CAO Vision Returns Next Month
Some of you will remember the futuristic, blue glow that came from the glossy white boxes of CAO Vision cigars when they were released in 2007. Next month, that blue glow will return. On November 9, General Cigar Co. will be releasing 2,500 boxes of the CAO Vision, a limited-edition cigar that features a Cameroon wrapper and luminescent packaging similar to the original.
The new cigars are made with a completely different blend than the originals, which had Dominican wrappers. The new CAO Vision consists of a Cameroon cover leaf, Ecuadoran Sumatra binder and Nicaraguan filler from Estelí and Jalapa. CAO blender and brand ambassador Rick Rodriguez created the blend.
“I’ve never developed my own blend with a Cameroon wrapper, and I thought it was time to do it,” said Rodriguez. He turned to lessons learned from mentor Benjamin “Benji” Menendez when working with Cameroon leaf, as Menendez was the man who oversaw the making of the Dominican Partagas for many years. Menendez, said Rodriguez, “spent a lot of time teaching me which tobaccos are the best for bringing out the Cameroon’s natural sweetness.”
Made in Nicaragua at the STG Estelí factory, CAO Vision comes in one size, a 7 inch by 50 ring gauge Churchill that’s set to retail for $18.99 per cigar.
Each illuminated 20-count box also doubles as a functioning humidor. General will also release 2,000 boxes to the European and Asian markets.
