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Camacho Negro, Robusto

Ginseng

Banned
Joined
Oct 2, 2005
Messages
8,802
Today, I had occasion to try out the infamous Camcho Negro cigar. This line extension first came to the widespread attention of the cigar smoking community in the first JR Cigars catalog of 2006. In it, Lew Rothman (the owner of JR Cigars) touted this cigar as one designed to mimic and compete with the legendary Padron Anniversary maduro series (PAM).

Well, I was intrigued to say the least. Discovering a cigar that smokes like the PAM but that is significantly cheaper is one of the perennial quests for fans of this well-regarded but expensive Nicaraguan puro. Here is the advertising copy from the JR website. Although this text does not identify the "competition" specifically, Rothman explicitly targets the PAM in the catalog.
QUOTE
The new Camacho Negro is a heavy-bodied beauty from Julio and Christian Eiroa, that's rolled like a rock and rigidly square pressed. Wrapped in a dynamite Mexican maduro and loaded with heavy-bodied fillers from the Eiroas' Jamastran farms, these new Camachos will give everyone a real run for their money. Packed in a heavy humidor box, they are priced at a fraction of the price of their competition.

There has been some discussion regarding the fact that JR Cigars does not carry any Padron products. The information that came to light in this thread might shed a little light on the dynamic as well as one motivation behind Rothman's claims in the catalog.

Here are the threads I was able to dig up on CigarPass involving the Camacho Negro cigars.
Thread 1
Thread 2
Thread 3
Thread 4
Thread 5
Thread 6

And now, onto the first official review of the Camacho Negro.

I purchased a single of the CM Negro from a local B&M just the day before. It came sleeved in cellophane out of a very beefy but ugly humidor-style box of 25.

Prelight and Initial Stage
This cigar was box pressed and built solidly. The Mexican maduro wrapper was oily and a bit rough. It was also felt thick and strong, much like the wrapper on a PAM. It did not have the tooth that PAM wrappers often exhibit, instead appearing a bit more slick on average. Construction was good overall and the bunching was just right. Aroma was faint and vaguely earthy.

Lightup was trouble-free except that the outer edge of the foot took a little effort to get uniformly lit. The draw was just slightly on the firm side but very good. After letting it settle in for a few minutes, I started my observations.

The first 3/4 inch was very peppery! Each draw brought oily puffs of snappy black pepper notes overlaid on a dark earthy character. I am not typically a fan of "peppery" cigars but it was not nearly as overpowering as I found the Toraño Exodus Gold to be and was actually quite invigorating in the humid, 97-degree weather. I was able to expel a small percentage of the smoke nasally and found that the peppery notes tickled but were not irritating.

After an inch had passed, the prominent peppery notes receded into the background and the earthy character came to the fore. The smoke volume was very good, issuing forth from both the foot and the head. The smoke texture was dense and moderately rich in mouth feel but not cloying. As the next inch or so passed, the cigar mellowed out a bit more but the flavor stayed predominantly earthy, with occasional hints of roasted coffee. So far, this was an engaging smoke and a perfect accompaniment for some ice cold Sam Adams Brown Ale.

Latter Stage and Finish
As I sipped and smoked, the CM Negro continued to behave well by delivering clean, earthy flavor now with hints of pepper and coffee. Occasional tangy spots showed up as did almond nuts. The smoke aroma was still piquant and peppery, quite nice.

The aftertaste was again, clean and inoffensive and the lingering smell on the fingers was also decent unlike some cigars that could make you gag from sniffing your fingers.

As I got down to the last inch, the cigar continued to perform well only displaying tiny hints of unpleasant sharpness toward the end. There was most definitely a progression from the receding of the pepper notes to the evolution of warmer, earthy and nutty flavors. In this respect, the Camacho Negro was a cigar that grabbed your attention and was able to hold it.

In Summation
For a $4 cigar, the Camacho Negro did very well. I'd consider it a very good value and a tasty, heavy bodied, medium strength smoke. If you can ignore the claims that it is supposed to be "like" a PAM, you will enjoy this cigar just fine. Enjoyable even in sweltering conditions, I can only imagine that it would provide a satisfying experience on a cool Autumn evening. Recommended.

(IMG:http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h73/Gins...roRobusto01.jpg)

Wilkey
 
NIce in depth review! I never got settled in with these though they were a fine smoke. Now go and smoke the Camacho cameroon, I like those even better.
 
Wilkey Nice review... I am going to have to seek one of them out, to see for myself.

I do like the Camacho diploma series, I am sure this will be a different animal, but worth a try.

Deez
 
Definitely a different arena from the diplomas. Though the original corojo is still a good one for me. The Camacho line is becoming a standard for me in the $4-6 range. Smoking a maduro right now.
 
Been looking at these for awhile, thanks for the review. I've heard the humi-box seal is quite good, was that your experience as well?
 
Been looking at these for awhile, thanks for the review. I've heard the humi-box seal is quite good, was that your experience as well?

I went back and bought a few more Robustos today. I also checked out the box. While it is one heavy piece of wood, I think the seal is only so-so. There is no gasket but the cedar collars surround the cigars. In a pinch, I think it would work reasonably well as a humidor. I do think it's sort of fugly in person though.

Wilkey
 

Does this mean what I think it means(text at bottom opens image) ;)

Cool Stuff...and then some :)

pregnant.jpg
 
now you've peaked my interest Wilkey, sounds like a nice smoke. i enjoy the peppery smokes here and there. gonna have to snag a few at my b&m. thanks for the in depth review.
Rob
 
Great review. This has peaked my interest before and Now I think I will try one. Thanks Wilkey!
 
What a great review. Thanks for posting not only that but your entire catalog of reviews, lots of required reading for me coming up.
 
For those who are interested, J&R is running a weekly special on the Negro. They claim they are dumping them for below cost because they can't move them. The churchill is going for $59 and other sizes for less. If you like the smoke, this may be a time to buy. Enjoy! :cool:
 
I've never had one, but that price is difficult to ignore. Based on reviews, it seems to be a pretty solid cigar. That makes it more difficult to ignore...
 
I just finished a rubusto from the box that came a coupla hours ago from last week's JR special. Turned out to be a fine smoke...well constructed, lots of smke, and tasted just a bit less smooth than the better Padrons. I'm a big fan of the 3000s, and this one was comparable, IMHO. :thumbs:
 
Holy spicy start Batman! The first half inch of the churchhill I just got was ULTRA spicy, then smoothed out quite nice. I would say after the first inch, it was extremely comparable to the Padron 2000, definately not an anniversary Padron though. Very good cigar, pleasantly surprised by this smoke, and the cheap price was the icing on the cake. Haven't been happy lately with my purchases, nice to see one that turned out good. Very cool looking box too, nice to see some effort put into an interesting box.
 
Wilkey, how would this cigar compare to the Padron 2000 Maddie?

What I mean is, both are around $4. Which one delivers better for the money?
 
Wilkey, how would this cigar compare to the Padron 2000 Maddie?

What I mean is, both are around $4. Which one delivers better for the money?
I know you didn't ask me, but I can offer a little insight. I've smoked about 10 of the Camachos and I don't know how many of the Padrons. In the 10 Camachos I smoked, about half tasted alike and the other half tasted different, but also alike. (I hope that made sense) None of them tasted anything like any Padron I've ever smoked. Much harsher to me and they lacked the toasty quality I like about the Padrons.

Every Padron 2000 I've smoked has tasted very much the same. The aged ones taste all about the same, too. It is one of the most consistent cigars I smoke, but it's also the cigar I smoke the most.

I smoked the Camachos when these first came out, so I have no idea if the extra aging would have made them more consistent or not.
 
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