Camacho Nicaragua Toro

In terms of new regular production releases, the brands of Davidoff have been relatively quiet with most of the focus around limited editions. In 2020, Davidoff would unveil its product roadmap for the year and one line announced was Camacho Nicaragua. Camacho Nicaragua was the one release on the 2020 Davidoff product roadmap that would be a regular production offering. Other Davidoff brands such as the core Davidoff, AVO, and The Griffin’s had released “Nicaragua” branded lines. Now it would become the Camacho brand’s turn. Camacho Nicaragua was slightly delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but did make its way to retailers this summer. Today we take a closer look at the Camacho Nicaragua in the Toro size.

There has been some conversation around the virtual water cooler when it has come to the Camacho Nicaragua in that the cigar itself is not what many would consider to be a Nicaraguan-forward blend. The “Nicaraguan” tobacco in the blend is part of a four-country multi-national blend where it is one of three countries that contribute to the filler.

One additional tidbit. There actually is another Camacho line that uses the name “Nicaragua” in the name, the Camacho Nicaraguan Barrel Aged. That cigar uses a Nicaraguan Corojo leaf aged in Flor de Cana rum barrels incorporated into the filler components, but like Camacho Nicaragua the cigar as a whole was a multi-national blend.

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

SPECIFICATIONS

Blend and Origin

The Camacho Nicaragua features an Ecuadorian-grown wrapper and Honduran binder. In addition to the Nicaraguan tobacco, the filler in the Camacho Nicaragua also features tobacco from Honduras. Production is handled out of Davidoff’s Diadema Cigars de Honduras factory in Danlí, Honduras.

Wrapper: Ecuador
Binder: Honduras
Filler: Nicaragua, Honduras, and the Dominican Republic
Country of Origin: Honduras
Factory: Diadema Cigars de Honduras S.A.

Vitolas Offered

The Camacho Nicaragua is offered in three sizes – each presented in 20-count boxes

Robusto: 5 x 52
Toro: 6 x 50
Churchill: 7 x 50

Packaging of the Camacho Nicaragua Toro (Photo Credit: Davidoff of Geneva)

Appearance

The Ecuadorian wrapper of the Camacho Nicaragua Toro had a medium brown color to it. There was a very light coating of oil on the surface. A slight amount of mottling could be seen on closer examination. The wrapper had some visible veins. Any wrapper seams were minimally visible.

The primary band design of the Camacho Nicaragua is arranged in the horizontal style that is prevalent throughout the Camacho line. The band has an orange background with black font. All of the text is also black in color. The band features the text “INFAMOUS SINCE 1962” followed by the text “CAMACHO” and, in a smaller font, “NICARAGUA”. Below that is a black scorpion. The top of the band has three black stripes with a black triangle below them. The outer part of the band is black. On the lowermost part of the band is the text “BUILT BOLD” in orange font.

PERFORMANCE

Pre-Light Draw

A straight cut was used to remove the cap of the Camacho Nicaragua Toro. Once the cap was removed it was on to the pre-light draw ritual. The dry draw delivered notes of dusty earth, coffee bean, and a slight raisin sweetness. In my opinion, sometimes raisin is a sign of youngness with the tobacco, but with the Camacho Nicaragua Toro this was not the case. This was a satisfactory pre-light draw. At this point, it was time to light up the Camacho Nicaragua Toro and see what the smoking phase would have in store.

Tasting Notes

The Camacho Nicaragua Toro kicked off with notes of citrus, natural tobacco, coffee bean, and white pepper. Early on the natural tobacco notes had a slight edge in the forefront. The natural tobacco contributed to some of the sweetness in the flavor profile. A slight metallic note surfaced in the background with the citrus, coffee bean, and pepper notes. On the retro-hale, there was an additional layer of white pepper.

During the second third of the Camacho Nicaragua Toro, the natural tobacco notes remained grounded in the forefront. Concurrently the citrus and coffee bean notes were secondary with the metallic notes in the distant background. During this phase, the pepper notes made a slow, gradual increase in intensity.

By the final third, the pepper notes joined the natural tobacco notes in the forefront. There still were notes of coffee bean secondary. The citrus notes diminished into the more distant background and there still were touches of metallic notes. This is the way the Camacho Nicaragua Toro came to a close. The resulting nub was slightly soft to the touch and cool in temperature.

Burn

The burn of the Camacho Nicaragua Toro required some touch-ups to maintain a straight burn path and a straight burn line. The number of touch-ups needed was slightly above what I would consider the norm. The resulting ash was skewed toward the firm side. This was an ash with a mostly silver-gray color. The burn rate and burn temperature were both ideal.

Burn of the Camacho Nicaragua Toro

Draw

The draw of the Camacho Nicaragua Toro was simply outstanding. This draw not only had a touch of resistance to it, but the resistance level was nearly perfect As a result, the draw earns the “exceptional” rating – our highest assessment level on Cigar Coop for a draw.

Strength and Body

Camacho is known for being “The Bold Standard” and the Camacho Nicaragua Toro certainly doesn’t fall short in this area. While the strength level maintained a medium level from start to finish, the Camacho Nicaragua Toro was bold when it came to the body. This was a cigar that started out medium to full right out of the gate. By the second half, the body increased into full territory. In terms of strength versus body, the body maintained an edge throughout the smoking experience.

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

A lot has been made about the Camacho Nicaragua’s name and the fact it is not made in Nicaragua, and it doesn’t contain a lion’s share of Nicaraguan tobacco. On the flip side, what is not being mentioned is this cigar smokes very much as one would expect from a Nicaraguan-forward blend. I’ve also found this is a cigar that has been responding well to age. It’s a cigar that smokes better now than when these cigars were first procured six months ago. I found it to be an enjoyable cigar and a fair price point. It’s a cigar I would steer toward a more experienced cigar enthusiast, but it’s one I would not discourage a novice from trying. As for myself, this is a cigar I would smoke again – and buy multiples to have in the humidor.

Summary

Key Flavors: Natural Tobacco, Coffee Bean, Citrus, White Pepper, Metallic Notes
Burn: Very Good
Draw: Exceptional
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Medium
Body: Medium to Full (1st Half), Full (2nd Half)
Finish: Very Good