Criollo cigar debute at the 70th Annual Retail Tobacco Dealers of America convention in Las Vegas in the summer of 2005. CAO created the Criollo partly as an homage to the tradition of Cuban cigar craftsmanship and partly as a testament to the incredible quality of tobacco and cigar production that is currently coming from Nicaragua,” explained CAO’s Vice President, Tim Ozgener. “Everything from the sizes we’ve selected, to the blends of tobaccos we’ve chosen, to the twist we’ve placed on the classic Cuban cabinet packaging, all are done in veneration of the tradition of Cuba’s history of cigar artistry. We’ve done this utilizing the finest tobaccos that Nicaragua has to offer. The marriage between the ‘old school’ of Cuba and the ‘new school’ of Nicaragua is clearly represented by the CAO. Criollo.