Camacho Diploma Corojo Cigar Review
With just a quick glance it is fairly evident that this is not one of the best looking cigars ever made. It is dotted with a couple of pinprick-sized holes, a number of bumps that runs from foot to cap and a number of veins mixed in as well. There is not much oil covering this cigar and it feels like it may be too loosely packed; which is something that happens frequently with Camacho cigars. This cigar’s wrapper is made with corojo tobacco but also comes in a maduro (which has received some pretty bad scores).
According to the Camacho website, the Camacho Diploma is comprised solely of Cuban seed corojo tobaccos. The leaves come from the fifth priming, which is important because these are the leaves at the top of the tobacco plant and they are the ones that receive the most exposure to the sun and the elements. This means the leaves that make up this cigar should have a lot of flavor packed into them. Oh, and it should also be a full bodied cigar. Let’s see.
Cigar Stats
Length: 5″
Ring Gauge: 50
Wrapper: Honduran
Binder: Honduran
Filler: Honduran
Price: $30.50/5 Pack | $191.00/Box of 21
Contagion Conflagration!
Cutting the cigar reveals a good pre-light draw that is accompanied by a slight molasses sweetness and a mildly spicy tingle that lingers for a moment on my tongue. The smell is akin to a robust barnyard (think more hay than excrement).
Lighting the cigar confirms some of the pre-light flavors right away. Barnyard is prominent but it is perceptibly lighter than I thought it would be. Spice is evident in both the inhale and the retrohale but it is not overpowering; it is a soft and warm spicy flavor. That molasses sweetness is not present, however.
In addition to those flavors there is a strong oak presence. It starts out dark and smoky but then the oak starts to gradually become sweeter. Of course, this is no pushover of a cigar, so sweeter is a relative term.
Another flavor, which I can only identify as tobacco, is a major flavor in the beginning. I like it because it provides an edge to the flavor profile of oak and barnyard hay.
So far (about an inch in), this cigar is a very good cigar. It is a full bodied cigar with a lot of hearty flavors – I’m loving this cigar. The draw is a shade below effortless and the burn is even. Also, at around this point, a fleeting anise flavor is present on the back of the tongue. It is nice and adds to the complexity (and to my enjoyment as well).
If billowing clouds of smoke was the mark of a great cigar then this would truly be one of the best that I have ever had. While I can’t say it is one of the best that I have ever had it is still very good. The flavors are very alive and are enjoyable.
Over halfway through now and the anise flavor has only grown in prominence. That doesn’t mean it is the major flavor in this cigar, not by a long shot. The main flavor profile is still the smoky tobacco and oak mixture. Burnt hay is also a major flavor as well.
I really want to peg the Camacho Diploma as this dark and brooding cigar. One that is full of force and in-your-face flavor. But it isn’t that at all. It is much more refined than that. Yes, it has some strength to it but the flavors are a melodious mix of farm, oak, spice and a touch of sweetness.
The end of this cigar is an uninterrupted continuance of the middle segment. Barnyard flavors may increase a bit – so have the oak flavors – and the anise fades just a touch but it is basically the same. The strength has grown somewhat.
I can call this a delicious cigar. And that is what this cigar is: delicious.
91 points
Camacho Coyolar Cigar Review
About a year ago I did a Short Cigar Review on one of these and I gave it the most points possible, five points. That doesn’t mean I think it’s perfect but it is one of those cigars that I really think every cigar smoker should try. The Camacho Coyolar is extremely flavorful with pretty good smoking characteristics. Take a look at my previous review; now lets get on to a proper review of this cigar.
This cigar has been sitting in my humidor for nearly a year at this point. Part of a box I bought shortly after Christmas last year and this is the lucky one that is going to get reviewed. Hopefully that extra time in my humidor will have helped the flavors mature some.
Made in Danli, Honduras this cigar is not only a puro but all of the tobaccos used to construct these gems are grown on the same farm; the Coyolar farm. That’s pretty unique.
The wrapper is dark chocolate brown and has a good helping of oils. It feels a little fuzzy to the touch and this cigar is slightly underpacked, which seems common with Camachos. The look of the wrapper is marred by a couple of gnarly veins and a divot near the band which kind of reminds me of the divots left in the skulls of people who just had brain surgery back in the olden days.
Cigar Stats
Toro
Length: 6″
Ring Gauge: 60
Wrapper: Honduras
Binder: Honduras
Filler: Honduras
Price: $8.00/Single | $170.00/Box of 25
Dark Passenger Flame!
Maybe something has been lost in translation but I just don’t feel the same way I use to about this cigar. It’s only the beginning, so things might change, I hope that they do, but it just seems different. There is spice that is most apparent on the sides of my tongue and it lingers and then there is also anise on the retrohale.
Alright, it just took some time to warm up because it is now beginning to remind me of those cigars I had a while back. The spice is picking up and there is some dark sweetness lingering in the background. Leather and meaty flavors are coming on strong after the first inch.
I’m looking back at the Short Cigar Review I did for this cigar and it’s matching up quite nicely, except for the added sweetness. More dark sweetness with this one than with the other one, which was the Rothschild (4 1/2 x 50). However, as was the case with the Rothschild, this Titan takes some time to develop. I’m a little past the halfway point now and it is immeasurably better than the first half inch.
A candied sweetness comes on strong during the last half of this cigar. It’s a change of pace that I was not expecting nor do I remember it from my previous dalliances with this cigar. It’s a good change of pace as well because it does bring some balance to this cigar.
What I like about this cigar is that there is a good deal of complexity to it. Spice, leather, meat and candied sweetness work well together. It is also smooth with the slightest tint of an edge to it, which is perfect in my book. The draw is great and the burn is pretty good, only requiring a couple of touch ups.
You know you are smoking a good cigar when you don’t want it to end. This nominally full bodied cigar is one of those cigars. It’s no wonder that these cigars are so hard to find; they’re just that great.
94 points
Fuente Fuente Opus X Cigar Review
One of the most important reasons to become a cigar smoker is that you get to know other cigar smokers and other cigar smokers are generous people. That is the case with the person who gave me this cigar, John Jackson (JJ). He was one of my MBA professors and we now do business together. At a cigar dinner recently he gifted me this Opus X and now I’m going to do a review on it. (Incidentally, JJ’s new book, which I edited, Déjà New Marketing, has just been published – so check it out!)
One of the more surprising things about Opus Xs, at least the ones that I have had, is that they generally are not the prettiest looking cigars. In no way does that mean they aren’t expertly made, because they most certainly are, but the wrappers definitely tilt towards the rustic.
They are very oily however. Nicely packed with few veins and no major problems like holes in the wrapper or anything like that. Well, lets find out how good this puppy tastes!
Cigar Stats
Robusto
Length: 5 1/4″
Ring Gauge: 50
Wrapper: Dominican Republic
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Dominican Republic
Price: don’t ask
30 Horses Light!
Fuente Fuente Opus X cigars definitely have a unique flavor to them and this one is a prime example of that uniqueness. Very spicy in the beginning, definitely full bodied and a dark sweetness that reminds me of a constrained anise. There are also meaty and leathery flavors as well.
This cigar is a perfect example of spiciness and, if memory serves, I don’t remember previous Opus Xs being this spicy. Part of me is hoping that the spice moderates as I get further into the cigar but a bigger part of me is mesmerized by it. The other flavors are there and, if not for the overpowering spiciness, they would be very strong flavors on their own. Complex cigar.
Near the beginning of the second third there is a notable change from full throttle spiciness to a more balanced menu of flavors. Oh, the spice is still aggressive but the anise and leather are more noticeable now and I must say that I am grateful.
Surprisingly, the spice transforms after the halfway point. Heretofore, it had been like a chili pepper delightfully punishing my tongue with each draw and now it is more like peppermint. A salty meatiness comes on stronger at around this point as well. Very complex cigar.
I can honestly understand why some people don’t like Opus X cigars: when they are at their best Opus Xs can be an assault on your taste buds. But, to me at least, there is a lot of nuance in that assault. At least when Opus Xs are at their best (more on that later).
At the end of this cigar the spice is all but gone and the leather and anise are the main flavors. It’s a great cigar and my biggest thanks to JJ for gifting it to me.
94 points
Now onto the “more on that later” segment of this review. Fuente Fuente Opus X cigars can sometimes be magnificent, as was the case here. Sometimes they are merely average or somewhat above average. If you don’t like spice and full bodied cigars then you should wait until a point in time when you do like those things in a cigar before you buy some. That being said, eventually you should at least try one to see if you like them or not. It is just one of those iconic brands that deserves a try.
La Flor Dominicana Double Ligero Chisel Maduro Cigar Review
A very impressive cigar to behold. Oily, dark wrapper. Probably a bit too hard to the touch. There are some veins that run throughout. But, even though it does have some negative aspects to its appearance it is just looks like a cool cigar. Plus, it smells like one. It smells aggressive.
The prelight draw gives off a distinct chocolate flavor along with some spice, which was to be expected. For the couple of Chisels that I have smoked their draws have seemed a little tight before I lit them up. But after I have lit the cigars the draw for each cigar has been perfectly fine.
Cigar Stats
pyramid
Length: 6″
Ring Gauge: 54
Wrapper: Ecuador Maduro
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Dominican Republic
Price: $75.00/Box of 10 | $8.50/Single
Smoke
Sure enough, this cigar starts out very aggressive. Spice and a grassy earthiness. The chocolate flavor is there as well. They mix together wonderfully well and the flavors are fantastically alive. And the draw is great as well. All is good!
In addition to the aforementioned flavors there are some sweet flavors. Toffee, anise and some leather as well. There are a ton of flavors going on in this cigar and they mix together very well.
Full bodied? Sure – but the strength makes sense with this cigar. In no way is it harsh or obnoxiously strong. Exquisitely smooth cigar. Oh, and the burn is even. Yeah!
Slow burning gem of a cigar. A little over an inch in and the flavors are still wonderful. Leather and meat are taking over as the major flavors but all those other flavors are still there and they are great.
While the flavors do not match up perfectly there is a smoky-woody flavor grouping that seems right for this LFD. But just because the flavors do match up perfectly I do not see that as a problem. This is a very complex cigar, there’s bound to be a flavor or two that I don’t think matches up perfectly.
At the halfway point now and meaty/salty flavors are taking the lead. Really complex cigar.
Somewhere around the two-thirds mark the flavors do begin to lose some of their luster. It’s still a very good cigar but just not as much. And that, unfortunately, brings this cigar down a notch. A very, very small notch since this cigar after losing a bit of its “luster” is still better than most anything out there in my book.
94 points
Another View from Cigar Jack.
Camacho Cigar Rights of America Limited Edition Cigar
I have waited long enough. This cigar has been taunting me from my humidor for a few weeks now and, even though I have been patiently letting it rest, the time has come to clip the head and toast the foot.
This Camacho, which comes adorned with a Cigar Rights of America and Camacho Limited Ed. bands, features a dark, oily wrapper. It may not be the prettiest looking cigar nor is it densely packed (it’s actually a little loose) but the point of these cigars is to raise awareness for CRA, which this post is doing, and to reward people who sign up. This is my reward and I’ll be damned if I get bummed out over a couple of imperfections!
The pre-light draw is mostly sweet, with a little bit of spice and leather. It is also surprisingly tight before I light it but once the flame hits the foot everything is right with the world. With just a firm tug leather and meaty flavors are coming through. I know this is a limited edition but if I was a betting man I would bet that this cigar shares a lot of tobacco with it’s Triple Maduro brother.
I didn’t measure this cigar but by the looks of it I would say its in the double corona vitola. And now that I am thinking about it, I sure wish I had taken a picture of this cigar before I started smoking it – oh, well. Life goes on.
This Camacho is a full bodied cigar, well above average on the taste scale, but the burn and the draw are a little disappointing. Neither the burn nor the draw are to the point where it is taking away from my enjoyment of this cigar but they are irksome nonetheless.
Now I’m torn about which cigar this one reminds me the most of. At first I was thinking it’s close to the Triple Maduro but now I am thinking the Coyolar. Whatever the case, in addition to the meat and spice there are also flavors of anise, raisins, saltiness and a general creaminess that coats the mouth.
There is no way I am going to actually give this cigar a score (because I have only smoked one and it’s not readily available) but, if you pressed me, it’s a 93 point cigar give or take a couple of points. The flavors are more than good enough to make up for its faults.
Whilst smoking this cigar I am watching the season finale for the second season of Oz. Truthfully, it just isn’t a fitting cigar for a show like this. Oz, if you don’t know, was a series on HBO that chronicled life in a fictitious jail. It’s an extremely gritty tragedy. This cigar would have been great for The Sopranos’ series finale but it is just too refined for Oz.
Just finished the cigar and I can safely say that I am certainly glad I got a membership with CRA. If you haven’t done so already you should get a membership as well. Even if you don’t get the Camacho as one of your freebies there are many other cigars that are well worth it. Furthermore, it’s just the right thing to do as a cigar smoker. So few are fighting for our rights but CRA is doing a good job at it.
