Twenty twenty may definitely be the year that a vast majority of us want to forget. Fortunately for the cigar world, manufacturers stayed busy during these dire times and continued to release cigars, even through the absence of the PCA show in Las Vegas over the summer (where the bulk of new cigars have historically been introduced).
One of those companies is Oettinger Davidoff, growing their subsidiary Camacho line with two new cigars in 2020. This included the core-line addition of the Camacho Nicaragua, released in July 2020 as part of the “2020 Innovation Product Showcase.”
“The Camacho Nicaragua is built with uncompromising craftsmanship that harnesses the wild flavors of Nicaragua. This cigar is a regular production release and will become part of the Camacho core line.”
Interestingly, despite the Nicaragua moniker—making one think the wrapper leaf would be Nicaraguan—the only tobacco from Nicaragua in the blend is part of the filler. The rest of the filler is composed of tobacco from the Dominican Republic and Honduras. Adding to the peculiarity is the fact that this cigar is rolled at the Diadema Cigars de Honduras factory in Danlí, Honduras. This is not surprising, as nearly all Camacho cigars hail from this facility, but it does leave little in the way of Nicaraguan influence.
So, does a cigar named Nicaragua, rolled at a factory in Honduras, containing very little Nicaraguan tobacco, really have the properties that make Nicaraguan cigars distinctive? Let’s take a closer look.
Camacho Nicaragua Robusto Breakdown
- Wrapper: Ecuador
- Binder: Honduras
- Filler: Honduras | Nicaragua | Dominican Republic
- Factory: Diadema Cigars de Honduras, S.A. (Honduras)
- Production: Regular Production
- Vitola: 5″ x 52 (Robusto)
- Price: $8.60 (MSRP)
- Robusto: 5″ x 52 | $8.60 (box of 20, $172)
- Toro: 6″ x 50 | $8.80 (box of 20, $176)
- Gran Churchill: 7″ x 56 | $9.50 (box of 20, $190)
Appearance
The Camacho “Everyday Bold” tagline definitely applies here. What better attention getter could there be than a bright, glossy, orange box. It kind of just draws you in, beckoning on the shelf in the humidor. Opening the box brings another blast of orange gloss, along with 20 great-looking cigars. Following the theme from the box, the cigars themselves are emblazoned with a bright orange Camacho band in the same layout as the other cigars in their core line.
The wrapper is medium brown, with a very light oily sheen. The leaf itself is quite smooth, with mostly invisible seams and a few veins running throughout. The cigar appears expertly rolled, with just the slightest amount of give when lightly squeezed, and no obvious soft spots from the foot to the cap. Overall, this is a very eye-appealing cigar, as one would expect from a factory operated by Davidoff.
The aroma coming from the foot of the cigar is dark and earthy, with notes of barnyard, leather, and cocoa. The wrapper aroma has more of the same, leaning towards notes of hay and cedar, with the earthy notes more subdued. The pre-light draw, which is just about perfect, gives hints of coffee, dark chocolate, and dry roasted peanuts. Finally, there is a little stone fruit sweetness (date like) that sits on the finish.
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Smoking Experience
The cigar starts off with a straight-up dose of black pepper, with a heavy layer of creaminess to it. Some may laugh at this, but it really reminds me of the black pepper sauce you would get from a Chinese restaurant, there is that much creaminess to it. The pepper subdues significantly on the palate at about the one-inch mark, but is still very prevalent on the retrohale. As it burns a little bit further, notes of leather, hay, and barnyard emerge, along with the cocoa and stone fruit that were present in the pre-light draw. Smoke output if solid, but not overly thick, and the draw is actually right where I like it. Strength is very well behaved at this point as well, falling squarely in medium territory. Body is falling in the medium-to-full range. While there is not a high level of complexity to the flavor profile, the notes are solid, powerful, and readily identifiable. The sweet creaminess of this profile is really making the smoking experience enjoyable at this point.
Moving a little farther along, the pepper intensity increases slightly, as does the leather and hay, bringing in a little more bitterness to counter the abundance of sweetness that has dominated the overall profile thus far. The cigar actually makes me salivate a little more than usual, and that is really helping the tongue pick out the flavors. At about the mid-point of the experience, a vegetal red pepper note emerges, blending in nicely with the sweetness that was already present in the cigar. The burn and draw continue to perform admirably as well, with strength and body remaining the same.
Getting to the end of the cigar, the strength kicks up slightly, but still not above medium. The sweetness is also giving way to bitterness, though not entirely changing hands. Dark chocolate and molasses are definitely noticeable as well. Overall, the profile at this point is reminiscent of burnt sugar: slightly sweet and mostly bitter. Right at the end, the stone fruit makes a resurgence, along with a good dose of pepper and leather. This is how the smoking experience comes to an end.
Would I Smoke This Cigar Again?
Simple answer: yes. I am a fan of the spiciness and richness that Nicaraguan cigars are known for, and this is definitely something different for Camacho.
- On a side note, a group of us were scheduled to attend Camp Camacho and see the factory in person in March of 2020, but were unable to attend due to the pandemic. Hopefully we see a return of Camp Camacho in the very near future and see these being rolled firsthand!
- I feel it is worth noting that the different sizes in this cigar all perform differently, and while the base notes are there, the profile is different. I prefer the robusto (smoked for this review) well above the two other sizes available, although the toro is somewhat closer in overall experience. Another item worth noting is there is a slight bit of inconsistency even in the same size cigars. I smoked three for this review; two were virtually identical, while the third had quite a bit of difference in intensity and overall flavor profile. The burn and draw were the same throughout on all samples smoked.
- Flavor: Medium / Full
- Strength: Medium
- Body: Medium / Full
- Chocolate
- Black pepper
- Leather
- Dark chocolate
- Stone fruit
- Smoke Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes
- Pairing Recommendation: Sazerac cocktail | Barleywine | Milk stout | Medium-roast coffee
- Purchase Recommendation: Definitely a fiver, or even a box split with a friend
Short Link:
- Great construction
- Mild mannered pepper
- Readily detectable flavors
- Inconsistency in multiple cigars
- The amount of pepper at the beginning may be off-putting to some