Blind Cigar Review: Camacho | Ecuador Figurado

We received such great feedback from readers and the participants of our inaugural series of collaboration reviews that it was a no brainer that we would continue with another round. In this second round of collaboration reviews, you will see some of the participants from the first round returning, as well as some new participants. For new readers who are unfamiliar with our previous collaboration reviews, we have invited cigar reviewers from other cigar review sites, podcasts, blogs, etc. to join the Blind Man’s Puff staff in doing blind reviews using our format. This collaboration review is with Kip from Half Ashed, Jonathan from Toasted Foot and Jerad from Cigar Federation.

Vital Stats:

Vitola: Torpedo
Length: 6.12″
Ring Gauge: 54
Country of Origin: Honduras
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Brazilian Mata Fina
Filler: Corojo, Criollo Ligero, Pelo de Oro (Honduras and Dominican Republc)
Factory: Agroindustras Laepe, S.A.
Blender: Undisclosed
Number of reviewers: 5—–Kip (Half Ashed) Jonathan (Toasted Foot) Gregg (McGreggor57) Robert (NavyPiper) Jerad (Cigar Federation)
Price: $7.80
Age: 4 Months
Release Date: May 2014
Contributed by: Blind Man’s Puff – Can be purchased at Cigarplace.biz

Initial Impressions

Appearance: 93

“Straight forward Piramide vitola, at about 6-1/8″ x 54. Smooth but dry wrapper, displaying very little to no oils. Medium brown coloration with modest veining. From all appearances, a well made cigar.” –Kip (Half Ashed)

Aroma: 93

“The wrapper of the cigar has an aroma that is dominated by cedar, but there is an underlying hint of something resembling fresh baked chocolate chip cookies. The foot of the cigar has a mix of cedar and spice to it.” –Jonathan (Toasted Foot)

First Third

Flavor: 92
Strength: Medium-Strong
Body/Complexity: Medium

“Cedar and a little mint mixes with the initial pepper on the light. As the spice fades, a mild char begins to develop. The flavors are a bit flat being primarily tobacco. There is a ton of smoke with this cigar and I’m really hoping some other flavors come through.” –Gregg (McGreggor57)

“After cutting and lighting, I was introduced to this stogie with a nose hair melting pepper blast for a couple of minutes, then it settled down to an awesome flavor of spice, pepper and a bit of leather, in that order. Still pretty stout. The draw was almost to the point of too easy, but was vey nice, tons of smoke, and the ash ended up lasting part way into the second third! Ash was solid, but a little flaky. Only downside was the burn. Shortly after starting, it began getting a little wavy, but not enough to touch up.” –Robert (NavyPiper)

Second Third

Flavor: 91
Strength: Medium-Strong
Body/Complexity: Medium-Full

“In the second third of the cigar, the flavors softened quite a bit. The spice has diminished, however, the strength has remained consistent with the first third. The open draw has led to a need to regulate my cadence so as not to overheat the tobacco. The red pepper flavor has subsided into the background, while some sweetness has returned in the form of a light, bright cedar.” –Kip (Half Ashed)

“Strength is picking up. The spice is still the most prevalent flavor, but it has changed up a bit. The cedar has faded out and is replaced by some leathery, chocolate notes. There is also an earthy soil flavor coming through. Lots of tingling in the back of my throat, and a very dry finish. Ash, burn and smoke production are very nice. This is already showing to be a late day, after a meal cigar.” –Jerad (Cigar Federation)

Final Third

Flavor: 89
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium

“The final third showed some return of the early spice, although to a lesser degree. I get very little pepper *flavor* on the palate, but definitely feel it with a retrohale. The tenor of the cigar has a marked more savory character, with the cedar developing more and presenting with some leathery flavors. Minor burn issues persisted, but did not significantly impact the experience. Overall, it performed pretty well.” –Kip (Half Ashed)

“As the cigar works its way into the final third, the flavor begins to mellow out somewhat. The cedar dies down and lets through flavors of herbs, coffee, nuts and whole wheat toast. The retrohale mellows slightly while cedar and herbal spice continue to be the main notes. During the final inches of the cigar, coffee becomes the predominant flavor while cedar, leather, herbs and spice linger in the background.” –Jonathan (Toasted Foot)

Overall Impressions

Draw: 94

“At first, it felt like it was going to be too easy, which for me is saying something, but it actually turned out just right.” –Robert (NavyPiper)

Burn: 91

“There were a couple of time that the cigar started to canoe, and I noticed one small tunnel. But none of these ever got out of control, and they corrected themselves except for some, that my OCD got the best of me and I touched up real quick.” –Jerad (Cigar Federation)

Construction: 94

“Firm throughout and well packed. No wrapper or burn issues worth noting.” –Gregg (McGreggor57)

Overall Strength: Medium-Strong
Overall Body/Complexity: Medium-Full
Overall Experience: 92

“Overall, I enjoyed the cigar quite a bit. It came across as very “new school Nicaraguan” in character, which is right up my alley. Plenty of spice, but entirely manageable. Should I smoke this cigar again, I might choose NOT to have it first thing in the morning. I appreciated the clean palate for doing a review, but the strength was a bit more than I typically reach for this early in the day.” –Kip (Half Ashed)

“I quite enjoyed this cigar. There’s a fair amount of complexity and strength to this medium bodied woody cigar. I’d pick up a box or a five pack (depending on price).” –Jonathan (Toasted Foot)

“While the cigar itself smoked like a dream, I never did taste much other than tobacco. The little bit of char added a nice balance, but there wasn’t much interest to speak of. I wouldn’t shy away from this stick, but I also wouldn’t seek it out. A decent smoke for the golf course of fishing hole.” –Gregg (McGreggor57)

“Let’s see, how can I put this real easy- I want, I want, I want more! This was a great smoke, one of finger scorching ones where you smoke it ’til you can’t hold on to it anymore due to your fingers burning. I loved everything about it, except for the burn, but for the enjoyment it gave me I have forgiven the wonky burn. This one’s gonna be a box order for me as soon as I learn what it is!” –Robert (NavyPiper)

“This cigar was really just stronger than I prefer. Construction and flavors were there, but I prefer some more sweetness and a creamier finish. Not the strong, pepper notes here.” –Jerad (Cigar Federation)
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Smoking Time (in minutes): 84

Edit

Reviewer	Appearance	Aroma	1/3	2/3	3/3	Draw	Burn	Constr.	Overall
Kip	95	93	95	92	95	88	92	95	95
Jonathan	90	95	92	90	90	95	88	90	92
Gregg	90	93	88	88	88	97	92	93	88
Robert	97	90	95	95	90	90	85	95	95
Jerad	93	95	88	88	88	97	95	95	90

To view the complete scores and notes, click here.
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Blind Cigar Review: Camacho | Ecuador Figurado