CAO Arcana Series Stokk Belicoso (Single Loose Cigar)

• Length: 165mm
• Ring Gauge: 52
• Strength: Medium to Full
• Nicaraguan
• Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf (Natural)
• Binder: Nicaraguan
• Filler: Cyprian Latakia (fire-cured pipe tobacco), Dominican Andullo, and Honduran tobacco

CAO Arcana Series Stokk Belicoso – Single Cigar

Every so often, a cigar comes along that makes even an experienced tobacconist raise an eyebrow. The CAO Arcana Stokk certainly qualifies. Its makers have taken two rather different tobacco traditions and combined them in a cigar whose character deliberately changes halfway through.

Developed in collaboration with Danish pipe tobacco specialists Peter Stokkebye, the Stokk is the fourth release in CAO's experimental Arcana series.

The first half is built around Dominican Andullo, tobacco fermented under considerable pressure in traditional palm-wrapped bundles. It brings an earthy richness, with leather, wood and a touch of spice.

Then comes the interesting part.

As the cigar progresses, Cyprian Latakia becomes more prominent. This fire-cured tobacco is familiar to pipe smokers for its distinctive smoky, woody aroma. Its inclusion gives the latter half an entirely different personality, with deeper, more savoury flavours.

The blend is completed by Honduran filler, a Nicaraguan binder and an American Broadleaf wrapper.

At 6½ inches with a 52 ring gauge, this handmade Belicoso has a tapered head and an imposing gold-and-black band. Production was limited to 3,500 boxes worldwide.

CAO has never been particularly timid about experimenting with tobacco, but Stokk is an especially interesting undertaking. Bringing Latakia into a premium cigar is unusual enough; arranging the blend to emphasise different tobaccos as the cigar burns is considerably more ambitious.

For anyone familiar with both pipe tobacco and cigars, it's a fascinating meeting of two worlds. And for the curious cigar smoker, it's an opportunity to discover why Latakia has inspired such devotion, and occasional disagreement, among pipe enthusiasts for generations.