Wrapper: Honduran Cuban Seed Maduro
Binder: Honduran Corojo
Filler: Honduran Corojo
Size: 6 x 50 “Toro”
Body: Full
Price: $7.70

Camacho is making a resurgence in blends and packaging due to the involvement of Davidoff Cigars. I recently reviewed the new Triple Maduro and it was a terrific cigar.

This is from Cigar Aficionado (Which gave the cigar a 90 rating):
“Camachos were rather ordinary smokes until 2000, when Tabacos Rancho Jamastran, owned by the Eiroa family, introduced a new version of the brand, made with tobacco grown on its farms in the Jamastran Valley of Honduras from old Cuban seeds, rather than new hybrids. The change reinvigorated the cigar, which brimmed with flavor. The Eiroas made another change, releasing the first-ever Camacho Maduros. There were three versions: a Camacho Diploma Maduro, a Camacho Monarca Maduro and the Camacho SLR Rothschild Maduro.”

As it turns out, I’ve reviewed 15 Camacho and Christian Eiroa blends, yet never this cigar. Go figure. So why not now?

The cigar has been in production for some time which belies the title of “Limited Reserve.” As you can find this cigar on many of the large online stores. Yet it continues to tout itself as a very limited release.

Construction is near flawless except for a few minor veins. The seams are near invisible. The triple cap is impeccable. The dark coffee bean color glistens with oils. And the wrapper has a slightly toothy feel.

I clip the cap and find aromas of earth, barnyard, spice, coffee, cocoa, baking spices, and an intense dried mango fruitiness.
Time to light up.

The first puffs are spicy and full of ginger and cardamom. Smoke is pouring from the foot obscuring the laptop screen. I turn on the fan behind me to force the smoke away.

There is something interesting about strengths in cigars. There is a huge chasm between medium, medium/full, and full cigars. The medium is usually easy going on the spirit allowing all those wonderful flavors to come through brilliantly.

A medium/full cigar may do that too as the full body component does not show up until the last couple of inches.

But the classic full body cigar is a different animal. From the start it grabs you by the nuts. Sometimes obliterating any nuance of flavor. Full body has a heaviness and determination that can be overwhelming for a lot of smokers. Especially, since it starts out strong and never lets go; like a shark with its teeth around your leg.

Smoking a truly full bodied cigar is a technique that you must train for. The nicotine buzz hits early…not later. And flavors are rarely subtle; and if they are, they must fight through the intensity of the burning leaves to swim towards you.

The Camacho SLR is one of those cigars. It should start off with you eating something substantial or you will pay the price down the road. The spiciness is not jaw dropping as you would expect, but rather a rich, deep, back of the throat experience.

The cocoa and coffee tread lightly and are not dominant flavors. The dominant flavor is the tobacco. At the one inch mark there is no sweetness. It is not smooth and buttery. It is a real kick in the pants and a test of your cigar experiences.

Halfway through the first third, as one becomes used to the sheer power of the cigar, some flavors break through such as some sweetness and buttermilk. Almost sour.

The cigar develops a long finish. And the nicotine has kicked me square in the ass now. The words on the page dance a bit like the hippo in a tutu in “Fantasia.”

There is a cedar component that shows itself in that long finish. And so far, the char line has been razor sharp.

Clearly, this cigar was meant for after dinner accompanied by a fine scotch; neat.

As I lose the first third, a creaminess appears that is a welcome addition. It broadens the cocoa’s appeal. And moves it forward in line.

Full bodied cigars are rarely flavor bombs. I cannot think of a single cigar, except for the La Grande Classe by Dion Giolito of Illusione fame that has accomplished this.

I approach the halfway point and a campfire hickory note enters. Very smoky and titillating. It balances the creaminess, cocoa, coffee, and cedar. Anise begins to show itself as a result of the hickory flavor.

The flavor profile is dense and rich. A full bodied cigar such as this rewards the smoker, who can literally stomach this strength, with interesting flavors. But again, these flavors are not bright and sunny. They are dark and complex. That is the upside to a full bodied stick: its complexity that most assuredly accompanies the entire experience.

Here I am preaching about how this is an after dinner smoke and how powerful it is; and I started writing this review at 9am. It is now 10:25am. I can feel the power of the cigar in my empty gut. But as you can clearly see, I am smoking this cigar very slowly giving it its props. At this rate, it will be close to a 2-1/2 hour smoke.

The espresso (once coffee) and cream become stronger as a pair.

The last third begins and the power ratchets up. I feel like a cat hanging from the ceiling by its claws.

The hickory gets stronger. It is absolutely fantastic. Sam Leccia put out two new cigars and one of them is fire cured. It gives the cigar an enormous billboard to paint its flavors on. The hickory in this stick comes close.

In descending order, here are the flavors: Hickory, creaminess, spice, cocoa, espresso, cedar, and anise.

The strength is testing my resolve. But I manage to get the cigar down to about an inch before my knees buckle. It is here that the flavors become bright and shiny. It feels like I have a grapefruit stuck in my esophagus, from the strength, but the amazing flavor profile is, at last, beaming like a laser show.

Obviously, this cigar is for the true aficionado and experienced smoker. But I highly recommend it. It is one of those rare cigar experiences that does not come often in every day cigar smoking. It is Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride personified and well worth the almost $8 price tag.

And with Davidoff taking the reins, I would not expect to see any more of these cigars once they are gone.

Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS

Tags: camacho, camacho slr, camacho special limited reserve, cigar review, cigar reviews by the katman, cigars