CAO Amazon Basin Extra Añejo Returning for 2026

Next week, the sophomore release of the aged version of the popular CAO Amazon Basin will head to stores.

The CAO Amazon Basin Extra Añejo is the same blend and vitolas as the popular Amazon Basin, but the cigars were aged for significantly longer, hence the “Extra Añejo” part of the name. In the case of the 2026 release, the cigars were rolled in 2024 and have since been resting in aging rooms.

This is just the second release for the Extra Añejo; the original release was in early 2023. Pricing has increased slightly, up to $15.89 per cigar from $14.99.

Tobaccos from five different countries are used for the cigar, though the star is Bragança tobacco, which Scandinavian Tobacco Group says comes from the Amazon rainforest. The company says that the tobacco is harvested just once every three years and is rolled into tubes for six months to receive fermentation. It then describes an arduous process of getting the tobacco out of the Amazon, something that STG says involves transportation via canoes.

Amazon Basin is a wildly popular line for STG. The original cigar is released annually as a limited edition, while other offshoot blends and vitolas have been added. This will be the third Amazon Basin release for 2026 following the original cigar’s shipment in January and the smaller Daggers in June.

“Amazon Basin has always been a special blend because of the unique profile of Bragança tobacco from the Amazon rainforest,” said Cory Beardsley, brand manager for CAO, in a press release. “With Extra Añejo, we gave that blend an extra year to rest and fully mature. It’s the Amazon Basin experience people know, with time bringing even more depth to the blend.”

A spokesperson for STG said the company is not disclosing how many boxes are available for 2026.

Note: The featured image is of the original 2023 release. A press photo from STG shows a box that does not include a date.

CAO
CAO Amazon Basin
CAO Amazon Basin Extra Añejo
CAO Amazon Basin Extra Añejo (2026)
Scandinavian Tobacco Group
STG Estelí