Jericho Churchill

Cigar: Jericho by Camacho Churchill
Size: Churchill, 7x48
Wrapper: Criollo, Nicaragua
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua, Honduras

Executive Summary: Medium-full cigar which packs a substantial punch. 8.0/10

Preamble: Jericho is a Nicaraguan brand dating to the 60's, but it folded in the 70's following the Sandanista takeover. Camacho has resurrected the Jericho marque twice, the first time in the early 00's (where it was produced by Caribe in Nicaragua) and the second time, as a CI exclusive and produced by their facility in Honduras, last year. I bought a Jericho sampler from CBid last March, but haven't personally smoked the Churchill yet. CI is currently clearing the Jericho; remaining sizes are going for $40 a box.

Appearance: The Jericho has a very dark, maduro criollo wrapper, rough and toothy. There is only one small visible vein and no lumps. The cap is applied neatly and smoothly. The barrel of the cigar is slightly soft. The black and gold label (no words, a stylized "J") is very 60's mod-art, but very cool all the same. 8/10

Flavor: Starts off peppery, but that fades inside the first inch; it was much less intense than I recall, and will probably fade entirely with a little more aging. Sweet and earthy aromas dominate. The sweetness and richness is similar to the Flor de Cano reviewed last week, but there are intense malty and earthy aromas which broaden the flavor profile. The mouth feel isn't creamy as in milky; it's thick like a packaged caramel or even molasses. I stopped for 30 minutes in the middle because the nicotine caught up with me and knocked me onto the couch (nicotine + painkillers for a sprained back = badness), but despite the pause and relight. The flavor in the second half is earthy and nutty, with the sweetness slightly fading and a slight nutmeg spice coming in. The spice ramps up in the last 2 inches, but doesn't become tarry or harsh. 8/10, losing points for lack of balance at the start and at the end.

Construction: I hate this part, because the other vitolas burned flawlessly and would have scored higher. This one had trouble staying alight in the first half, although it didn't need a relight or a correction, just a little more frequent puffing than I prefer. Ash was solid and light grey. Draw was perfect. Lit readily, and relit readily after the break. 8/10

Great review , I was wondering if these were a good buy,as I recently seen em on CI , I'm gonna have give em a try. :thumbs:

Definitely worth trying - PM me your address and I'll pass one along.

Like a lot of undiscovered gems, these are a good cigar which died in the marketing department. Not that the Eiroas are bad businessmen, they're quite savvy. I think that the cigar also got caught against the trend; when the cigars getting a lot of press are JPG-style spice bombs, producing a smoother cigar which kicks you in the ass with nicotine may not be the best plan unless you have a good strategy lined up to market it. But they probably didn't risk a lot of their own money, either; they had someone else do the production on the first relaunch, and they had a CI exclusive (in other words, CI took the risk) on the second.