CAO AMAZON BASIN EXTRA AÑEJO RETURNS FOR 2026
A Fan-Favorite Blend Gets Two More Years of Aging — And It’s Coming Back This Fall
CAO is going back to the Amazon — and this time, the journey has been aging for two years.
The highly sought-after CAO Amazon Basin Extra Añejo is returning in 2026 as an extremely limited release, bringing back the distinctive Amazon Basin blend with additional time in the aging rooms to allow its tobaccos to fully mature.
Originally rolled in 2024, these cigars were made using the same blend that helped make Amazon Basin a fan favorite following its introduction in 2014. Rather than releasing them immediately, CAO set the cigars aside for an additional two years of aging.
Now, the wait is over.
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TWO YEARS OF EXTRA AGING
At the heart of the Amazon Basin blend is Brazilian Bragança, an indigenous tobacco grown in the Amazon.
That unique tobacco is one of the defining elements of the Amazon Basin experience, and CAO says the Extra Añejo release was given additional time specifically to allow the blend to develop greater depth.
According to Cory Beardsley, Brand Manager for CAO, the Extra Añejo version takes the familiar Amazon Basin profile and gives it additional time to mature.
“Amazon Basin has always been a special blend because of the unique profile of Bragança tobacco from the Amazon rainforest.”
Beardsley says the additional aging brings more depth to the blend while maintaining the experience smokers know from Amazon Basin.
WHAT’S INSIDE THE AMAZON BASIN EXTRA AÑEJO?
CAO has built this limited release around a distinctive combination of tobaccos.
The Blend
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Dominican, Colombian & Brazilian Bragança
Body: Medium-to-Full
Tasting Notes: Earth & Fruit
The Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper surrounds a Nicaraguan binder, while the filler brings together tobacco from the Dominican Republic, Colombia and Brazil, including the signature Brazilian Bragança tobacco.
The result is described as a medium-to-full-bodied cigar with notes of earth and fruit.
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A BLEND WITH A HISTORY
The original CAO Amazon Basin was introduced in 2014, establishing a reputation around its use of distinctive Amazonian tobacco.
The Extra Añejo takes that established blend and adds something time can’t be rushed:
Aging.
These cigars were rolled in 2024 and then placed into CAO’s aging rooms, where they rested for two years before their planned 2026 release.
For cigar smokers who enjoy the way extended aging can influence a blend, that extra time is one of the biggest talking points surrounding this release.
EXTREMELY LIMITED. ONE SIZE.
CAO Amazon Basin Extra Añejo isn’t arriving in a long list of sizes.
This release keeps things simple — and exclusive.
Toro — 6 x 52
That’s the only size being offered for the 2026 Extra Añejo release.
The cigars will be packaged in:
18-count boxes
And the suggested retail price is:
$15.89 PER CIGAR
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OCTOBER 2026: THE RETURN
CAO Amazon Basin Extra Añejo will begin shipping to retailers in October 2026.
That makes this one to watch as the fall cigar-release season gets underway.
With only one size, an 18-count box configuration and an extremely limited production, the 2026 Extra Añejo release is positioned as a special addition to the Amazon Basin family.
THE AVERAGE JOE’S CIGAR TAKE
There’s something intriguing about a cigar that makes you wait.
The CAO Amazon Basin Extra Añejo was rolled in 2024, then given two additional years to rest before making its way to smokers in 2026.
The recipe stays rooted in what makes Amazon Basin unique — especially the Brazilian Bragança tobacco — while the additional aging gives this release its own story.
With an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper, Nicaraguan binder, and fillers from the Dominican Republic, Colombia and Brazil, this is a blend built around a diverse tobacco profile.
And then there’s the size:
6 x 52 Toro.
Medium-to-full-bodied, with tasting notes of earth and fruit, the Extra Añejo looks like a release designed for smokers who want to experience a familiar CAO blend after it has had more time to mature.
Two years of waiting. One very limited release.
🔥 CAO AMAZON BASIN EXTRA AÑEJO THE QUICK HIT
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Brand | CAO |
| Cigar | Amazon Basin Extra Añejo |
| Release | 2026 Limited Edition |
| Original Roll Date | 2024 |
| Aging | Two years |
| Wrapper | Ecuadorian Sumatra |
| Binder | Nicaraguan |
| Filler | Dominican, Colombian & Brazilian Bragança |
| Body | Medium-to-Full |
| Tasting Notes | Earth & Fruit |
| Size | 6 x 52 Toro |
| Box Count | 18 cigars |
| SRP | $15.89 per cigar |
| Retail Shipping | October 2026 |
FINAL PUFF 💨
CAO Amazon Basin Extra Añejo is coming back.
The 2026 release takes the Amazon Basin blend that smokers have known since 2014, gives it two years of additional aging, and brings it back in a single 6 x 52 Toro format.
Brazilian Bragança remains at the center of the story, surrounded by an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper, Nicaraguan binder and a Dominican, Colombian and Brazilian filler blend.
With October 2026 shipping on the calendar, cigar smokers will soon get the opportunity to see what two additional years of aging have brought to the Amazon Basin experience.
CAO AMAZON BASIN EXTRA AÑEJO.
THE WAIT IS OVER.
Source: CAO 2026 release information provided for this article.
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