Currently Empty: $0.00
The CAO Arcana Thunder Smoke is a 6 1/2 x 52 toro made in the Dominican Republic, with a Honduran Olancho San Agustín wrapper, a Mexican San Andrés binder and filler from Cameroon, South Africa and Zimbabwe. Halfwheel scored it 87 points in a December 2025 re-review, and we sell it as singles.
2 in stock
Description
The CAO Arcana Thunder Smoke is a 6 1/2 x 52 toro that wraps filler grown entirely in Africa, from Cameroon, South Africa and Zimbabwe, in a Mexican San Andrés binder and a Honduran Olancho San Agustín wrapper. It is rolled at General Cigar Dominicana in the Dominican Republic rather than in Nicaragua, where halfwheel says most CAOs are made.
What It Tastes Like
Halfwheel gave Thunder Smoke 85 points in December 2024 after smoking three samples. The reviewer noted a steady medium body and picked up bitter espresso and oak early, popcorn mid-way, and peanuts with a graham-cracker sweetness late. In a one-cigar redux in December 2025, halfwheel raised the score to 87, finding the cigar improved with another year of age. Cigar Coop scored it 85 in July 2025, led by earth and fruit.
Who It’s For
- Curious smokers wanting to taste African-grown filler.
- Toro fans with an evening free: halfwheel’s redux smoked for about two hours.
- Arcana followers tracking General Cigar’s run of tobacco experiments.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- An all-African filler (Cameroon, South Africa, Zimbabwe) that Cigar Aficionado reports was a first for General Cigar
- Both reviewers found a consistent medium body
- Scored 87 by halfwheel once it had aged an extra year (December 2025)
Cons
- Halfwheel’s first samples showed uneven construction, including a tight draw and relights
- Cigar Coop (85, July 2025) felt the flavors grew muddled in the final third
About the Arcana Series
General Cigar began Arcana in 2021 as a yearly vehicle for unusual leaf and processing methods. Thunder Smoke, which started shipping in September 2024, followed Mortal Coil and Firewalker as the third entry.
Compare Similar Cigars
- CAO Arcana Stokk Belicoso: a later Arcana entry whose filler shifts from Dominican andullo to Cyprian Latakia.
- CAO Amazon Basin 2025: a CAO built around Brazilian Bragança leaf, which Cigar Aficionado says is rolled into logs and fermented.
- Macanudo Inspirado Brazilian Shade Toro: the same size and factory, with a Connecticut shade wrapper grown in Brazil.
CAO Arcana Thunder Smoke FAQ
How strong is the CAO Arcana Thunder Smoke?
Around medium. Cigar Coop rated strength and body medium in July 2025; halfwheel found strength creeping slightly past medium as it burned.
Where does the tobacco in Thunder Smoke come from?
The filler is grown in Cameroon, South Africa and Zimbabwe. The wrapper is Honduran Olancho San Agustín and the binder is Mexican San Andrés.
Why is it called Thunder Smoke?
The name points to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, known locally as Mosi-oa-Tunya, a phrase usually translated as “the smoke that thunders.”
Does Thunder Smoke come in other sizes?
No. General Cigar released it in a single 6 1/2 x 52 toro.
Thunder Smoke sits alongside the other CAO blends we stock, which you can browse on our CAO cigars page.
Additional information
| Packaging Type | Single |
|---|---|
| Origin | |
| Strength | Medium |
| Wrapper | Honduran Olancho San Agustin |
| Binder | Mexican San Andres |
| Filler | Cameroon, South African, Zimbabwean |
| Length | 6 1/2" |
| Gauge | 52 |
There are no reviews yet.