Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano / Mexican San Andrés Maduro
Binder: Nicaraguan Criollo
Filler: Dominican, Honduran, Pennsylvania
Size: 6 x 50 “Toro”
Body: Medium/Full
Price: $11.50
Number of Cigars Smoked Prior to Review: 0
Accompanying Libation: Hot Tea
Today we take a look at the new Double Shock Limited Edition 2014.
BACKGROUND:
From the Camacho web site:
“The new Double Shock Limited Edition 2014 is one the most unique cigars ever created under the Camacho brand name. A blend containing two different wrapper leaves and tobaccos from five different origins. The double wrapper combination of Habano from Ecuador and San Andres Maduro from Mexico add a striking level of flavor and visual appeal. Our hand-selected Criollo binder gives this blend just the right amount of spice and sweetness. Four different filler tobaccos from three different regions (Honduras, Dominican Republic, USA) deliver a highly impactful and stimulating flavor experience, making this new blend a true standout. This medium-to-full intensity experience is rich, savory, sweet and packed with a double dose of our signature Camacho punch.”
Camacho is produced at the Agroindustria LAEPE S.A. factory in Danlí, Honduras and distributed by Davidoff,
In boxes of 20, two cigars are tied together and each one has a different colored cigar band and footer band. But both are the same blend. The cigar was released in September of 2014.
DESCRIPTION:
This is a really nice looking cigar. The barber pole aspect is first rate. Just gorgeous. I wish I was a better photographer.
Seams are very tight. Only a few veins. Very oily. A beautiful black cigar band with tiny letters reading “Camacho” and below that a red DS on it. The foot band is classy and they managed to get the Scorpion mascot on it. It can’t be bigger than ¼”. Compare it to the tiny nail head in the upper right of the photo.
The triple cap is flawless and it is topped with a round piece of Mexican San Andrés leaf.
SIZES AND PRICING:
Robusto (5 x 50, $11), Toro (6 x 50, $11.50), and Churchill (7 x 48, $12), Figurado (6 1/8 x 54 x 42, $12.50) and Gordo (6 x 60, $13). All five sizes are limited to 1,000 boxes of 20 cigars.
AROMA AND COLD DRAW NOTES:
The aroma of the cigar matches the looks of the cigar. It is just full of chocolate, oatmeal, sweetness, spice, cedar, earthy, and gooey raisins.
The cold draw is the same except for the addition of cinnamon. The rest of the flavors are just more intense than sniffing.
My concern this morning is I’ve only had this cigar for a few weeks not a few months. It was a gift from buddy Johnny Piette of Prime Cigar Co. We shall see what we shall see.
FIRST THIRD:
The first puffs are multi-dimensional. Lots of spice, sweetness, chocolate, cedar, and earthiness. Good start.
The draw is perfect. Like Goldilocks said, “Dis cigar ain’t too hard to suck on and it ain’t too friggin’ airy.” In other words, the density of tobacco is excellent.
Right away, the strength hits medium/full.
I sense I will need my Richard Serengeti crash helmet. That’s his name, right?
I can’t believe I’m saying this but I think Davidoff, er..I mean Camacho got it right. Their cigars always needed months and months of humi time. But with this cigar, they seem to be tight rope walking along with the other New Breed blenders that are able to get a cigar to be ready to go in just a few weeks. Obviously, more time is good but for the folks like me that are on a strict budget, we have to pick our booty each month based on how quickly the cigar matures enough to smoke.
I’ve been fooling around with a new system to accelerate that process. But it actually seems to work. I started the month of May with all new cigars. I disrobed them from their cellos and placed them in my humidors. Two to be exact so that I don’t have a big pile in just one. I hit the Clearance rack at CI and got about 50 everyday cigars.
I should add that I do not recommend doing this during the winter season when it is cold. For the last week or two, it has been rainy and humid here so the humidity is just about what it should be with the humidor closed. I’m getting readings of 66%-71% in the humidors and around the house. So maybe just getting fresh air may be the help I need for acceleration of the cigar’s ability to smoke sooner. Hell, I’m just spit ballin’. This could be all horseshit. But I’ve never done this and cigars that normally take many weeks or months to be ready are showing their readiness to smoke in only two weeks.
Then the trick was to dry box the cigars in time slots of 12 hours. Leave the boxes open all day (Away from open windows or fans). Close the lids at night. I repeat that every day and the cigars that I’ve smoked before and absolutely know take some time to be ready to smoke have been rarin’ to go in just two weeks instead of two months. It also improved the quality of the burn line. Not a single char line issue.
The Double Shock Limited Edition 2014 is on the job. The char line is dead nuts perfect.
The chocolate gets that bittersweet flavor. Creaminess appears for the first time at the 1” burned mark.
A nice vegetal note appears. A biscotti sweetness and flavor also appears. Not quite graham cracker and not quite a cookie flavor. There is anise, caramel, and vanilla.
I’m enthralled with the blend. I really expected the worst as I’m not much of a fan of the rest of the “New” Camacho line since Davidoff took over. A couple blends are decent but the rest relies on marketing and not blending.
Here they are: Spice, creaminess, bittersweet chocolate, cedar, generic sweetness, raisins, caramel, biscotti, anise, vanilla, vegetal notes, earthiness, and wood.
The strength is an even keel at medium/full body.
SECOND THIRD:
I take a closer look at the footer band and they fooled me. The little artwork inside the diamond on the front of the cigar is not the scorpion. It looks like a flower or a marijuana bud. The Scorpion actually appears to the left. Sonovabitch.
The Double Shock Limited Edition 2014 finds the “It” factor. It now qualifies as a high premium blend. I wish I had more than one so I could allow it to rest for a few months and come back to it. But this blend ain’t like the rest of the Camacho blends. Although, I do like the Blackout, the Diploma, and the Triple Maduro. The Camacho blends named after sports stars were duds and I see them in clearance aisles for half the price they were a year ago. So much for a limited edition.
The sweetness digs up a grape jelly element. As well as a nice nuttiness. No. Not peanuts.
I’m digging this cigar. It is going to be fantastic in a few months.
Complexity settles in. A nice balance but a short finish.
The strength grabs the reins and pulls back to a tick above medium body. Not as strong as earlier.
I hope you all had a nice Mother’s Day. Threw that in because the Double Shock Limited Edition 2014 is a very slow smoke. Should work on the rock n roll story for the end of the review.
The flavor profile shifts with only half an inch to go before it hits the halfway point. The wood element becomes very strong. The spiciness wanes. The biscotti, anise, and vanilla seem to be very distant now.
Still remaining is the chocolate, creaminess, sweetness, fruit, cedar, caramel, raisins, earthiness, cinnamon, and a new nougat component. I can also taste a bit of maple syrup. A warm bread element shows up for the first time.
HALFWAY POINT:
Johnny sent me a robusto and a toro. I went for the toro in case the cigar was on target. Unfortunately, I smoked the robusto too early. I wasted a cigar.
I want to thank a few fellas that took the time to send me cigars that are on the way: Kevin Esser, Joseph Talotta, Jim Grande, and David Weinberg. They are my little angels.
Actually, I’ve received the cigars from David. He and Dave Cribbin, of Rolling Thunder, sent me a very nice care package. Thanks boys.
The Double Shock Limited Edition 2014 has turned out to be a very pleasant surprise.
The cigar is on cruise control now. No changes. Doesn’t need any thank you. It is doing nicely. The blend is now very smooth. It started out a bit abrupt but now it has morphed.
I didn’t really check for other reviews. So I don’t know what the reviewing world thinks of this blend.
I like it.
The draw has been on point. No burn issues. No wrapper issues. A well-made cigar.
Half an inch from the last third, another major change occurs. Strength moves back to medium/full. Flavors are much stronger. The spiciness is very potent. The nougat, creaminess, and a transformation from biscotti to graham cracker occur.
LAST THIRD:
The strength hits full body. Nicotine appears. The laptop screen swoons. Or maybe that’s me.
The complexity is what really sells the cigar. It ain’t no one trick pony.
Sweetness factors seem to drive the blend. I suppose that the blend coming from six countries is the magic wand. Although, so many times I’ve smoked cigars similar to this blend in terms of an impressive list of countries; and then the cigar turns out very ordinary makes one wary of the piling on of leaf stats.
The pepper is on the wane once again.
The sweetness really takes over as the cigar fades to black.
The nicotine never becomes too strong.
The Double Shock Limited Edition 2014 ends without harshness or heat.
Nice cigar.
PRICE POINT:
If you read me with any regularity, you know how I feel about double digit pricing. Is the Double Shock Limited Edition 2014 worth $11.50? Not sure. That’s a lot of dough. If it weren’t for all those wonderful cigars in “The Katman’s Best 166 Boutique Brands/Blends in the $6-$9.50+ Range,” or “The Katman’s List of 133 Great Cigars in the $5.00-$6.50 Range,” it is hard to make a determination.
The 2014-2015 trend is for much more expensive cigars. I still can’t get over that the new L’Atelier is $16 a pop. C’mon!
$12.00 is the new $8.00 cigar. And that $11.50 is before state taxes get added if you buy the cigar at a B & M. Luckily, the state taxes in Wisconsin are very low.
I really like the Double Shock Limited Edition 2014. A lot. So I guess it is worth it..begrudgingly.
This is a fine, fine blend. I hope that Camacho continues this trend of super quality blends.
Final smoke time was almost 2 hours.
SUMMATION:
I thoroughly enjoyed the Double Shock Limited Edition 2014. I check a couple of reviewers I respect a lot. And they aren’t really high on this cigar. They give them scores like Cigar Aficionado. And if their rating was in that magazine, it would be at the bottom of the list.
I disagree. They basically lump the Double Shock Limited Edition 2014 in with the other lackluster blends that came with the Davidoff takeover.
I give them props for being honest. It may not win the hearts of the folks at Camacho but still, good for them.
If I rated cigars, which I don’t, I’d give the cigar at least a 90.
If I were to spend almost $12 on a cigar, I’d rather spend it on a Paul Stulac, Ezra Zion, or Viaje Oro Reserva Aficionado 2014.
And now for something completely different:
I had my own TV show back in 1983. OK. It was on Public Access. But it was a well-produced show. My partner was a hot shot radio DJ named Marshall Thomas. We came up with the idea of getting some rock veterans and interview them within a 30 minute framework.
Our first show was a disaster. We had 3 guests. Two of the original members of the band, “The Larks.” They had a hit in 1964 with “The Jerk.” It went on to be a big dance step in the 60’s. One that nearly popped the discs out of your back. If I tried that move today, Charlotte would need to call 911 a few minutes later.
And they had a new song they wanted to promote. It was on some obscure label. The successful days of The Larks were way behind them. Although they did go on to do those big Oldies but Goodies concerts. Their new song seemed to be a Chuck Berry rip off.
The second guest was Richard Berry who wrote “Louie, Louie,” made famous by The Kingsmen in 1963. What we didn’t know was that Berry suffered from narcolepsy and constantly fell asleep during the interview. I yelled CUT more times than a moil doing a double shift. (If you’re Jewish or know Jews, you will get this.)
We had a simple, but cool, set. We bought sheets of plywood and attached lots of 45 singles to them. We had a small riser with chairs. It was a nice comfy setting.
Here is what still cracks me up today. Both The Larks and Berry lip synced songs. The Larks were first.
Just before The Larks got up to sing, Marshall said, “So fellas, would you like to set up the song up for us?”
Clearly confused, the two men got up out of their seats and started to move the furniture.
“CUT!!”
I came out from the booth and explained that Marshall wanted them to explain the song and how it came about, not move furniture. Oy Gevalt.
Then it was Richard Berry’s turn and he lip synced to his original version of “Louis, Louis.” He was barely awake during the song. Now the lyrics to “Louie Louie” are not difficult. But Berry’s lip syncing was so off that everyone in the booth couldn’t stop laughing. I went out and talked to Richard. Before I could finish, he told me to go fuck myself. I walked away shaking my head. After all, it was something he would have to live with; not me.
Our second show was classier. We had Darlene Love (The Blossoms and wife of Danny Glover in the “Lethal Weapon” movies) and Hall of Fame drummer, Hal Blaine.
Darlene was in the mega hits girl group, “The Blossoms” during the 1960s. Hal has a resume that to this day is unbelievable. Later, in the years1981-1984, he became my mentor and close friend.
In 1967, Ed Sullivan had a show completely dedicated to Nancy Sinatra. It was taped at her Las Vegas casino show. Big band behind her. Hal was on drums. The Blossoms sang back up.
In order to view the show, in 1967, Hal went out and bought a $2500 Sony video player. Back then, video was like a reel to reel audio tape. It also came with a heavy black and white monitor. I schlepped these things with me, as a Hal Blaine memento, for years. In the early 90’s, I gave the 100lb monitor to a friend. I kept the video machine. Which, by the way, was in mint condition.
So, the show was on a reel. We had to transfer it to ¾” video cassette. Hal was separated from his wife at the time and living on his yacht in Marina Del Rey, CA. He got the video equipment out of storage and brought it to his boat. I then went to the boat to pick it up. Of course, the damn boat seemed like a mile from the parking lot.
And this shit weighed a ton. I felt like my arms stretched a foot carrying it to my car.
The transfer was made at a studio in Hollywood.
I took the equipment back to his boat and Hal said, “Phil. Would you please do me a favor and hold on to it? There is no room on my boat.”
I shivered. I just schlepped this crap back to his boat and my back was on fire.
“OK Hal.” And I dragged it back to my car. To this day, I still have the pristine Sony reel to reel video player and recorder.
The show went well and Darlene and Hal were lively guests. We showed several clips from the Nancy Sinatra show.
Hal and I bonded and became my mentor for a couple of years doing me favors I would have never expected, or be able to pay back. If you want to check out his discography, go to Wikipedia. It will stun you. He even played on some Beatles tracks. And Ringo’s original kit was an exact duplicate of Hal’s. Hal refused to divulge to me which Beatle’s songs he played on. Drove me nuts. I’m guessing it was the “White Album” where it is common knowledge that Ringo had had enough of the band and missed out on most of the recording.
We did a few more shows and then we just got busy doing other things. But I still have the shows on VHS but haven’t watched them in years. Someday, I will transfer them to DVD and not ruin my back doing so.
One side note…the PBS people were impressed with me. They offered me a gig as an associate producer. The pay was terrible. I had a recording studio to run and the Eddie Munster project. In retrospect, I should have taken the PBS gig.
Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS
Cigar Reviews by Phil 'Katman' Kohn 
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