2017 CA Report: The Essential Cigar Advisor Guide to Camacho Cigars

Cigar Advisor’s Essential Camacho Cigars Tasting & Buying Guide

By the Cigar Advisor Editors

Updated February 2019

If there’s one thing you should know about Camacho cigars, it’s this: Corojo. This is the type of tobacco that formed the backbone of the Cuban cigar “taste,” an intensely flavorful cross between Criollo and Indonesian Sumatra. It was perfected in the 1940’s by Diego Rodriguez, a Cuban tobacco grower. Until…

Enter Fidel Castro, his hostile takeover of Cuba’s resources and the rest of the story you already know. Rodriguez fled the regime with his family and settled in Honduras’ Jamastran Valley, whose terroir closely mirrored the famed Vuelta Abajo region. It was there he partnered with various tobacco growers and cigar makers, including the Eiroas, who gave Corojo its delicious comeuppance in their Camacho cigars just before the Boom. Oettinger Davidoff Group (makers of Davidoff and AVO cigars) bought out Camacho Cigars in 2008, yet continue to source the Corojo for these blends from the Eiroa family farms in Honduras – keeping the supply, and flavorful tradition, alive.

For this Tasting Guide, the Cigar Advisors have sampled their way through the regular production lineup of Camacho cigars, along with some of the more popular special editions and annual releases. Our taste tests consisted of (primarily) robustos, so that we could give you our basic first impressions of each Camacho in the most popular and often-smoked sizes.

We always say that taste is a subjective thing – so use these Camacho cigar reviews as a general overview of each smoke. And if what we’ve described sounds like something that’s up your alley, give ‘em a try for yourself and see what you think. And if you’ve already smoked them – or have a favorite – tell us what you like about any of these Camacho cigars by leaving a comment below!

Camacho Scorpion Sun Grown Cigar Review

By Gary Korb

Country of Origin: Honduras
Size: Robusto (5” x 50)
Strength: Medium-plus
Wrapper: Sun-grown Habano (Ecuador)
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Honduras, Nicaragua

Construction and Overall Appearance: Perfectly rolled and finished with a triple cap. The black & yellow band sets-off nicely against the milk-chocolate-colored wrapper. The wrapper itself has an attractive leathery patina and no protruding veins.
Draw: Excellent
Pre-light flavor (cold draw): Leathery
First few puffs: Earth, peppery spice, roasted nuts and sweet spice.
Retrohale: Mostly mild with a light hint of pepper.
Base flavors: Light pepper, earth, oak, nuts, sweet spice, herbal and floral notes.
Aroma: Sharp and slightly floral
Burn / Ash Quality: Excellent. Burn is even throughout. Ash is light grey and firm.
Balance of flavors: Excellent.

Summary: When a cigar is named “Scorpion” you expect a smoke with a fair amount of “sting.” However, for this Robusto, such is not the case. The initial puffs have some earth and pepper in the mix, but those notes are flanked by more prevalent flavors of roasted nuts, and sweet spices. Ecuador Habano wrappers tend to be very spicy, but this leaf tastes like it has gone through much longer fermentation and aging. The extra sunshine may have also produced more sugars in the leaf. As the cigar continues, more flavors emerge including oak, nutmeg, cinnamon, and some Cubanesque floral notes. The smoke is chewy, creamy, and remarkably complex with a medium-plus body throughout and just the right amount of sweetness. As it works its way into the final third, some earthiness re-emerges on the finish. Overall, a rich, creamy, and full-flavored smoke that can be enjoyed any time of day by smokers of every experience.

Camacho Candela Cigar Review

By Jared Gulick

Size: Robusto (5″ x 50)
Strength: Mellow (listed Medium)
Wrapper: Honduras Corojo Claro
Binder: Honduras Corojo
Filler: Honduras Corojo

Construction: It has an olive drab appearance with few veins and is well constructed with perfect seams and four turns to its cap.
Draw: Open and adequate.
Pre-light flavor: Grassy, airy, and sweet.
Toasting & Light: Salty, nutty, and sweet with damp earth undertones.
Base flavors: Bread, grass, cream, pepper, and spices, and a hint of floral.
Retrohale: Peppery and grassy.
Aroma: Nuts, damp wood, and earth.
Burn & Ash Quality: Both are superb.
Balance of flavors: There’s a good balance of savory, sweet, and spicy.

Summary: Getting in on the St. Patty’s Day greenery, Camacho wasn’t about to be left out. Even the band dons a nifty silver shamrock, making it clear that the theme was intentional. I’ll be honest out of the gate here – Claro-hued cigars are not my typical smoke. They’re known to be grassy, ripe, and sweet. No matter how you perceive the flavors, it’s an acquired taste.

Camacho Candela starts off much how I’d expect it: grassy, airy, and sweet. What happens next probably has a lot to do with what’s under the hood. After a half inch or so, I’m noticing some nuances that are not normally present in the Candela cigars I’ve previously tried. Bread, cream, pepper, and spices have been introduced, and suddenly, it’s not the one-trick pony I expected. Camacho Candela has become interestingly complex in flavor, and while it’s still not my wheelhouse per se, it most certainly is one of the more interesting takes on the format that I’ve come across.

As the cigar progresses, it dances back and forth between grassy and savory notes, and the inherent sweetness for which these wrappers are known is always wafting around in the background, keeping me on my heels the entire time. If you’re looking for a Candela that isn’t typecasted or typical, this may be one for you to try. Pour yourself a pint of green Guinness and enjoy the ride!

Camacho American Barrel-Aged Cigar Review

By John Pullo

Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Size: Robusto (5 x 50)
Strength: Full
Wrapper: PA Broadleaf
Binder: PA Broadleaf
Filler: American Broadleaf, Pennsylvania Maduro, Honduran Corojo

Construction and Overall Appearance: Broadleaf has even coloring; some veins, slight tooth, not oily; well rolled, with a carefully applied cap.
Draw: A bit on the tight side.
Pre-light flavor: Dried fruit, earth, wood, sweet tobacco.
Toasting & Light: Broadleaf is tough to light.
Base flavors: Oak, pepper, sweetness and leather.
Retrohale: The corojo’s sweetness shines through the wood and spice, along with dried flowers.
Aroma: Warm, sweet and somewhat thin.
Burn / Ash Quality: The burn is straight, the ash splits.
Balance of flavors: Favors intensity over diversity.

Summary: Somehow Camacho has found a way to put that burn of Bourbon into the smoke of a cigar – it’s not the taste, and it’s not an infusion, but something that triggers the taste buds in the same way as a swig of hooch does: with a big, full peppery-sweet bite.

It looks it, but this is not a Maduro – this PA Broadleaf smokes with more edginess. The oak from the 5 months of barrel finishing the tobaccos is very evident up front; pepper is, too, and in a big way – and when it hits, it’s bitey. Those tastes are met with charred steak and leather. These are all warm flavors: big, full and round. Eventually, the Corojo’s subtle sweetness slowly makes its move – and at about halfway, in comes a saltiness that lingers for a while. Some smoky bitterness creeps in from time to time, but doesn’t diminish the quality of the smoke – then everything finishes out on a leather sensation, with some more woodiness and a bit of bite.

The flavors are full, the finish is short; and while it’s intense, this is one of the Camacho cigars that smokes with more nuance than I expected. They put a lot of work into making this one – pour a glass of something sturdy and give it a try.

Camacho Nicaraguan Barrel-Aged Cigar Review

By Tommy Zman

Country of Origin: Honduras
Size: Robusto (5″ x 50)
Strength: Full
Wrapper: Ecuador Habano 2000
Binder: Mexico
Filler: Nicaragua, Honduras & Dominican Republic

Draw: Perfect
Pre-Light: Earthy and sweet
First Few Puffs: Very nutty and caramel
Retrohale: Intense caramel
Aroma: Sweet
Burn/Ash Quality: Solid
Balance of Flavors: Great balance of complex flavors

Summary: The people blending Camacho cigars completely outdid themselves when they introduced the original American Barrel Aged, and now they have recreated excellence with the Nicaraguan Barrel Aged. This is one hell of an excellent premium cigar from the construction, to the aged tobacco and the complex flavor profile. The blend is an absolute ass-kicking mix of Nicaraguan Corojo, Dominican Piloto Cubano, and Honduran Corojo aged for five full months in Flor de Cana rum barrels. The binder is Mexican San Andreas for some spicy zing and the wrapper is a beautiful vintage 2000 Ecuadorian Habano. There are some amazingly delicious notes of espresso, black cherry and a sweet caramel nuttiness that definitely comes from that rum barrel aging. While the flavors change throughout, that caramel-like sweetness basically lasts from start to finish. This is a very full-flavored cigar and I’d recommend it for those who have some real cigar smoking experience. Yet another triumph for Camacho Cigars.

Camacho Connecticut Cigar Review

By Gary Korb

Country of Origin: Honduras
Size: Toro (6″ x 50)
Strength: Mild-plus to Medium
Wrapper: Ecuador Connecticut-seed
Binder: Honduras
Filler: Honduras, Dominican Republic

Construction and Overall Appearance: Excellent. Wrapper is ultra-silky, even in tone and devoid of any veins. The cigar has a nice weight and feel in the hands.
Draw: Excellent. (Almost too open.)
Pre-light flavor (cold draw): Leather and nutmeg.
First few puffs: Well-rounded and toasty with a nice amount of sweetness.
Base flavors: Cedar, roasted nuts, sweet spice, leather.
Aroma: Sweet.
Burn / Ash Quality: Burn revealed a very thin carbon line with no issues. More impressive was the cigar burned at a nice even pace, even with a very wide open draw. The ash was almost entirely dark grey in color and not very firm, yet surrendered to gravity in 3/4-inch nuggets.
Balance of flavors: Excellent.

Observations

Summary: Somehow, I got the feeling that my Camacho Connecticut Toro cigar knew exactly how it was going to smoke and nothing was going to get in its way. I’ve smoked a number of Camacho Connecticut Toros over the years, but this cigar was a true standout. Often with Connecticut wrappers, the cigar will turn bitter, especially in the last act, but this Toro was smooth sailing down to its 3/4-inch nub, and both the balance and core flavors never wavered. That also speaks to the quality of the tobaccos Camacho uses in their blends. So, if I were to offer a recommendation based on the performance of this cigar, I’d say it was the ideal “starter cigar.” N00bies take note.

Camacho Ecuador Cigar Review

By John Pullo

Country of Origin: Honduras
Size: Robusto (5″ x 50)
Strength: Full (actually medium)
Wrapper: Ecuador Habano
Binder: Brazilian Mata Fina
Filler: Honduras, Dominican Republic

Construction and Overall Appearance: Very dark natural Habano wrapper has gorgeous coloring, with a silky sheen. Expertly applied triple cap, no veins, seamless roll – a flawlessly-made smoke.
Draw: Excellent.
Pre-light flavor: Tea, earth, leather, mineral – and a mouthwatering umami sensation.
Toasting & Light: Red pepper, minty greens, saltiness.
Base flavors: Unroasted nuts (think macadamia), citrus, tea, greens, leather.
Retrohale: Wood, leather.
Aroma: Sweet, floral – excellent.
Burn / Ash Quality: So-so burn with a stacked silver ash; needed one touch-up.
Balance of flavors: Not wildly complex, but the flavors are pretty intense – and not too strong. Great midday smoke that certainly leans to the layered side.

Summary: While they toss around the word “bold” a lot, the boldness in these Camacho cigars isn’t in the strength – it’s in the intensity of the flavors. Thick with Corojo (of course) and Criollo Ligero, the Camacho Ecuador offers good-sized rips of peppery smoke right out of the gate; I can’t say it’s too thin or too thick, just that there’s plenty of it.

But a couple more puffs in and you’ll see there’s a lot going on beneath the surface: an underlying sweet tanginess that wants to come out that’s like dates or raisins…an undercurrent of black pepper that comes and goes from time to time, just to name two. Then the dam breaks: the tanginess pours on, kind of a mix of citrus and sweet earth backed with a bite as the pepper comes back, just not as intense as before. By 2/3, all that savory stuff trails off and leaves leather, pepper and wood until the finish.

The Camacho Ecuador BXP box press, which I sampled as a comparison, exhibits many of the same notes – and is even sweeter in the Gordo size.

If you overlooked this cigar upon its release, or just didn’t give it much thought, it’s time to give Ecuador its due. Let’s just say this cigar is a real surprise – and may turn out to be one of the dark horses of this whole Camacho cigars guide.

Camacho Criollo Cigar Review

By Gary Korb

Country of Origin: Honduras
Size: Robusto (5″ x 50)
Strength: Medium
Wrapper: Honduran Criollo ’98
Binder: “Original” Honduran Corojo
Filler: Honduran Criollo ’98 and Dominican Piloto Cubano

Construction and Overall Appearance: Excellent. The cigar is well-packed with no soft spots. Wrapper had a nice oily sheen, was entirely even in color with virtually invisible seams and no discernable veins.
Draw: Very good.
Pre-light flavor (cold draw): Earthiness and a Honeydew melon-like flavor.
First few puffs: Earthy, leathery and woody.
Base flavors: Earth, cedar, white pepper, charry tobacco
Aroma: Sharp.
Burn / Ash Quality: Very good with hardly any carbon line. The ash is mostly grey and modestly firm.
Balance of flavors: Excellent.

Observations

Summary: I don’t know where that melon-like flavor came from in the pre-light, but it never resurfaced after I lit up. I guess I expected some citrusy notes in the flavor pool, but all-in-all, this cigar has a very lean mix that comes down to mostly earthy spice, wood, a little white pepper and some dark, charry tobacco notes; what I would call “a real tobacco lover’s cigar.” It’s not sweet or too strong; rather, it offers a rich salvo of well-balanced, TRUE tobacco flavor. I don’t know any other way to describe it other than, once you smoke it, you’ll know what I mean. More experienced smokers will likely have a better appreciation for this, but with its medium body, newer cigar smokers should consider adding this to their collection, if only to experience its very Cubanesque flavor.

Camacho Corojo Cigar Review

By Tommy Zman

Country of Origin: Honduras
Size: Robusto (5″ x 50)
Strength: Full
Wrapper: Corojo
Binder: Corojo
Filler: Corojo

Draw: Smooth and easy
Pre-Light: Earthy
First Few Puffs: Slightly peppery and coffee
Retrohale: A bit tingly from the upfront pepper
Aroma: Slightly charry
Burn/Ash Quality: Solid, perfect, light gray
Balance of Flavors: Pretty straight forward

Summary: Honduran Corojo has a distinct and delicious taste and the people at Camacho have done a terrific job at keeping this classic cigar consistent. Fifth priming, high-grade tobaccos from Honduras’s Jamastran Valley are aged for two full years giving this full-bodied treat its unique flavor profile. It starts off slightly peppery, but that gives way to a sweet cedary component that’s consistent all the way through. You’ll also get some notes of leather and coffee on the palate as well. I love this stick with a good cup of coffee and for me, it’s good from lunchtime on. The construction is great and the draw is smooth and easy. Can I have another one, please?

Camacho Triple Maduro Cigar Review

By Fred Lunt

Country of Origin: Honduras
Size: Robusto (5″ x 50)
Strength: Full
Wrapper: Mexican San Andres Maduro
Binder: Authentic Corojo Maduro
Filler: Honduras, Brazil, and Dominican Maduro

Construction and Overall Appearance: Handsome looking Maduro wrapper, cool looking band. Triple seam cap looks perfect.
Draw: Nice and easy.
Pre-light flavor: Foot smells of earth, woods, general sweetness and leather. Cold draw is a very sweet fig flavor with bread, toast, spice, and woods.
Toasting & Light: Very woody with black pepper and a slick- oily mouth feel, There’s definitely a toasted note as well. A rich oak follows along with a spice-like sensation like to nutmeg.
Base flavors: Black pepper, chocolate, woods, earth, coffee.
Retrohale: Very tangy, woody, and peppery.
Aroma: Woody/peppery.
Burn / Ash Quality: Slight canoeing in the beginning, was quickly straightened out. The ash was almost fluorescent.
Balance of flavors: In the end this was a well-rounded smoke, though it did favor peppery and woody spice early on.

General Observations

Summary: This cigar had everything you could ask for from the all-maduro leaves. Classic dark and sweet flavors shines through on the cold draw which brought a very sweet fig-like dried fruitiness with a bready spice, toast, and woods.

What’s to wait for? I toasted up and was immediately greeted by black pepper on the tongue and a woody profile. While the first third lacked the typical maduro sweetness, it more than made up for it with an intensely woody and peppery profile and an insane amount of smoke.

An inch in, tons of cool chocolatey and cocoa notes dominate with earth, wood, and coffee and in the background, the black pepper served as an anchor on the aftertaste. By the last third, this turned into an intense cigar. It had rounded out rather nicely with a chocolatey sweetness that’s countered by a sharp black pepper on the aftertaste. One fantastic smoke; one would do well to pair this with a rye or dark ale.

Camacho Ditka Signature Cigar Review

By John Pullo

Country of Origin: Honduras
Size: Robusto (5“ x 50)
Strength: Medium
Wrapper: Honduran Criollo
Binder: Nicaraguan Corojo ‘99
Filler: Dominican Republic

Construction and Overall Appearance: Malt-colored wrapper with minimal veins and tooth. Average weight and feel with a triple cap. Sports Ditka’s Cowboys colors.
Draw: Nice draw, on the border of airy.
Pre-light flavor: Dark cherry tanginess meets a dry sensation somewhere between wood and leaves, along with a cool and crisp floral note.
Toasting & Light: Be aware – the Camacho Ditka fires up fast and burns quick, which you’ll notice more than the flavors.
Base flavors: Dry spice, coffee, a strong cedar, leather.
Retrohale: Sweet, with a tiny bit of crisp, toasty spice.
Aroma: A mellow, floral room note.
Burn / Ash Quality: White ash with an even burn throughout.
Balance of flavors: Leans on the sweet, more flavorful than strong.

Summary: You may know him as Iron Mike, but it’s evident that Ditka likes his cigars a bit more on the mellow side…and Camacho Cigars has obliged, giving Coach a smooth smoke that doesn’t force the strength issue. This blend smokes differently because of the binder – where Camacho usually waves the flag of “authentic” Honduran Corojo for all to see, Ditka’s cigar uses a more sweet/less spicy leaf from Nicaragua.

Smoke this cigar and you’ll sense the nuances moving in groups: two flavors at a time, shifting 2 or 3 times. Another review I read on this cigar noted an “effervescence” – like the feeling in your mouth after a swig of champagne. I got that same vibe early on, along with a subtle sweetness and a mineral-like component from time to time.

About halfway through, the sweetness ratchets back and becomes more of a bready, baked goods taste tinged with faint tannins; for the Ditka Signature’s next (and last) move, the whole thing smooths out and smokes like a medium bodied Connecticut through to the end.

Definitely not your standard Camacho fare, but certainly a nice change of pace from the hair-raising intensity on which they’ve built their name. If you want to smoke Camacho cigars – but don’t want to struggle with a full-bodied smoke – I’d recommend you start here, without hesitation.

Camacho Liberty 2017 Cigar Review

By Gary Korb

Country of Origin: Honduras
Size: Toro (6″ x 54)
Strength: Full
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Nicaraguan Corojo ’99 and Dominican Piloto Cubano
Filler: Honduran Corojo

Construction and Overall Appearance: Impeccable. The wrapper is sealed with a perfectly-applied triple seam cap, even in dark chocolate color from head to toe with a light oiliness, and devoid of any nasty veins. The tobaccos are well-packed with no soft spots, and has a nice heft in the hand.
Draw: Perfect.
Pre-light flavor (cold draw): Mostly leathery.
First few puffs: Woody and sweet.
Base flavors: Caramelized flavors of earth, sweet spice, oak, cedar and molasses.
Aroma: To die for (like my American freedom).
Burn / Ash Quality: Burn was even with a thin black carbon line, and formed a perfect cone when ashed. Ash was very fine, almost powdery in texture, mostly grey, and held on well, but a bit flaky, revealing a whiter ash inside when broken.
Balance of flavors: Excellent.

Observations

Summary: I felt liberated just admiring this cigar. I haven’t had a Camacho Liberty release in several years, but I remember it fondly; and all things being equal, they put everything they’ve got into this annual release. The 2017 Liberty cigar started off so beautifully in both flavor and aroma I wanted to make sure I got every puff in, so I smoked it as slowly as possible. Like the Camacho Criollo above, this is also a very SOLID smoke, in that, each puff is loaded with flavor, but not in an overpowering way. Let’s just say the smoke is issued in shovelfuls rather than spoonfuls. I think they were going for a more Powerband-like smoke with this year’s Liberty, too. Starting off on the sweet and woody side, the smoke builds to a very robust, dark tobacco profile, then miraculously, returns to its base flavors in the last couple of inches. Fans of Camacho Cigars’ annual Liberty release will definitely want to add this to their list, as well as experienced smokers who love hearty, full-flavored cigars with more of a Nicaraguan bent.

Camacho Powerband Cigar Review

By Fred Lunt

Country of Origin: Honduras
Size: Robusto (5″ x 50)
Strength: Full
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano 2000
Binder: Mexican San Andres
Filler: Honduran Corojo Ligero and Nicaraguan Corojo Ligero

Construction and Overall Appearance: The band reminds me of a billboard ad, including a word cloud of phrases like “high octane” and “full throttle”. The wrapper is almost flawless except for a few pin-sized water marks on the foot.
Pre-light flavor: Foot- earth, leather, pepper, spice and a peaty moss. Cold draw produces very bready and warm flavors of cocoa, coffee, wood, earth, and damp wood.
Toasting & Light: Initial flavors are very bready and chocolatey with a saltiness, rich creaminess, and coffee. There’s also a mineral type note that works its way in as well.
Base flavors: Black pepper, chocolate, wood and earth.
Retrohale: There’s a rush of white pepper followed by a sweet and savory oak wood flavor, followed by cocoa powder and malt.
Burn / Ash Quality: The ash is liquid-paper white and holds steady as a rock; burn line is surgically sharp.

Summary: The Camacho Powerband is a very balanced smoke: savory, mixed with a dry sweetness. Smokes like an old timey train. At 1 inch there’s black pepper on the throat with a dry chocolatey flavor that’s similar to cocoa powder, notes of bread and coffee and a tang on the aftertaste. Some of the nicotine strength kicks in early – I’m starting to see that “high octane” was more descriptive of these Camacho cigars than I thought.

A mineral note persists into the second third, though the flavors are mostly the same: cocoa powder, black pepper, wood, earth, bread, and a tang on the aftertaste. Then the Powerband gets more creamy and sweet: the chocolate note is more pronounced, as is oak wood – the pepper shifts to the aftertaste.

Last third shows off a more pronounced chocolate, but the profile is mostly a cool woody and dry smoke. Earth, bread, and coffee still offer some complexity and the black pepper is very subdued.

Overall, this is a very rich and filling cigar…especially the last third. Would pair nicely with an after dinner liquor or a fuller Scotch.

Ed. Note: Powerband is one of the more uniquely-made Camacho cigars, and we gave it an in-depth video panel review not too long ago. See/read more about it here.

Camacho Diploma 1962 Cigar Review

By Fred Lunt

Country of Origin: Honduras
Size: Special Robusto (5 x 50)
Strength: Full
Wrapper: Honduran Corojo
Binder: Honduran Corojo
Filler: Honduran Corojo

Construction and Overall Appearance: The coffin this cigar came in was beautiful, a royal blue box, heavily lacquered with silver lettering. The cigar itself has a handsome wrapper and seems to be very solid in construction.
Draw: Fantastic, smoke is pouring out.
Pre-light flavor: The foot smells of earth, cocoa, leather and a sweet liquor that reminds me of Kahlua. Cold draw: aged wood, like old fire wood, oak leather, coffee, spice, cocoa powder, a light white pepper.
Toasting & Light: Very, very chocolatey upfront with a smoked wood note and a buttery mouth-feel. There’s also a toasty sweetness and subtle peppery tingle on the lips.
Base flavors: Chocolate, oak, pepper, leather, wood.
Retrohale: Very peppery, with oak, black coffee, and a slight bitter note.
Burn / Ash Quality: Burn is precision sharp and the ash is white and solid.
Balance of flavors: This cigar leaned toward chocolatey sweet and woody flavors underscored by a slight black pepper.

General Observations

Summary: Chocolate. My god, this cigar tastes like chocolate. From the cold draw to the nub, the biggest flavor here was a rich chocolate, though some varying subtle notes chimed in here and there. At the 1-inch mark, Diploma held a nice balance of strength and flavor while drawing notes of coffee, oak, cedar, leather, and (of course) chocolate. The first third can easily be described as rich, holding decadent notes of leather, aged woods, chocolate, and a slight peppery tingle.

By the second third a slight saltiness came about, complement to aforementioned chocolate. What was interesting to note was a tangy-bitter note that reminded me of lime zest. The last third was much the same as the second, but hold on – the intensity cranked up to 11, in true Camacho cigars form. The retrohale held a peppery note with heavy flavors of oak, black coffee, and a slight bitter note. Overall, while this was a unique smoke and very rich, it lacked the complexity I was expecting from a $20 cigar.

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Out of all of these Camacho cigars, you’re sure to find a favorite – or maybe you already have one. What’s yours? Comment below, along with why you like it.