LegendArio Toro

Size: 6.0 x 50

Tobacco: Honduran puro

Price: $6.48

This is a lower-end budget cigar by Camacho.  I have no idea where or when I got this, but it has been in my humidor since 2012 at least.  I have been studiously avoiding it because it is such an unnatural shade of pitch black I assume it must be dyed maduro. Earlier this week, I finally put it out of its misery, smoking it on the pool deck sans alcohol or drink of any kind.

The wrapper was brittle to the touch and cracked easily.  It had a promising earthy prelight aroma, but it turned out to be extremely bland.  It was so mild and bland I had trouble identifying any flavors at all.  Draw was loose, but I couldn’t classify it as either “creamy” or “smooth”.  I considered pitching it several times, just out of boredom, but I stayed with it until the end. 

Mostly it was just utterly forgettable. 

CLE Corojo

Size: 5 x 50 (robusto)

Tobacco: Honduran puro

Price: $5.95

Shaun and I smoked our CLE Corojo cigars from the Big Smoke last Tuesday night. I paired mine with Buffalo Trace single barrel bourbon.  He drank some godawful Bud Light Lime-A-Rita.  We both agreed this was our least favorite cigar from the Vegas trip.

The CLE cigar inherits its name from the initials of its founder and owner Christian Luis Eiroa, who is most famously known as the former owner of Camacho Cigars.  According to clecigars.com , Christian was inspired to create this new brand by one single question: "What would you do if you were able to do it all over again?"


I've always found Camacho to be an inconsistent brand.  On the one hand, I've greatly enjoyed a few Camacho Coyolar Puros, as well as their house brand for Cigars International, the Legends Series White Label.  On the other hand,  I outright loathed Camacho 1962.


CLE Corojo wasn't quite as bad as Camacho 1962; it wasn't bitter and plagued with poor construction, but it was not very good either.  Bland and Tasteless leap to mind as appropriate adjectives.   Burn was ok.  There was a hint of unpleasant soapiness or bitterness in the finish, which is sometimes present in low-quality corojo leaves (anybody remember my horrible experience with Victor Sinclair Triple Corojo Torpedoes?)

Not something I would smoke again.

Don Kiki Brown Label Churchill
Size: 7 x 52
Tobacco: Nicaraguan puro (sun-grown criollo wrapper)
Price: $4.80

Some cigars you love at first puff, but then quickly tire of. Other cigars underwhelm you at first, but then grow on you over time. Don Kiki Brown Label fits into this second category.

The cigar features a dark toothy sungrown wrapper. The aroma is rich and heady. The cigar itself is full-bodied and heavy, but it doesn’t showcase a lot of pepper/spice flavors. The aftertaste lacks bite and leaves you feeling that the smoke doesn’t have any umphh to it.

But over time, as I smoked my way through a box on hot summer nights, I began to appreciate a subtle complexity: rich, hearty aromas and flavors, reminiscent of both CI Legends White Label (Camacho) and Padron 2000 maduro. This cigar smokes cool and very slow: in fact, it was not uncommon for this cigar to last 3 hours or more. I rarely was able to finish one to the nub.

Construction was a consistent problem, though. I’ve smoked about 15 of these cigars and all but one have required at least a single (usually more) touch-up with the lighter. These cigars are prone to go out while you are smoking, and if you ever set one down for more than two minutes—-forget about it keeping its cherry. Some of the cigars were rolled very loosely, which may explain part of the problem.
But, even with the construction problems, I will consider purchasing this cigar again, probably in a shorter vitola. Cuban Crafters often puts them on sale for around $2.50.

Update 5/15/2014: I smoked my last Don Kiki Brown Label from the Lost Sticks Tray two nights ago.  It had been aging in my humidor for 5 years, 2 months.  I paired it with Auchentoshan 12-year scotch.  This cigar lasted over two hours and was stronger than I remember; in fact, I couldn't quite finish it.  Great flavors as always, but construction was still a problem as this one had a tight draw all the way through and needed relights.  As I mentioned in my 2011 review, I want to try this cigar again in a smaller vitola.

Camacho 1962 (Sampler Pack)
Sizes:
1. 7.0 x 48 (churchill)
2. 6.0 x 43 (corona)
3. 4.5 x 50 (perfecto)
4. 5.0 x 50 (robusto)
5. 6.0 x 54 (torpedo)

Wrapper: Criollo
Tobacco: Honduran (cuban seed)
Price: $5-$6.0

I read somewhere the Camacho 1962 was unveiled at the Retail Tobacco Dealers Association annual conference in 2006 and was expected to be a big hit. B&Ms sold most of them at or above their $6 MSRP. When I saw a sampler listed on CigarsInternational six months ago, containing four of each vitola, for less than $40 shipped, I imagined the spiciness of a CAO Criollo, paired with the rich "cuban dirt flavor" of the Camacho CI Legends and the potency of the Camacho Coroylar Puro. I aged these cigars all winter, deciding to wait until the first day of Spring to test them out.

Boy, was I disappointed. At least a third of these cigars had significant construction problems--usually, the tobacco was rolled loose which caused a very hot draw and lots of annoying canoes. Not a single cigar in the whole sampler was able to hold an ash past a quarter inch; in the past month, I've dropped more ash in my lap than in the ashtray with these cigars, especially from the perfectos.

Even the cigars that weren't plagued with shoddy craftsmanship did not taste very good. They did have that distinctive Camacho flavor that isn't found in any other brand, but they lacked any sophistication or richness at all. They were no where near the quality of the SLR or CI Legends. In fact, the tobacco in the 1962 tasted cheap. There were a few exceptions---namely the first torpedo and the last two robustos had a nice spice profile and I caught something similar to the grassy, oily taste I miss from my beloved, now-defunct Peterson cigars.

I smoked them with scotch, with beer, with water... anything to find some way to pair them to bring out any hidden qualities... But all in all, I'm sorry to say these cigars were an almost complete waste of time and money.

Postcript April 2009: I aged my last churchill 16 months, hoping the extra humi time would improve these dog rockets. That last cigar didn't have any construction problems, and the flavors were a little more prominent. But it wasn't any better, the cigar had a bitter aftertaste like rotten brussell sprouts.

Camacho Coyolar Puro #1
Shape: Perfecto (tapered at both ends, like a double-sided torpedo)
Size: 4.5 x 50
Filler: Honduran, Cuban-seed ligero
Price: $4

This small cigar came to me as part of a gift bag that Laura sent for my birthday. I smoked it first, while watching Kedron play outside with the dog. I chose it primarily because I have not tried many perfecto-shaped cigars. It was interesting; the draw, heat, and taste varied throughout the 'life' of the cigar, correlating to the ring gauge at that point.

This cigar was also the first I've ever tried that was composed 100% of ligero leaf. Usually ligero is added as part of a blend to add "strength" or "body" to the flavor. I know the proprietor of JR Cigars went on record saying he didn't like this cigar because it took no skill to make it: it was just a gimmick to make the strongest cigar on the planet, no matter what it tastes like. But those criticisms notwithstanding, this cigar has already won one award from Cigar Cyclopedia and will likely win more.

Personally, I thought the taste was very, very good. It had that same strong, bitter afterthought that I noticed in the Camacho Havana and the Legends White Label, but this cigar had more lemon-sour than "Cuban dirt" in its flavor profile (which is how one guy reviewed the Legends White online). However, the taste was too overpowering and eventually gave me the hiccups and a nicotine buzz -- which I haven't experienced in a long time.

I like strong cigars, but this one may have been too much. I'll try these again -- but next time on a full stomach!

Postscript 11-24-09: It took me 3 years to get around to it, but I finally tried another Camacho Coyolar, this time on a full stomach. Still a very tasty, full-bodied smoke. Not nearly as overpowering as I remember it.

This week was characterized by lots of driving with cigars:

(1) Padron Londres (Revisited).

I reviewed my first Londres in 2003, and I haven't had one since. But these are excellent driving-around-town smokes. They added color to two otherwise dull trips to grocery stores and ATM machines. I don't often smoke Padrons because I think they're usually a tad overpriced (this stick is barely larger than a Punch London Club and costs $2.50), but there's something very unique about their taste. I really like it.

(2) Legends - White Label Comacho.

OK, I've reviewed these before, but I just want to add they're perfect when driving four hours in the Geo Tracker, with the convertible top down on the interstate to Prattville. Times like that are not meant for savoring subtle aromas and textures; you need a cigar that's gonna kick you in the seat of your pants.

(3) Black Pearl.

A little sugar, a little spice.

(4) CAO Cameroon Robusto.

The more I smoke them, the more I dislike them. Great construction, but the taste doesn't do anything for me.

And now a brand new review...

Indos Purios Nacionales
Size: 6.5" x 43
Filler: Honduras
MSRP: $3
Puros Indios is the flagship line of Rolando Reyes, Sr , a widely regarded cigar blender who was trained in Cuba. Puros Indios are handmade in Danli, Honduras with Cuban-seed fillers. This blend has received scores up to ’90’ by Cigar Aficionado.

This was my first Puros Indios cigar, which I got as part of a Cbid sampler, for about $1.70 each. They had a very smooth, medium-bodied flavor, but I don't think I'll buy anymore Nacionales. I don't like the shape. They are too narrow (43 ring guage) for their length (6.5"), which gives a very tight draw. The first one I smoked had a bad tendency to canoe on me, although I had no problems with the second.

I did like the flavor, though, so I might try another size or even the Rolys (Puros Indios segundos) in the future.

(postscript 04-05-06: I must add that, in the absence of any Punch London Clubs, these Nacionales do make a decent yardwork cigar. I like the tight draw when I'm working.)

Legends Series Comacho - White Label
Filler: Honduran
Wrapper: Habano
Size: 5.75 x 54
MSRP: $4

A few years ago, Cigars International (a large wholesaler) asked some of the best-known boutique (or small production) cigar manufacturers to create new blends that would serve as a sort of CI "house label" and would retail for $5 or under. All cigars had to be a large toro, 5.75"x54 in size. The idea was that the manufacturers would compete to see who could come up with the best blend.

The White Label is made by Christian and Julio Eiroa, makers of the Comacho brand (they also make Bacccarat and the very forgettable National Brand bundled cigar). In my opinion, this a very complex cigar. I've smoked five or six of them and they all start off very strong -- actually, the adjectives harsh, bitter, and overpowering come to mind. Then, they cool off , mellow out, before finally becoming stronger again a little over half-way through. (In this aspect, they are similar to the Comacho I reviewed a few weeks ago.)

They burn very evenly and slowly, usually lasting well over an hour, even though the draw seems rather loose. I won't say they taste good--not exactly--but they are very distinct and powerful. I honestly cannot explain the fact that on more than one occassion I have found myself craving them over other cigars that I usually like a lot more. Tonight, I passed over a CAO, Padron, Gurkha, and JR Alt-Monte in favor of this more rough-and-tumble variety. The more I smoke, the better I like them.

I got this box on CigarBid @ $1.62 per stick. If I can find similar deals in the future, I'd like to try some of the other Legends series, too.

I made a few impulse buys at the Cigar Depot on Dexter Lane last week. I figured every once in a while I should pay retail price for some name brand cigars, just to abreast of what’s out there on the market today. I picked out brands I had heard of on some of the online cigar forums like HerfersParadise.net and ClubStogie.com.



Comacho Havana Churchill
Size: 7 x 48
Price: $4.5

I smoked this cigar on my back porch (a rather cool January evening in Memphis), with a glass of sangiovese (I wish now I had broken out the Glennfiddich, instead), while reading a primer on Calvinist theology (shorter westminster catechism).

Upon lighting the cigar, at first I feared I had made a big mistake. I didn't like the taste at all. The cigar was not strong, but it had a very bitter taste to it. Kind of like my experience with Montecruz cigars a few years ago. It also smoked too much and took a while to really "get going".

I smoked it quickly to get about a quarter inch of ash on the tip, then I sat it down for two minutes to let it cool off. When I picked it back up, there was a noticeable improvement. The bitter taste dissipated into a mellow, maybe even sweetish, flavor and proceeded to burn smoothly and evenly until the end. All in all, not a particularly distinctive cigar.

Not bad, but also not worth the $5 I paid for it -- I don't think I'd put in the same category as a CAO Gold or a Punch Rare Corojo, which are similarly priced.

Cigar Review: National Brand -- Corona
Honduras

This is a bundle cigar, made by Camacho.

Cheap cigar. Harsh taste. Bad aftertaste. Bad odor. Not recommended.