Inviting cigar enthusiasts to Camacho’s factory and fields in Honduras during the early 2000s, Camacho was among the first manufacturers to explore the cigar excursion concept. These trips—dubbed Camp Camacho—continued through roughly 2007, halting as Oettinger Davidoff acquired Camacho from the Eiroa family. After the dust settled, Davidoff began work on a state-of-the-art factory for Camacho, with the 117,500 sq ft facility being constructed alongside an on-site Camacho guest house, laying the groundwork for the return of Camp Camacho after a decade-long hiatus.

It was announced that Camp Camacho was coming back in 2017, initially intended to bring the first groups of cigar enthusiasts to the company’s base of Danlí, Honduras in 2018. But unforeseen delays have pushed the official launch back year after year, most notably including the cancellation of a Cigar Dojo trip as COVID-19 shutdowns went into effect in March of 2020.

And while Camacho still intends to bring Camp Camacho back—including a Cigar Dojo kickoff trip in 2022—the company has since retooled the concept for the modern era, expanding its boundaries into the homes of cigar hobbyists worldwide. This began with the announcement of the Factory Unleashed cigar earlier this year, followed up shortly thereafter with the Camp Camacho app. The latter was developed in partnership with Cigar Dojo, housing the app within our recently revamped Dojoverse app. This allows for a shared experience between the two environments, with Camp Camacho differentiating itself through exclusive Camacho-themed rewards, among other perks.

Camacho Factory Unleashed Toro Breakdown

  • Wrapper: Ecuadorian Corojo
  • Binder: Honduras
  • Filler: Honduran | Nicaraguan | Dominican
  • Factory: Diadema Cigars de Honduras, S.A. (Honduras)
  • Production: Limited/Annual
  • Vitola: 6″ x 50 (Toro)
  • Price: $7.80 (MSRP)

Camacho Factory Unleashed plays off the factory-exclusive cigars that are commonly made available to those that attend such cigar excursions. But where many such blends tend to have the connotation of being second-rate in comparison to core-line cigars readily available to the public, Camacho’s Factory Unleashed has been given a more thorough treatment, being the brand’s headlining release for 2021. The cigars were rolled in a singular toro format for the first run of 125,000 cigars. While the cigars will be released on a limited/annual basis, it remains to be known whether each year’s release will feature new sizes.

The blend is rolled from a diverse recipe, using tobaccos from four countries. This differs somewhat significantly from Camacho’s M.O., historically being built around Honduran Corojo leaves. This Corojo attribute can be found in the cigar’s wrapper, though it has been harvested from Ecuador instead. The remainder of the blend is less specific, revealing only the countries of origin. This includes a Honduran binder and fillers of Honduras, the DR, and Nicaragua.

  • Atlantic Cigar Sale

Appearance

The Factory Unleashed was introduced in two packaging formats: 100-count wooden crates (designed for retailers) and 10-count paper bundles (designed for online sales). This simplistic approach most closely resembles the original Imperial Stout Barrel-Aged collaboration with Cigar Dojo—quite the departure from the contemporary boxes found on core-line Camacho releases. But the packaging is juxtaposed by the band, which uses thick matte paper and a silver-on-white color scheme—personally, I think this is one of the best Camacho bands to date.

The cigar has a good look to it, beginning with a triple cap and completing with a foot that has its wrapper cut a half-inch short from the binder/filler. This makes for a nice, contrasting appearance, with the dark Colorado wrapper butting up against a more natural binder shade. The wrapper has medium-thick veins and a few wrinkles here and there, but the seams are nicely rolled. The leaf has somewhat of a rough feel to it, similar to kraft paper. The overall construction is solid, with a firm binder surrounding what feels like a medium-dense filler bunch.

The Corojo wrapper doesn’t have the strongest aroma, hitting notes of toasted oak, chestnuts, and subtle barnyard. On the foot, brighter notes of florals, clove, pepper, and basil can be found. The pre-light draw is firmer than medium, having a nice resistance that brings out airy flavors of cedar and something that reminds me of Cinnamon Bears candy.

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Smoking Experience

As an unwrapped bunch has a tendency to burn a bit more sporadically, the shaggy foot is almost entirely lit simply through the toasting process. This allows for about a minute of smoking before the wrapper kicks in, showing a bitter sensation on the palate and flavors of toasted nutmeg, damp hardwoods, and roasted nuts. There is a great saltiness on the tongue (akin to peanut shells) and an enjoyable zest of spice through the retrohale. As the wrapper comes into play, bitterness subsides, replaced with a more put-together profile that now includes an underlying caramel sweetness, dark cocoa and crushed coffee bean (like dark chocolate coffee truffles), and leather.

As the pre-light intimated, the smoking draw is ideal, having a good resistance to it and producing medium-full amounts of smoke on each draw. The profile is in the medium range, hitting roughly medium on flavor, strength, and body. The burn line can be wavy—requiring a touchup or two on some samples—producing a somewhat flakey ash that lasts for a little over an inch. The profile seems to be led by the saltiness of the cut tobacco, hitting the palate primarily on the front sides (saltiness), center (bitterness), then back sides (acidity). This makes for a mouthwatering texture through the cigar’s first half that is very enjoyable.

Camacho Factory Unleashed Toro cigar smoking

Diving further into this salt component, the profile can come across like savory peppered steak served on a Himalayan salt block. Meat crust, peppercorn, and salt notes are on full blast. After rising to medium-full in flavor at the tail end of the first third, the flavor and strength begin to swap places at the halfway mark. Flavors darken, though still show interesting notes that include dark espresso and fresh-baked pretzel.

The experience becomes surprisingly strong through the finale—it’s not overwhelming, but certainly noticeable. This leads to a dry texture and darker flavors of pine, anise, and burnt nutmeg. This segment shows little complexity, offering roughly the same flavors that darken to near-astringent levels as the cigar concludes.

Camacho Factory Unleashed Toro cigar ash

Would I Smoke This Cigar Again?

Yes. The Camacho Factory Unleashed cigar isn’t constrained to a specific time or place, as you may find with certain factory-style cigars. You may have experienced fresh-rolled or unwrapped cigars that hold a special place due to their environment—that factory roller that handed you a cigar fresh off the table, etc. These experiences often hold a special place in your smoking history, whether or not they are clouded by nostalgia. On the other hand, the Factory Unleashed is a legitimate experience that can be enjoyed on the (somewhat) regular.


Profile
  • Flavor: Medium-Plus
  • Strength: Medium / Full
  • Body: Medium-Plus
Core Flavors
  • Peanut shell
  • Roasted nuts
  • Cabinet spices
  • Dark cocoa
  • Espresso
  • Baked preztel
Tips
  • Smoke Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
  • Pairing Recommendation: Pilsner | Pretzels | Black coffee | Coca-Cola
  • Purchase Recommendation: 10-pack (to start)

Camacho Factory Unleashed Toro cigar nub finished

Camacho Factory Unleashed Toro
Camacho brings the famed Camp Camacho experience to the masses with the Factory Unleashed cigar, offering a diverse recipe at a price for everyday enthusiasts. Avoiding the negative connotations that factory-style cigars can sometimes have, Camacho's take on the concept has a lot to offer, especially when taking the price point into consideration. The cigar is woody, zesty, and salty in its first half, hitting standout components of dark chocolate coffee truffles and, later, salt-block peppered steak. It was somewhat of a tale of two cigars for me, however, as the second half lost a good deal of complexity, replaced by increasingly dark and dry flavors that didn't seem to compliment the impressive beginnings.
Appearance88%
Burn/Construction82%
Draw89%
Flavor91%
Complexity83%
Price/Value91%
Pros
  • Solid value
  • Irresistible salt component
  • Fitting for a wide range of smoking occasions
Cons
  • First half much better than second
  • Canoeing and touchups
  • Dark and dry profile in final third
87%Salt Block
  • Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust
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