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Rick Rodriguez

·May 13, 2022

Rick Rodriguez Forms West Tampa Tobacco Company – Cigar News

Rick Rodriguez wasted no time after retiring from STG/General Cigar Company before announcing his next project, West Tampa Tobacco Company. There, he will serve as Master Blender/Co-Founder along with his former colleague, now business partner, Gus Martinez. Martinez will serve as President/Co-Founder of West Tampa Tobacco Company.

CAO News Rick Rodriguez

·March 17, 2022

CAO Announces Pilón Añejo – Cigar News

CAO (Owned by General Cigar) has announced a limited edition follow-up to their Pilón line which has been around since 2015. CAO Pilón Añejo will use the same labor-intensive fermentation techniques along with a new blend and period of aging after it's been rolled.

CAO Announces Arcana Series Firewalker - Cigar News

CAO Habano News Nicaragua Rick Rodriguez

·January 31, 2022

CAO Announces Arcana Series Firewalker – Cigar News

CAO has announced a new cigar in their Arcana Series: Firewalker. The Arcana Firewalker follows the Arcana Mortal Coil released last year. The series focuses on old-world processing methods and a limited run. Firewalker was inspired by the Chincagre method of aging and will come in one vitola a 6.5 x 56 toro.

91%

Very Good

All Blind Cigar Reviews CAO Featured Nicaragua Rick Rodriguez

·September 24, 2021

CAO Zócalo Robusto – Blind Cigar Review

"Overall this was a strong white and black pepper bomb. With light cedar/wood flavors and some chocolate and coffee flavors. There was some transition during the smoke which was nice. The pepper flavor however was strong and enjoyable. " -Chad M. (Chad Tchad)

All CAO Mexican San Andres News Nicaragua Rick Rodriguez

·July 19, 2021

CAO Announces Flathead V21 – Cigar News

CAO has announced a new, stronger follow-up to the Flathead V-19 blend, Flathead V21. This brand new blend, created by Rick Rodriguez and the CAO blending team, uses a Mexican San Andres wrapper, Connecticut Broadleaf binder, and Nicaraguan and Dominican ligero tobaccos.

CAO Announces Borealis for Canada - Cigar News

All CAO News Rick Rodriguez

·April 11, 2022

CAO Announces Borealis for Canada – Cigar News

CAO is known for using some of the world’s most unique and unexpected tobaccos in its blends. Previous blends have included tobacco from the Amazon jungle, the wilds of Africa, Italy, Columbia and many more. Now, with their latest cigar, the aptly named CAO Borealis, uses tobacco from none other than Canada. This cigar is only for the Canadian market, hance the plain packaging.

CAO News Rick Rodriguez

·March 11, 2022

Rick Rodriguez Leaving General Cigar and the CAO Brand – Cigar News

CAO Blender and Brand Ambassador is stepping down after more than 20 Years with General Cigar. The move is effective April 29, 2022.

CAO Brings Back Amazon Basin - Cigar News

All CAO News Rick Rodriguez Sumatra

·January 21, 2022

CAO Brings Back Amazon Basin – Cigar News

The original CAO Amazon Basin was inspired by a rare tobacco in a remote region of the Amazonian Rainforest. The initial release happened in 2014 and was re-released in 2016 and inspired several spinoff cigars in the years since. Now in 2022, the original blend is coming back again.

95%

Excellent

CAO Arcana Mortal Coil - Blind Cigar Review

Adam B.All Blind Cigar Reviews CAO Connecticut Broadleaf Featured Isaac M.Jason H.John I.Nicaragua Rick Rodriguez Toro

·July 26, 2021

CAO Arcana Mortal Coil – Blind Cigar Review

"Holy hell, three hours to smoke a Toro? Sure was! And it was a great one at that. It had great flavors, good transitions, and kept my interest going, somehow, for that long. The entirety of this cigar is better than its components. Each third, when broken down, doesn't score as well to me as the entire experience. This isn't a cigar I could smoke on a daily basis because, frankly, I don't have three hours every day to enjoy a cigar. However when I find such occasion you bet I will fire this one up again. " -Isaac M. (The Nothing)

89%

Good

All Blind Cigar Reviews CAO Connecticut Broadleaf Dominican Republic Featured Rick Rodriguez Robusto

·July 16, 2021

CAO Session Garage – Blind Cigar Review

"The flavors in the cigar were very muted and hard to pull out. The strength was very well-mannered, but the cigar never really developed into anything stellar. It was an enjoyable experience, just not a memorable one. I wouldn't hesitate to hand this cigar to less experienced smokers, as there is nothing in it that would discourage it. It would hold up nicely with black coffee late in the morning or bourbon in the evening. Most beers would probably overrun it." -Kevin A. (Kevin A.)

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