General Cigar Co.

Company Highlight

General Cigar Co. is the cigar subsidiary of Scandinavian Tobacco Group, one of the world's largest cigar and pipe tobacco producers. The company is known primarily for producing non-Cuban versions of brands like Cohiba, Hoyo de Monterrey, Punch, La Gloria Cubana and Partagas. General, though, has also achieved commercial and critical success with brands like CAO and Macanudo. These brands are produced throughout the cigar-making world, as General owns factories in Honduras, the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua.

Brands Distributed By General Cigar Co.

CAO

CAO was originally launched in 1993 by Cano Ozgener, who was the founder of CAO International Inc., a company that up until that point was known for its tobacco pipes. The General Cigar Co., inherited the entire portfolio of CAO’s …

Cohiba (Non-Cuban)

Cohiba cigars were first created in Cuba after that country’s revolution and the Cuban version has never been legally sold in the United States due to the U.S embargo on Cuba. General Cigar ed the trademark in the U.S. in 1981 and …

Hoyo de Monterrey (Non-Cuban)

The non-Cuban version of Hoyo de Monterrey is owned by and produced by the General Cigar Co. The core line is known for being a strong, full-bodied smoke, blended with Nicaraguan, Honduran and Dominican tobaccos, a Connecticut binder, and …

La Gloria Cubana (Non-Cuban)

The original non-Cuban La Gloria Cubana blend was created in Miami in 1972 at the El Credito cigar factory, but wasn't the focus until cigarmaker Ernesto Perez-Carrillo took over the company in 1980. It gained a cult following and, by the …

Macanudo

When the General Cigar Co. acquired the Temple Hall Factory, located in Jamaica, in 1969, it included a then-unknown brand named Macanudo, destined to become the best-selling cigar in the United States for many years. Back then, …

Partagas (Non-Cuban)

Following the Cuban Revolution, legendary cigarmaker Ramón Cifuentes Toriello opted to emigrate to the United States rather than run the nation's cigar industry. In 1974, the Cifuentes family made a deal with the General Cigar Co. to …

Punch (Non-Cuban)

Owned by General Cigar Co., the non-Cuban version of Punch was one of the first brands to be manufactured in Honduras and is one of the best selling cigar brands in the United States. There are many different lines in the non-Cuban …

General Cigar Co. in the news

Macanudo Inspirado Orange Cigarillos Coming In Tins Of 10

January 19, 2023

The Macanudo Inspirado Orange line will have a new, petit size next month.

La Gloria Cubana Serie R Maduro Goes Gargantuan With The No. 8

January 13, 2023

The La Gloria Cubana Serie R Maduro brand is about to get its biggest cigar yet.

A CAO Amazon Basin With Some Extra Age

December 23, 2022

The CAO cigar with the unusual Amazonian tobacco is coming back, only this time, brand owner General Cigar Co. says the cigar has been aged for two years.

CAO Vision 2022 Coming In November

October 14, 2022

Next month General Cigar Co. will be releasing CAO Vision 2022. The blend is different from the 2020 release, but the humidor will still light up with the brand’s signature glow.