In the Davidoff portfolio, the company has two of the longest running annual limited edition series anywhere. The AVO Limited Edition Series has been around since 2001, and this year marked 20 consecutive years of AVO Limited Edition cigars. The other is the Camacho Liberty Series, a release that is meant to coincide with the Independence Day celebrations in the U.S. The Camacho Liberty Series made its debut in 2002. Consistent with much of the strategy for its brands of bringing back old limited editions for another limited run, in 2018 Davidoff made the decision that the Camacho Liberty 2018 release would be a re-release of the Camacho Liberty 2005. The release was officially dubbed the Camacho Liberty 2005 Throwback – and it’s that cigar we take a closer look at today.

The Liberty Series made its debut in 2002, and for the most part, it has been one size, one vitola. The initial Liberty Series 2002 came in five sizes and the 2004 edition came in two sizes. Many of the releases have used Camacho’s signature 11/18 figurado size, including the Camacho Liberty 2005 and 2005 Throwback Editions. Most of the Liberty Series releases feature cigars wrapped in tissue paper and packaged in individual coffins.

The original Liberty 2005 was packaged in a coffin painted with a red and white barber pole design. The Liberty 2005 Throwback consists of a series of 10 red and 10 white coffins packaged in a box. Each coffin contains the same cigar.

Without further ado, let’s break down the Camacho Liberty 2005 Throwback and see what this cigar brings to the table.

SPECIFICATIONS

Blend and Origin

The blend to the Camacho Liberty 2005 Throwback is the same as the original Liberty 2005 release. The cigar contains 100% Honduran tobacco highlighted by a Honduran Maduro wrapper.

Wrapper: Honduran Maduro
Binder: Honduran Corojo
Filler: Honduran Corojo
Country of Origin: Honduras
Factory: Diadema Cigars de Honduras, S.A

Vitolas Available

The Camacho Liberty 2005 Throwback comes in the brand’s signature 11/18 size. The 11/18 name is the birthdate of former Camacho owner Christian Eiroa’s mother. The cigar itself is a  6 x 48 x 54 x 48 figurado – basically 6 x 48 with a wider bulge toward the middle. Production of the Liberty 2005 Throwback was 30,000 cigars – or 1,500 20-count boxes.

Appearance

The Honduran Maduro wrapper of the Camacho Liberty 2005 Throwback had a dark roasted coffee bean color to it. There wasn’t much in the way of oil on the surface. In addition there was some mottling on the surface of the wrapper. The surface of the wrapper had some visible veins. The darker color of the wrapper did a nice job at hiding the wrapper seams.

The band of the Camacho Liberty 2005 Throwback is blue with red and white trim on the upper and lower sections (the red trim was on the outer side). On the band is the text “CAMACHO” (in the brand’s logo font), “Liberty Series” (in an early American font), and “2005 THROWBACK” (in a more modern font). All of the text is silver in color.

PERFORMANCE

Pre-Light Draw

A straight cut was used to commence the smoking experience of the Camacho Liberty 2005 Throwback. Once the cap was removed it was on to the pre-light draw experience. The cold draw delivered notes of coffee, citrus, and cedar.  I judged this to be a straightforward but satisfying pre-light draw. At this point it was time to light up the Camacho Liberty 2005 Throwback and see what the smoking phase would have in store.

Tasting Notes

The Camacho Liberty 2005 Throwback started out with notes of white pepper, coffee, and citrus. Early on the coffee notes went to the forefront with the white pepper and citrus settling in the background. As the cigar moved through the first third a slight savory note emerged with the pepper and citrus. Meanwhile there was a layer of red pepper present on the retro-hale.

By the second third, there was an increase in the citrus notes, and before the midway point emerged, the citrus joined the coffee notes in the forefront. From this point, both the coffee and citrus notes alternated as to which was the dominant note.  Meanwhile, the white pepper remained in the background and the savory note disappeared.

There wasn’t much in the way of change as the Camacho Liberty 2005 Throwback entered the final third. The coffee and citrus remained primary in an alternating fashion with white pepper in the background. The resulting nub was firm to the touch and cool in temperature.

Burn

The burn of the Camacho Liberty 2005 Throwback did require some touch-ups along the way in order to maintain a straight burn path and straight burn line. These touch-ups required were unusually frequent. The resulting ash was firm with a nearly white color. As for the burn rate and burn temperature, both performed at ideal levels.

 

Draw

The draw of the Camacho Liberty 2005 Throwback was slightly on the open side. This wasn’t a case where the draw was loose, but it was a little more airy than I prefer. At the same time, this didn’t have any impacts on the combustion rate. At the same time, this was a low maintenance cigar to derive flavor from.

Strength and Body

When it came to strength and body of the Camacho Liberty 2005 Throwback, it was a solid medium from start to finish. There was not much in the way of variance of the intensity of the strength and body as the cigar stayed in the medium range. In terms of strength versus body, I found the body had a slight edge throughout the smoking experience.

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

The Camacho Liberty 2005 Throwback starting out with a straightforward pre-light draw experience would set the stage for what was to come. The story of the Camacho Liberty 2005 Throwback pretty much is simple and straightforward and not a very complex cigar. The flavors produced were satisfying, but I was looking for more in the way of transition. With many Camacho Cigars, the unusual 11/18 shape has produced a more complex cigar – not the case with the Liberty 2005 Throwback.

In the end, this cigar scores a respectable 89 on merit, but on the value rating this is where the cigar falls short. I just didn’t feel I got a $22.00 cigar with this year’s Liberty – and in the end it’s why I would recommend trying a sample before deciding to purchase.

Summary

Key Flavors: Coffee, Citrus, White Pepper, Savory Notes
Burn: Very Good
Draw: Very Good
Complexity: Low to Medium
Strength: Medium
Body: Medium
Finish: Excellent

Rating

Value: Try a Sample
Score: 89

References

News: Camacho Liberty 2005 Throwback to be 2018 Installment of Liberty Series
Price: $22.00
Source: Purchased
Brand Reference: Camacho

Photo Credit: Cigar Coop, except where noted