With 2020 comes the 18th edition of the CamachoLiberty Series. The Liberty series was made to celebrate the history of the United States. This years iteration is a new vitola for the line in the form of a box-press gordo. The blend uses four different primings of tobacco, all of which come from a single farm and single vintage. The tobacco in the Liberty 2020 was aged four years.
This cigar was reviewed blind (no bands) by a panel of at least 4 reviewers. They did not know what they were smoking beforehand. The scores are an average of all the reviewers' scores with outliers removed. All of our cigars reviewed are shipped to the panelists with Boveda packs to ensure optimal smoking experience.
“This cigar looks very well constructed with quality ingredients and skillfully rolled. It’s a 6×60 box/factory pressed. Medium brown wrapper a full bunch nearly invisible seams. Small amount of tooth to the wrapper. Feels very nice in the hand.” –Ryan H. (Ryan H.)
Aroma: 93
“Smelling the outside of this cigar has me thinking of fresh baked Pumpkin pie after Thanksgiving dinner. The foot of the cigar adds slight barnyard and a pepper note that makes me want to sneeze. After I’m done sneezing, I take a few pre-light draws and find corn flakes and black pepper. I’m ready to light this baby up.” –Estevan Z. (TheRealBanzi)
Flavor: 90 Strength: Mild-Medium Body/Complexity: Medium
“This cigar opens way different then I would have thought. Charred meats with a nice brown sugar rub with a nice cinnamon bite and lingering pepper in the retro. A few minutes in and it morphs into a more creamy profile with a slight vegetal note that is hard to pin down. Towards the end of the third a nice graham cracker note enters the fray making for a slightly disjointed combination of flavors. Interesting, very interesting.” –Estevan Z. (TheRealBanzi)
“This cigar is showing off to be very light draw & not giving off huge plums of dense smoke for the size it is. With eat draw I get notes of bright cedar, warm nutmeg and cardamom. These notes did not transition throughout the whole first 3rd, but the ash held tight & stacked solid as could be. I did have to keep rotating 1056 more than normal to keep it burning evenly. Little touch-ups were needed to keep peninsulas of wrapper from forming. ” –Allison T. (The Yoga Ash)
Flavor: 90 Strength: Medium Body/Complexity: Medium
“The second portion of this cigar has transitioned into a slightly less sweet show with most of the caramel fading and the creamy finish enhancing the nutty almond note. On my palate a white proper finish is showing, as well as the sharp pepper kick through the sinuses.” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)
“This third is far more put together. It is driven by that green vegetal note from the first third. Pepper enters the retro to which leads to a lengthy finish. As the third comes to an end it makes another shift to a more floral profile making me think of lavender. I feel like this cigar is trying to hard to be to many things.” –Estevan Z. (TheRealBanzi)
Flavor: 89 Strength: Medium Body/Complexity: Medium
“Now knowing that I need to draw harder than normal I am able to get more into the notes that I might have missed in the thirds before. Smoked ancho pepper, Hersey Kiss & slight cayenne pepper in the background. The burn in this the last third has slowed way down & to finish the cayenne went away.” –Allison T. (The Yoga Ash)
“The final third has made a significant transition into a fuller bodied flavor bomb smacking of nutty cream with a finish of smoked wood. Through the nose the smoke has remained sharp and spicy” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)
Overall Impressions
Draw: 89
“You have to put some effort into the draw as it does not give it’s full tasting notes & dense smoke till you draw to the point that your cheeks pull in. It was not plugged nor did have any caverns.” –Allison T. (The Yoga Ash)
Burn: 93
“The burn was clean and true, for the most part, but would go off for a bit. The nice thing is that it would always correct itself. Never even once thought about a relight.” –Estevan Z. (TheRealBanzi)
Construction: 93
“Other than the really sloppy cap that was lifting that did not affect the cutting, 1056 seemed to be pretty good. Yes, I did have to draw pretty hard, but I could really find a big issue with how it was built. ” –Allison T. (The Yoga Ash)
Overall Strength: Medium Overall Body/Complexity: Medium Experience Overall: 93
“I would smoke this cigar again with no questions would also buy a box.” –Ryan H. (Ryan H.)
“I may have thought that this cigar was trying to hard, but it really was good. So many changes with some great mouth feel. It keeps you interested and will have something for everyone. It is a time investment but if you give it a shot you will be rewarded.” –Estevan Z. (TheRealBanzi)
“For the person who like a large soft box press that has a good amount time, this could be your pick. It’s definitely NOT loaded with Vitamin N, so even a new person could most likely handle this cigar. Again, I feel this cigar would be good for a long drive or a windy day as the ash had a hard time falling. ” –Allison T. (The Yoga Ash)
“Wow… that sums it up best for me. The flavors were just right for me, and the performance was remarkable. I can’t wait to find out what this is do I can buy a box… or maybe two!” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)
“I really hoped to have a great experience with this stick but the burn impacted it on all facets. The draw was good after a second attempt, but the flavors were non transitional with only hay, toasted oats and a little white pepper, frankly this was boring cigar. I hope to smoke another one before I discount it forever. ” –Jonathan R. (J.Lee)
To view the complete scores and notes, click here.
Blind Cigar Review: Camacho | Liberty 2020
Blind Cigar Review: Camacho | Liberty 2020
Summary
"I may have thought that this cigar was trying to hard, but it really was good. So many changes with some great mouth feel. It keeps you interested and will have something for everyone. It is a time investment but if you give it a shot you will be rewarded." -Estevan Z. (TheRealBanzi)
