Toro, 6" x 50 ring gauge, $5.90
I should get one thing out of the way up front: I have never been a fan of Camacho cigars. I have not smoked a lot of them, but of the ones I have had, the Triple Maduro was all punch, no flavor, the Scorpion was a great $8 stick (that costs $14), and their regular lines have just been lackluster. But I keep hearing folks rave about them, so I am willing to give the company another chance to impress, especially on a brand new stick. I have committed that one day in the not too distant future I will give the Triple Maduro a second chance, but today I am smoking their newest offering: the Camacho Connecticut.
Strange fact: the Connecticut does not actually have any tobacco from Connecticut in it. It features Honduran and Dominican filler, a Honduran binder, and an Ecuadorian Connecticut-seed wrapper. This is becoming a pet peeve of mine (and I've got so many I could start a peeve farm): it may be acceptable in the cigar industry to call this a Connecticut wrapper, but to me it feels disingenuous--kind of like saying a Dodge truck is American when it is, in fact, built in Mexico. The wrapper is not completely flawless on this cigar (there are a couple spots of green coloration), but it is very nice for the price point. The wrap is nicely done with a very nice triple cap; there is moderate veininess. The aroma from the body was mild and hay-like. From the foot there was a stronger aroma with notes of cocoa, coffee, and alfalfa. The prelight draw was very easy and features a sweet, light mocha flavor while leaving just a bit of spicy tingle on the lips. Upon lighting, my initial impression was of creamy coffee; there was some sweetness and a little pepper on the finish.
During the first third, this cigar was as creamy and smooth as I would have hoped. It went great with my morning coffee and that black pepper on the finish was a great complement to the creaminess. Hey, look at that--I was really enjoying a Camacho!!! The one quibble I had at this point is that the ash was quite flaky and tended to crumble after a quarter-inch or so, mandating that I tap off at no more than half an inch or risk wearing it.
In the second thrid, the creaminess persisted and the spice faded, but a nuttiness moved in to take its place. It was still holding up as a great cigar--very mild, but very flavorful.
The last third of this stick continued to surprise. The flavors got more earthy and had a stronger black coffee note while the smoke still had a creamy aspect to it. Overall, a great cigar that progressed from mild up to almost medium in body as you smoked. This was easily the best experience I have had with a Camacho and this cigar is an easy one to recommend to anyone for a morning cigar with coffee.
Body: 3/10
Strength: 4/10
Complexity: 8/10
AFP Scale:
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 1.5/2
Flavor: 4.5/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9/10
0 comments:
Post a Comment