CAO Amazon Basin Toro (6)

CAO Amazon Basin is one of the most anticipated limited releases on the General Cigar Co. calendar, first launched in 2014 and brought back year after year by popular demand. The blend is defined by its filler — Bragança, a rare tobacco grown deep in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest. Seedlings are planted a yard apart from one another, which keeps yields small; after harvest, the leaves are hand-rolled into dense logs called carottes, fermented for six months, then loaded onto canoes and paddled out of the jungle down the Amazon River before being shipped on to the STG Estelí factory in Nicaragua, where the finished cigars are rolled. Instead of a traditional paper cigar band, each Toro is wrapped in a thin twist of tobacco rope near the head, giving it a rustic look that matches the rainforest story.

Expect a medium-to-full profile with earth, chocolate, and coffee at the core, joined by leather, rainforest spice, cedar and a touch of natural sweetness, all resolving into a long, layered finish.

Our suggestion for cigars of similar strength:
Davidoff Nicaragua Toro
Davidoff Escurio Robusto

This Toro measures 152mm with a 52 ring gauge, hand-rolled in Nicaragua at the STG Estelí factory with a high-priming Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper over a Nicaraguan binder and long-fillers of rare Brazilian Bragança from the Amazon rainforest alongside Colombian and Dominican tobaccos. Presented in a pack of 6 cigars.

Ideal with a bourbon, an aged rum, or a strong espresso — also pairs beautifully with a piece of dark chocolate or a slow-cooked grilled dish to complement its earthy, chocolatey character.