Camacho Triple Maduro Robusto

It has been too long since I reviewed. Needless to say, working in cigars takes up time. So, I am starting this year off with the Camacho Triple Maduro.

This cigar is made of tobacco from Honduras. It is a puro, so wrapper, binder, and filler are from the same place. With this one though, it is also made of all maduro leaves.

The first third of this cigar hit me with pepper. After the first few puffs I had notes of espresso and dark roast coffee. Hints of charcoal began to come in, creating a nice mix. The next third kept with the espresso. The pepper and dark coffee disappeared. Some of the charcoal remained and some sweetness came into play. That is a good thing because without the other flavors, this cigar might become too bitter. Towards the end an earthy flavor arrived along with a little bit of straw. A light coffee flavor came into it, which mixed well with the other flavors.

This cigar had a slighty toothy and oily wrapper, but it felt brittle. There was a small split in the wrapper, but it did not get bigger and smoked past it just fine. The draw was pretty firm, but it still produced a good smoke. The burn was wavy, but did not need correction. It evened itself out, so all is well with that. Held a decent ash, but after an inch and a half it fell off.

This cigar was a gift from my friend Jeff, so I had to look up a price. It comes to around $15 in MN. That is pretty steep for a Robusto, but this cigar was pretty good. I wish the construction was better, and while it had good flavor, the transition could have been smoother. It took about 45-50 minutes to smoke, which is not a bad time at all. With this price, expectations are higher. The burn is not being counted against it since it evened out, but the construction flaw and the transition will be. All in all, I would give this smoke another go, if nothing else in a different vitola.

Final Grade: B+/A-

Macanudo 1968

A friend brought these in an said they were too strong for him. Bring the one that likes strong cigars, one was passed my way.

This cigar has a Honduran San Agustin Havana Seed wrapper, a Connecticut Habano binder, and fillers from the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, and Ometepe.

The wrapper on this cigar felt soft, but a little crisp. The person I got it from keeps his cigars in good condition, so I know it would not be dry.

This cigar had a mild espresso flavor, with some earthy and spicy notes. There was a hint of bitter flavor throughout. The aftertaste consisted of a smokey flavor and an earthy note that lingered.

The construction on this cigar was moderate at best. It burned well, but the draw was terrible. I had to put it through the cigar poker. That helped out a lot, but not for very long. The draw became firm again in about four puffs.

This is a new shape for this cigar. A Trompetta. This is a Pyramid shaped cigar. It runs about $10, so the price is a tad steep, but not for the tobaccos in this smoke.

The flavors came out more when I had a good smoke. It is hard to judge the flavor on this cigar and I would have to give it another go when writing on that (I will expand on it the next time I get the chance), but for the one I got is the one I will grade.

Final Grade: D

CAO Italia

Since a few cigar clubs love this smoke, I decided to give it a go. I was told it was a Maduro, and a light one at that. It wasn't though. It is a Habano wrap, which I am a fan of anyway. The seller for me was that some of the tobacco was Italian. Since I had never had Italian tobacco, I wanted to try it.

This has a Honduran wrapper and binder. It is filled with tobacco from Peru, Nicaragua and Italy. This is a unique combination.

The construction was a good one. Nicely wrapped and felt a little tight. The wrap had a veiny texture though which made me concerned of how it would burn.

I torched this cigar and was bombarded by different flavors. It was cedary mixed with spice. Underlying all of this was a slight earthy and creamy flavor. The finish was cedar and cream. The taste lingered but never went south. It stayed consistent throughout. This was a bold smoke. Through the course of this cigar you will notice new flavors and mixes. You get spice, cream, earthy, and cedar. This is a well rounded smoke.

The draw and burn were consistent and even. No flaws on that end.

The one I had was the Piazza size. The price was $13.75, which is a little steep. But, it is worth a try. This complex smoke is something to try. The price brings it down, but not by much. This is an A-/A cigar, but I will put price into consideration.

Final Grade: B+

Rocky Patel Vintage 1990

Steve has been telling me to try this cigar, over and over again. Some of the people that come into Little Havana Tobacco live by these cigars. So, to silence the peer pressure, I tried it.

This smoke has a wrapper that is aged 12 years, a nice Honduran Maduro wrapper with fillers at least 5 years of age. According to the Rocky Patel website, the binder is Nicaraguan, with fillers from Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. With these stats, according to sources, I was unsure as to how this cigar would pan out, but needless to say, I was happy in the end.

I saw the box shaped cigar, with a very tight wrap, and saw that this had been put together very well. Tight wrap and a tight pack. This was very well put together. Everything was even and the quality of the cigar looked supreme.

I noticed a nice wood smell that reminded me of a fine cedar and a hint of oak. This gave a hint of coffee, or even espresso, to it.

When I lit this wonderful looking cigar, I got a wonderful taste. I was hit with the wood and coffee flavor on the first puff, with a nutty flavor added. Under this complex taste was a sweetness, which turns the coffee to more of an espresso. Between that is a slight earthy flavor. Some people say they taste this, I however barely noticed. On top of that, the aroma of this smoke added to the flavor by giving the same great taste to the nose.

No matter the draw, this cigar does its job. Not only do you get a great smoke and great flavor, but the burn stays constant. No matter how you smoke this this gem, it is wonderful.

All of that for a price of $12.50 plus tax makes this cigar fantastic.

I will give a grade deserving to the student that made it.

Final Grade: A+