The CAO Amazon Basin line debuted in 2014 and is blended around Bragança tobacco, which General Cigar Co. says is sourced from the Amazon rainforest and harvested just once every three years and rolled into tubes for a fermentation period that lasts six months. That’s before the tobacco begins its journey out of the rainforest, a process that is said to involve canoes as well as more familiar methods of transportation. Along with that rainforest-grown tobacco, the blend features fillers from Colombia and the Dominican Republic, while the binder comes from Nicaragua and the wrapper is an Ecuadorian-grown Sumatra leaf. For the 2023 installment in the Amazon Basin series, General Cigar Co. released the cigar in a 6 x 52 toro vitola that has been resting in a Spanish cedar-lined aging room at the STG Estelí factory for two years. It’s this period of rest that gave the cigar its name, CAO Amazon Basin Extra Añejo, as añejo is the Spanish word for aged, a term that should be familiar to drinkers of tequila and other spirits. “When we launched Amazon Basin, we were the first in the world to use tobacco from the Amazon,” said Ed Lahmann, senior brand manager of CAO, in a press release. “Today, CAO Amazon Basin still stands out as one of the most important blends we have ever developed. Since we never rest on our laurels, we decided to take a page from the whisky world and age the finished Amazon Basin cigars. The result is a smoke that is refined and rounded, and an absolute pleasure to smoke.” Cigar Reviewed: CAO Amazon Basin Extra Añejo Country of Origin: Nicaragua Factory: STG Estelí Wrapper: Ecuador (Sumatra) Binder: Nicaragaua Filler: Brazil (Bragança), Colombia & Dominican Republic Length: 6 Inches Ring Gauge: 52 Vitola: Toro Release Date: Jan. 9, 2023 Number of Cigars Released: 5,000 Boxes of 18 Cigars (90,000 Total Cigars) Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3