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
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
