Camacho Triple Maduro Robusto Staff Review
This is my review of Camacho Triple Maduro in a traditional 5 by 50-ring Robusto. Today’s look at one of Camacho’s early hits is as much my opinion of a cigar as it is an apology, of sorts, to my trusty four-legged best buddy, Stogie, who’s been a dutiful companion during my consumption of thousands of premium cigars over the years. You see, the raw aroma and room note of my Camacho inevitably saturated the fur of my beloved Australian shepherd while I puffed away in his vicinity on the porch. As such, he was banished from the house to the backyard – for two chilly nights – by my wife, who left him back in after an exhaustive shampoo and decontamination of his fluffy mane. Stogie, “I’m sorry, bro.”
Camacho was an emerging Honduran brand during the Cigar Boom of the 1990s. Aficionados enjoyed the original Camacho cigars for their spicy, full-bodied taste and their budget-friendly prices. In 2008, brand president and founding family member Christian Eiroa sold the company to the Swiss-based Davidoff of Geneva. The folks at Davidoff dropped a bunch of dough on a new Honduran factory, called Camp Camacho, and reblended and rebranded the cigars in colorful scorpion-festooned boxes. The scorpion idea actually originated during Eiroa’s days at the helm when a sales rep was stung by one of the hazardous arachnids the Jamastran Valley.
Camacho Triple Maduro is dark. It’s crafted from a pretty oily San Andrés wrapper leaf and a blend of Dominican, Honduran, and Brazilian long-fillers in a handful of popular shapes. The cigars are wrapped in shiny black and silver bands with the phrase, “Built Bold,” under the brand name. The folks at Davidoff continue to carve out a tough-guy audience for Camacho by photographing the cigars with axes, slingshots, and motorcycle gear. If you’ve got a pair of brass knuckles in your pocket, Camacho is your brand.
The original Triple Maduro was blended entirely from Maduro tobaccos which delivered loads of intense, nicotine-heavy flavor. The Triple Maduro cigars made today are still pretty strong. When I took the cellophane off, hearty aromas of hickory, salted dark chocolate, and black pepper made a big impression. After sliding off the secondary band at the foot of the cigar, clipping the cap, and firing it up, an earthy blast of plums, pepper, and chalk dust erupted over my taste buds. I wheezed for a second but got my bearings after I pushed a few big clouds of smoke out from my mouth, while Stogie, curled up at my feet, unwittingly absorbed the fragrance with his soft coat.
Camacho Triple Maduro calmed down after a minute or so. A savory profile of chocolate, maple, and cedar kicked in. The cigar became spicier too. I could taste hints of cinnamon and espresso bean as the Robusto burned roughly halfway through. The ash was stiff, but I knocked it off before it could land in my lap. Despite beginning on the abrasive side, Triple Maduro developed with a luscious texture, reminiscent of a chocolate milkshake, although it continued to singe my nostrils. Its thick draw was creamy and dense and took a bit of work to extract, but that’s how I prefer to smoke a brawny cigar like Camacho – nice and slow.
As I neared the nub, a dense cloud of smoke hung over Stogie and I on the porch. I didn’t think the aroma would linger on his fur as the last few spicy draws delivered notes of maple syrup, soy sauce, and chocolate-covered espresso bean. Camacho Triple Maduro is a decent Honduran handmade if you can handle a robust smoke. The Camacho cigars of today are definitely different than the ones I smoked when I was in college, but they satisfy a niche. Triple Maduro isn’t a special occasion cigar, and it isn’t cheap enough to be a yard ‘gar. It’s a step above your average utility smoke because the construction is more consistent and the packaging is fancier. But, I’m docking a few points for its coarse aroma in the nose, and for stinking up my dog. He’s been back at the foot of my bed for a while, where it’s safe, and I’m not allowed to smoke cigars.
