African Tobacco's Growing Roots

[MrBirdman]

On last week’s FOH Zoom we were discussing the growing tobacco industry in African beyond just Cameroon wrappers. This Halfwheel article was published this week - will be interesting to see how this market develops. I might grab one just to give it a try. 
https://halfwheel.com/new-cao-thunder-smoke-uses-tobacco-from-three-african-countries/441636/

“The new CAO Arcana Thunder Smoke has a filler that is made up of tobacco from those three countries. While smokers are likely familiar with cigars that use wrappers from Cameroon, the inclusion of tobacco from South Africa and Zimbabwe is being billed as a first by General Cigar Co.

As for the cigar itself, it’s a 6 1/2 x 52 toro extra with an Olanco San Agustín wrapper, a familiarity for CAO, over a binder from Mexico’s San Andrés valley.

Thunder Smoke has an MSRP of $12.99 and is expected to begin shipping to stores in early September. General says that this is a limited release, though the company is not disclosing production numbers. While most CAOs are made in Central America at the STG Estelí factory, this will be produced at General Cigar Dominicana, the Dominican factory best known for making Macanudo and the non-Cuban versions of Cohiba and La Gloria Cubana.

“With CAO Thunder Smoke, we are pushing the boundaries of cigar making, venturing into uncharted territories to craft an unparalleled smoking experience,” said Ed Lahmann, senior brand manager for CAO, in a press release. “Our mantra, ‘We Go Where The Tobacco Takes Us,’ has guided us to innovate and redefine the industry standard. This release is not just a milestone for CAO, but a bold leap forward for the entire cigar world.”

As for the name, it comes from Zimbabwe’s iconic Victoria Falls, one of the world’s largest waterfalls. In a native Bantu language, it is known as Mosi-Oa-Tunya, which translates to the smoke that thunders.

Thunder Smoke is part of CAO’s Arcana Series, which has included other blends with non-traditional tobaccos like the Arcana Firewalker that used pilónes buried in volcanic soil and the Mortal Coil that used andullo tobacco.”