Today, we review the Camacho 5280. The 5280 is a small batch release by Davidoff under the Camacho brand. The cigar was released in 2024 as a collaboration with Cigar Dojo, the online social community. The release of the 5280 coincided with the 2024 Rocky Mountain Cigar Festival that takes place in Colorado. Following the festival, a small allocation was made exclusively to South Florida retailer Smoke Inn. Cigar Dojo is located in the Denver, Colorado area, which is also the site of the Rocky Mountain Cigar Festival. The Camacho 5280 cigar pays tribute to Colorado, as Denver is famously known as the Mile High City due to its elevation being nearly a mile above sea level. Specifically, there are 5,280 feet in a mile.

The Cigar Dojo collaboration platform has been quite successful. Over the years, Cigar Dojo has teamed up with some of the leading manufacturers for releases. They have teamed up with Davidoff for three releases:

The Dojo collaborations have been a series of limited editions; in some cases, these cigars have graduated into ongoing releases. The Camacho 5280 is of particular interest to me. The cigar uses a Corojo Claro wrapper, and I could see Camacho looking at this as a future release.

Without further ado, let’s take a closer look at the 5280:

Camacho 5280 (Toro) – Cigar Review

SPECIFICATIONS

Blend and Origin

As mentioned, the 5280 is highlighted by a Honduran Corojo Claro, which is a lighter shade of Camacho’s Corojo wrapper. The cigar is a Honduran puro, meaning it uses all Honduran tobacco. Production of the 5280 is handled by Diadema Cigars de Honduras, S.A., which is Davidoff’s factory in Honduras that produces most of Camacho Cigars.

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

Vitolas Offered

The 5280 comes in one size – a 6 x 50 Toro. The cigars are packaged in ten-count craft paper bundles. A total of 300 bundles have been produced – 150 for the Rocky Mountain Cigar Festival and 150 for Smoke Inn. The cigars have been sold out, so this will be a cigar you will have to get from someone who already has it.

Appearance (*)

The Corojo Claro wrapper of the 5280 had a light cinnamon color. This was a wrapper than had a light sheen of oil on it. The wrapper itself had some visible veins. In addition, there also were some visible wrapper seams.

PERFORMANCE

Pre-Light Draw (*)

I used a straight cut to kick off the experience of the 5280. Once the cap was removed, it was time to commence with the pre-light draw. The cold draw delivered notes of dusty earth, baker’s spice, and a slight natural tobacco sweetness. Overall, this was a satisfactory pre-light draw experience. At this point, it was time to toast up the 5280 and see what the smoking phase would have in store.

Tasting Notes

The 5280 opened up with dusty earth, pepper, salt, baker’s spice, and a slight fruit note. The earth and fruit notes moved into the forefront early on. Meanwhile, the pepper, salt, and baker’s spice settled in the background. I heard Eric Guttormson, the founder of Cigar Dojo, mention that he enjoys salty notes, so I can understand why he’s fond of this blend. Meanwhile, there was an additional layer of black pepper on the retro-hale.

During the second third of the 5280, the earth notes remained primary. During this phase, the fruit notes are diminished in the background. Throughout the second third, there was a gradual diminishing of the sweetness from the fruit notes. Meanwhile, the black pepper notes slowly inched in intensity. Meanwhile, the salt and baker’s spice remained secondary notes.

The last third saw the black pepper notes join the earth in the forefront. Meanwhile, the baker’s spice, salt, and fruit notes were secondary. This is the way the 5280 came to a close. The resulting nub was soft to the touch and cool in temperature.

Burn

The burn performance of the 5280 was excellent. This cigar maintained a straight burn path and straight line while not requiring frequent touch-ups. The resulting ash was skewed toward the firmer side. This was an ash that was silver-gray. Meanwhile, the burn rate and burn temperature of the 5280 maintained ideal levels.

Draw

The draw of the 5280 also scored quite nicely. This was a cigar with a touch of resistance to it – which I like. At the same time, this was a low-maintenance cigar from which to derive flavor.

Strength and Body

The 5280 started out with medium to full strength and medium to full-bodied flavors. Keeping to the brand’s mantra of “bold”, the intensity levels of both attributes increased throughout the smoking experience. By the final third, this cigar delivered full strength and rich, full-bodied flavors.

In terms of strength versus body, there was a slight edge to the strength, but not by much.

BANDING AND PACKAGING NOTES (*)

I like that the 5280 band maintains the horizontal style the Camacho brand is known for. I also like the fact the Cigar Dojo name is on the band. The bundles look nice, but my problem with the bundles is the use of the craft paper. If you have read many of my reviews, you will know that I dislike craft paper bundles. My issue is that they hide the cigar. If you have read many of my reviews, you will know that I dislike craft paper bundles. My issue is that they hide the cigar. The wrapper of the 5280 is quite nice looking, and it’s a shame it gets hidden by a craft paper bundle. I understand bundles are cheaper than wood-box packaging, but I still would have gone with a cello bundle so the wrapper shows.

Camacho 5280 Packaging (Image provided by Cigar Dojo)

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

In recent years, the single-store and event cigar market has become saturated, which has not been favorable. There have been far more disappointing releases than successful ones. Given that Davidoff and Cigar Dojo have previously launched some exceptional cigars, I had higher expectations for the 5280. Fortunately, the 5280 met those expectations and proved to be an enjoyable cigar. It has the boldness and the flavors that you would expect from Camacho.I hope we either see another limited release for Dojo or that this cigar goes into regular production. Since this is a bold cigar, I would recommend it to more experienced cigar enthusiasts. Personally, I would buy this cigar again and enjoy smoking it.

Summary

Key Flavors: Earth, Fruit, Baker’s Spice, Salt, Pepper
Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Medium to Full (1st 2/3), Full (Final third)
Body: Medium to Full (1st 2/3), Full (Final third)
Finish: Very Good