Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG) has announced that Rick Rodriguez, blender/ambassador of CAO is retiring from the company on April 29, 2022 after more than 20 years with the company. Rick joined General Cigar in January 2000 as a sales representative in Florida. In 2005, he was given the opportunity of a lifetime by Edgar Cullman, Read more about Cigar News: CAO Blender and Ambassador Rick Rodriguez Retiring from STG[…]
CAO continues to highlight old-world processing methods with the limited return of its Arcana Series. For 2022, a blend called “Firewalker,” which is inspired by the Chincagre method of aging will be released in one, limited edition size. Applied solely to the Nicaraguan-grown filler tobacco in Firewalker’s blend, Chincagre is an archaic process of primary Read more about Cigar News: CAO Releases Firewalker Version of the Arcana[…]
In this episode of Taking It To The Nub, Boston Jimmie from Stogie Press sits down with CAO Cigars Master Blender and Brand Ambassador, Rick Rodriguez. We get into his growth in the industry and how he moved from sales to blending and what it is like to be the Brand Ambassador for CAO. Rick Read more about Taking It To The Nub – Season 2 Episode 5 – CAO Master Blender Rick Rodriguez[…]
Now that we have departed the tumultuous year of 2020, I finally got around to picking up a new CAO 2020 Vision. Who would have known how ironic it would be to name it the 2020 Vision, a year many of us would rather forget. But we are not here to get reminiscent about 2020, Read more about Cigar Review: CAO 2020 Vision – Rated 93[…]
If you are cigar enthusiast, you know that Dominoes (Bones) and Cigars go together like Peanut Butter and Jelly. CAO Ambassador – Ricky Rodriguez – knows that too and he and the CAO blending team decided to create a new cigar called Bones. Announced this past month, the CAO Bones has blend described as: Wrapper Read more about Cigar News: CAO Cigars Announces the BONES[…]
Late last year, I was at the 10th Anniversary Tampa Cigar Bash. This is one of the best events in the state of Florida and draws a large crowd of cigar enthusiasts and brand owners alike. The party is always great as you get to meet and greet many of the names behind the cigars Read more about Cigar Review: CAO Cigars Session Garage – Rated 87[…]
Originality is probably one of the most noticeable virtues in the cigar industry. Many of our beloved cigars often have a story behind them while also having very creative packaging and a very unique marketing strategy. With so many different brands of cigars on the market, year after year, there is no doubt that our Read more about Cigar Lifestyle: Are Gimmicky Cigars Worth Smoking – By Mike Holmes[…]
This past Thursday I had the pleasure of attending a CAO Cigars event at my local lounge – Executive Cigars Shop and Lounge in Melbourne, FL. The event was part of the shop’s monthly cigar meeting but featured CAO Master Blender, Ricky Rodriguez. Normally when I visit shops for events I tend to talk about Read more about CAO Cigar Event with Ricky Rodriguez[…]
Back in January of this year, I introduced you to the Amazon Basin trilogy, a release of 3 Bragança tobacco blends from CAO Cigars. For those that may not be aware, Braganca tobacco is organically grown on unspoiled tropical land and harvested only once every three years. Besides the introduction to the trilogy, Stogie Press reviewed Read more about CAO Amazon Basin 2017 Cigar Review[…]
CAO Cigars is at it again, searching for some of the most unique tobaccos to craft their latest incarnation of the Amazon Basin series of cigars. The latest rendition brings us 3 different blends, collectively called the CAO Amazon Basin Trilogy. They were rolled out in three phases in 2017 and represent the what the company Read more about CAO Fuma em Corda Cigar Review[…]
A couple of years ago, CAO Cigars hit the market with a new and bold cigar known as the CAO Flathead. It was a kind of tribute to the muscle cars of years past. They are offered in 5 different vitolas, each named for a component of an internal combustion engine along with numbers that Read more about CAO Flathead V660 Carb Cigar Review – A New Age of Cigars[…]
From Flying Dog: Frederick, MD – For craft beer enthusiasts who want to drink their beer and smoke it too, Flying Dog and CAO Cigars have partnered to pair four world-class cigars with the brewery’s most iconic beers. “Cigars are most often paired with brown spirits. Since we’re not fans of being conventional, we’re shaking Read more about Press Release – CAO Cigars and Flying Dog Brewery Release Exclusive Pairing Pack[…]