A Lot of Ligero from C.A.O.
C.A.O. International Inc.'s newest cigar will be the ligero-heavy C.A.O. Lx2, which will debut next month in Las Vegas. The Lx2, for ligero times two, was inspired by tobacco grown on a Nicaraguan field called Pueblo Nuevo, a 140-acre farm located outside of Condega, Nicaragua.
"It's kind of off the beaten trail," said Tim Ozgener, president of C.A.O. "We usually look at the tobacco first for the inspiration. With this one, when I was in Nicaragua, there's this new field that's only producing tobacco for C.A.O. and Toraño."Ozgener said the Pueblo Nuevo tobacco has "power, but it also has a lot of sweetness."
The brand will debut in three sizes: Rob measures 5 inches long by 48 ring gauge; Toro is 6 inches by 50 and Beli, a torpedo, is 6 1/2 by 52. Prices haven't been finalized, but Jon Huber, director of lifestyle marketing for C.A.O., said the company was looking at $6 to $8 per cigar.
The names should seem similar to C.A.O. smokers—they are the same as ones used on the C.A.O. Mx2 and C.A.O. Cx2 lines.
Despite their Nicaraguan hearts, the cigars are being rolled in Danlí, Honduras, at C.A.O. Fabrica de Tabacos.
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