The King Street Emporium

Mortal Coil

By CAO

The Mortal Coil is the first entry in CAO's Arcana series, a line built around rare and forgotten tobacco techniques rather than unusual growing regions. The defining tobacco here is andullo, a preparation method native to the Dominican Republic that dates back centuries. After curing, the leaves are tightly coiled and packed into large palm tree pods called yaguas, then wrapped in rope for additional compression while they ferment for up to two years. The result is a dense, concentrated log of tobacco that is typically chewed or smoked in pipes in the Dominican Republic, rarely appearing in premium handmade cigars. CAO combined that andullo with Dominican Piloto Cubano, Nicaraguan Estelí, and Honduran Jamastran leaf in the filler, bound in a Connecticut shade binder and finished in a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper. Originally released in 2021 as a limited run of 10,000 cigars, it returned as an annual limited release beginning in 2023. Available in a single size, 6 1/8 x 50 toro extra, in boxes of 20. Medium to full in body. Made at the STG Estelí factory in Nicaragua.