro size measuring 6 x 52, and are priced at $14.99 per stick. For more information about these cigars, please see the press release.
The sample Amazon Basin Extra Anejo cigar began with hints of spice, was smooth and mellow, and had a medium body. After a few puffs, modest cedar and cream flavors emerged. The taste was very enjoyable and not as rustic as the cigar's appearance. After about 10 minutes, the cedar flavor became more noticeable and the texture of the smoke was still very mellow. The extra aging really smoothed out any rough or edgy flavor nuances in the tobaccos, resulting in a most pleasant smoking experience that can be enjoyed by all levels of cigar smokers. About 40 minutes into the smoking session, the cedar-wood flavor moderated just a bit, and the cigar remained smooth and creamy down to the last puff.
The CAO Amazon Basin Extra Anejo Toro cigar took me 90 minutes to smoke down to two inches remaining. During that time, the cigar had an excellent draw, even burn, and held a medium-to-long ash. No relights were needed, but a minor touch-up was needed at about the halfway point.
I really appreciate and enjoy smoking cigars that have been aged for a while. In most cases, the texture component of an aged cigar's flavor is much smoother and mellow, while the various taste aspects are tamer and not as much “in-your-face”. This is a good thing that takes time and added expense to achieve. In this case, it was definitely worth it. I rate the CAO Amazon Basin Extra Anejo cigar with a superior 4.25 points on a 5-point scale. Only 5,800 boxes were produced for the U.S. market, so try one while you still can.
Disclosure: Review samples were provided by the manufacturer.
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