Tasting Notes
You can never discuss Camacho without
talking about the decadent Corojo Cuban Seed that rewrote Camacho’s future and
put Honduras on the tobacco map. Perfected in the early 1940s, the Corojo
Cuban Seed was Diego Rodriguez’s labor of love. This man created this seed by
isolating the Mesoamerican Criollo strain and then crossing it with an
Indonesian Sumatra strain. To this day, the Corojo Cuban Seed is revered for
its bold, in-your-face profile, and incredible elasticity.
After the Cuban revolution, growing the
Corojo seed in Cuba became problematic. As a result, Daniel, Diego Rodriguez’s
son, smuggled a whole bunch of Corojo Cuban Seed out of Cuba. Eventually, Daniel and his Corojo seeds
settled in the Jamastran Valley, Honduras. The weather and soils were close to
the Cuban Vuelta Adajo area, Corojo’s original home.
However, even with the ideal weather and
soils, it took close to 40 years for Daniel Rodriguez to master growing the
Corojo seed in Honduras. Through sheer determination and a love for the
process, the Corojo Cuban Seed was finally back on Camacho cigars.
Camacho Acquisitions
Simon Camacho passed on in 1990. Five years
later, Camacho was acquired by the Eiroa family. The Eiroa Family, of Caribe Imported
Cigars, were also Ex-Cubans who were now growing tobacco in Honduras. As a
result, Camacho facilities were moved from Nicaragua to Honduras.
Under the Eiroa Family, Camacho grew
exponentially throughout the cigar boom of the 1990s. This is because even
under the Eiroa Family, Camacho cigars were still under the Camacho family
(Christian, Simon Camacho’s son was the president of Caribe Imported Cigars). In 2008, Camacho was again acquired by the
Davidoff Family together with its Rancho Jamastran factory in Danli. The Eiroa
family kept their Honduras tobacco farms.
Current Camacho
Under Davidoff, Camacho has really come
into its own. Now, Camacho produces over 20 million cigars a year. Plus, it
grows its own Corojo seeds and has evolved into an edgy brand welcoming
off-the-beaten-path rugged fans without excluding the rest. That’s not all.
Camacho began to adhere to strict environmental
guidelines for good agriculture and manufacturing practices. This is after
Camacho partnered with Bayer CropScience. To date, Camacho is the only tobacco
company that complies with the Bayer guidelines.
Powerband Bunching
I told you Camacho is a powerhouse brand.
On top of all the aspects we have discussed, Camacho has one more Ace up its
sleeve. It’s the Powerhouse Bunching.
Powerhouse bunching is a proprietary
tobacco bunching and rolling method. Even though Camacho remains tight-lipped
about the exact science, we can speculate about the process. Rather than bunching and rolling the cigars
in a snail-shell-like manner, Camacho torcedors also fold the tobacco like a
concertina. The resulting stick is a uniformly packed stogie with no soft spots
or knots. Each Camacho cigar uses powerband bunching,
which enhances airflow as well as the perfect milkshake draw.
Camacho’s Oldest Blends
In truth, it is a tad difficult to
determine the first-ever Camacho blend. That being said, I compiled a list of
the oldest and most popular Camacho blends. In a word, I want to offer some insight
into the bold, complex flavor profiles that Camacho so effortlessly presented.
1. Camacho Corojo
In my opinion, this is the best Camacho
cigar to smoke when you want the full Corojo experience. The Camacho Corojo is a Corojo Puro (is
that a thing?). It utilizes three primings of Authentic Corojo as fillers, an
Authentic Corojo binder, and the 5th priming of Authentic Corojo as a wrapper.
As for the tasting notes, this stogie is
bad ass! If you are a lightweight smoker, stay away. The Camacho Corojo comes
out swinging from the first draw. Expect bold, spicy notes with underlying
cedar, sweetness, earth, and dry barnyard notes. The pepper is very commanding
both on the palate and retrohale. Overall, the Camacho Corojo cigar is
perfectly balanced with an impeccable burn line and flawless draw.
2. Camacho Connecticut
Camacho wanted to be more approachable to
the newbies. In truth, before Camacho Connecticut, all the other Camacho cigars
took no prisoners. But this baby is different. Camacho Connecticut has a milder approach.
The site description put it this way.
“This
is one Camacho smoke that doesn’t kick in the door. It knocks. And enters with
a mild, smooth taste. But don’t mistake mildness for weakness. This smoke is
100% Camacho. With a spicy kick. Boldness meets balance. We think you two will
get along.”
I found this cigar to be extremely pleasant
and quite tolerable, even if you aren’t a spice kind of person. Of course, the
peppery kick is there, but everything is toned down and oh so creamy. Camacho Connecticut is a combo of Honduran
Generoso and Aleman Ligero fillers, a Honduran Corojo binder, and an Ecuadorian
Connecticut Shade wrapper. Flavor notes include sweet hay, cedar,
earth, citrus, molasses, and the signature peppery kick.
Final Words
Camacho was and still remains the
undisputed master of complex and subtle blends. They have upheld the
traditional Cuban-style cigars while at the same time embracing new
technologies. The bottom line is, you can never go wrong with a Camacho cigar.
