CAO America 250th Anniversary

Unless you have been living under a rock for the past year, you are probably aware that this year marks the 250th anniversary of the founding of America.

Anniversaries of any sort seem to be a great reason for companies to release a new cigar, so the past six months or so have seen a multitude of announcements for new cigars to celebrate the Semiquincentennial from a list of companies that includes Aladino, Arturo Fuente, Camacho, Casa Carrillo, Founders Cigar Co., Fratello, Powstanie, Rocky Patel, Ted’s Cigars and others.

One of the oldest active American-themed cigar lines is the CAO America, a line of barber pole style cigars that debuted in 2007. The blend of the regular production line includes a wrapper made from both U.S.-grown broadleaf and Connecticut shade leaves, but the binder comes from Brazil, and the filler tobaccos are grown in the Dominican Republic, Italy, Nicaragua and the United States.

In April, CAO announced it would be honoring the 250th anniversary of the U.S. by releasing a limited edition CAO America, made up entirely of American-grown tobacco. The aptly named CAO America 250th Anniversary is a 5 1/2 x 55 box-pressed robusto with a barber pole wrapper that is a combination of broadleaf and Connecticut shade leaves, a binder that is described as a habano Connecticut leaf, and a filler blend that contains broadleaf tobacco from an undisclosed U.S. state and tobacco from Pennsylvania. While the tobacco is all-American, the cigars were actually made in Nicaragua at the STG Estelí factory.

“CAO has built its reputation on exploring tobaccos from around the world,” said Cory Beardsley, brand manager for CAO, in a press release. “With America 250th, we focused on what can be achieved using tobacco grown right here in the U.S. It’s a cigar that stays true to what made the original America stand out, while bringing a new level of precision to the blend.”

Pricing is set at $9.99 per cigar and $99.90 for a box of 10 cigars. Production numbers have not been disclosed.

• Cigar Reviewed: CAO America 250th Anniversary
• Country of Origin: Nicaragua
• Factory: STG Estelí
• Wrapper: U.S.A. (Broadleaf & Connecticut Shade)
• Binder: U.S.A. (Habano Connecticut)
• Filler: U.S.A. (Broadleaf & Pennsylvania)
• Length: 5 1/2 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 55
• Shape: Pressed
• MSRP: $9.99 (Box of 10, $99.90)
• Release Date: May 2026
• Number of Cigars Released: Undisclosed
• Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3

The wrapper of any one cigar is actually one-half of the tobacco leaf from the plant, meaning there’s a left and right part. As such, cigars are rolled in both directions, something that isn’t all that noticeable on most cigars but is very obvious here because two of the cigars have the lighter stripe of tobacco going in one direction, while the other cigar is going in the opposite direction. Regardless of the shade, the wrappers are dull and fairly pale, and while they feel pliable with almost no tooth that I can feel, there is virtually no oil present. When squeezed, all three cigars are very spongy, and all three have plenty of mottling present as well. However, the third cigar has bumps up and down its length that the other two are missing, as well as an interesting protrusion, more on that in the Final Notes below. Aromas from the wrappers include a strong, sweet barnyard followed by creamy woodiness, dry earth, pencil shavings and generic nuttiness. That nuttiness is distinct enough from the feet of the cigars to remind me of salted cashews, but there are also notes of moss, earth, cinnamon, sourdough bread, coffee beans and dry hay. The cold draw on the first cigar is fairly generic—all I can taste is a generic woodiness combined with some earth—but the other two cigars are better in that regard, with a creamy nuttiness leading to additional notes of cedar, nutmeg, earth, coffee grounds and some light leather.

Bitter espresso and some light spice are the first things I note, but soon, a combination of creamy oak and rich coffee beans takes over the profiles of all three cigars, followed by secondary notes of toasted bread, leather tack, dry hay, almonds and powdery cocoa nibs. On the retrohale of all three cigars, there is a nice amount of black pepper and molasses sweetness, although there is more pepper on the second cigar and more of the molasses sweetness on the third cigar. The finishes of the first two cigars feature a vegetal note that reminds me of grilled asparagus, while the third cigar features a light but distinct red pepper note. Flavor ends the first third at full, the body lands about halfway between mild and medium, and the strength hits a point just shy of the medium mark. Construction-wise, two of the cigars need quick burn corrections to stay on track, but the draw resistance is excellent, and there is no dearth of dense, off-white smoke.

During the second third, the third cigar develops a new main combination of charred meat and oak, while the other two cigars continue with the same oak and coffee bean flavors that they had in the first third. Secondary flavors of dank earth, sourdough bread, leather, creamy almonds, nutmeg and cocoa nibs show up at various points, while the retrohale is now consistent for all three cigars with molasses sweetness and black pepper. On the finish of the first and second cigars, there is a new cinnamon note, while the third cigar continues to exhibit a red pepper note, albeit not as distinct as it was in the first third. Flavor remains at full, but both the body and strength have increased enough to cross into solid medium territory. All three cigars need a single burn correction, but they are fairly minor in nature, and there continue to be zero issues with the draws or smoke production.

Powdery cocoa nibs and oak take the top spots in the profiles of the first two cigars, while the last cigar continues to shine with the same combination of oak and charred meat. Additional flavors include coffee beans, toasted bread, tree bark, gritty earth, leather tack, and creamy almonds, while the cinnamon note has taken over the finish of all three cigars. On the retrohale of the third cigar, there is a bit more molasses sweetness and black pepper, but the combination is present on the other two as well. Flavor ends at full, and the body stays at a solid medium, but right before the end of the cigar, the strength ticks up to medium-plus. The burn issues have disappeared for all three cigars, while the draws and smoke production remain problem-free.

Final Notes

• While the CAO America line has been around since 2007, the first release that I think of when I hear “Patriotic cigar” is the Camacho Liberty Series, which debuted in 2002.

• There was apparently too much glue used for the band on the foot of one of the cigars, and a chunk of the wrapper came off when I removed it. However, since the damage was fairly small and located right above the foot, there was no impact on the overall construction after I lit the cigar.
• The inclusion of part of the Constitution on the inside of the lid is a nice touch.

• As mentioned above, my third cigar had a very obvious—and very solid—protrusion near the foot.
• Scandinavian Tobacco Group advertises on halfwheel.
• The cigars for this review were purchased by halfwheel.

• These cigars are listed as being 5 1/2 x 55 vitolas. Above are the measurements we took when we measured them, and as you can see, none of them were even close to the listed 55 ring gauge.
• The final smoking time averaged out to one hour and 54 minutes for all three cigars.
• If you would like to purchase any of the CAO America 250th Anniversary cigars, site sponsors Cigars Daily, Cigars Direct, Corona Cigar Co., JR Cigars and Small Batch Cigar sell them on their respective websites.

CAO
CAO America
CAO America 250th Anniversary
Nicaragua
Robusto Extra
Scandinavian Tobacco Group
STG Estelí