“AGED” Review – Camacho Liberty 2003
Tonight’s review is the first in our new section “AGED” Reviews.
Our first “AGED” Review will be the Camacho Liberty 2003.
On a trip to CigarInn on the Upper East Side of New York City, I happened to be digging through the piles and piles of boxes that Gus and his brothers have in their walk-in humidor. The space is small and jam-packed with cigars, so many times, you have to dig around to find certain things.
It was on just one of those rummaging sessions in early 2009 that I discovered a treasure. Sitting under stacks of boxes, I discovered a 3/4 full box of 2003 Camacho Liberty. I immediately grabbed 5 of them and brought them over to Gus to pay. He was astonished that he even had any left.
The 2003 Camacho Liberty is an enormous perfecto shaped cigar. It measures 8″ by 50 x 52 x 38. It has light brown wrapper and comes wrapped in tissue paper and rests in it’s custom cedar coffin. A sticker on the outside of the coffin says “Liberty 2003″ and “9,022/20000″ which indicates there were 20,000 of these cigars made. Having almost 7 years of age on it, I am very excited to dive into the 2003 Liberty.
The wrapper is a light brown and has a mild aroma of cedar (certainly from the cedar coffin) and some barnyard. Despite being almost 7 years old, the cigar is in perfect condition, I’m sure in part due to the tissue and coffin.
I cut the head with my Palio cutter and lit the perfecto foot with no problem. Both cold and hot draw were a little tight but nothing too bad. Initial flavors were of mushroom and a toasty quality. There was definitely an earthy funkiness to this cigar. The entire first half of the cigar had intermingling flavors of toast, earth and a very light spice.
Second half of the smoke turned a little woody and introduced a creaminess to the smoke that made it feel even milder than it originally was.
A huge tunnel developed at around the halfway point. It lasted for a while, but considering the sheer size of this smoke, it didn’t ruin the overall experience.
I would say the 2003 Liberty is a nice smoke, but not nearly as interesting or complex as the more recent versions of this line. I’ve smoked at least one cigar from each year the Liberty has been released and I can honestly say that the blends have gotten better over the years with 2005 and 2007 being my favorites.
The 7 years of age that this cigar has on it has certainly had an impact on the strength. The first time I smoked this cigar, I remember more of a distinct spice and a heavy dose of leather. There was almost no leather and just a remnant of that spice left. It has definitely turned into more of a toasty, creamy and smooth smoke that has a mild-medium bodied profile. Simple, but enjoyable.
Alec Bradley Family Blend Robusto
Jan 18, 2010 Cigar
Tonight’s review is the Alec Bradley Family Blend Robusto.
From their website, Alec Bradley Family Blend cigars were created expressly for the fathers of the company’s three principal executives, Alan Rubin (President), Ralph Montero (Vice President), and George Sosa (National Sales Director).
Available in only one size, the cigars are rolled into a 50 x 5 ½ Robusto shape capped with a classic Cuban pigtail at the head. The cigars are presented in handsome chests of 50 cigars bearing the signatures of David Rubin, Miguel Montero and Reinaldo Sosa, respectively.
The smoke is medium-bodied, creamy-smooth, and full-flavored with a marvelous aroma.
Alec Bradley Family Blend named #16 on Cigar Aficionado’s Top 25 Cigars of the Year: 2009 List.
Now, on to the review.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Size: 5.5×50 (Robusto)
Origin: Honduras
Wrapper: Honduras
Binder: Indonesia
Filler: Honduras, Nicaragua
APPEARANCE and CONSTRUCTION – (17 of 20 pts.)
The wrapper is a medium brown color with no noticeable veins or blemishes. There is what appears to be a small glue mark towards the middle of the stick. I can only assume its wrapper glue as I didn’t notice this on any of the other samples I had. Feels firm all the way across the length of the cigar. The head is nicely applied with a small pigtail. Not sure why, but I love the addition of pigtails to cigars. It gives me a sense of the roller and even though it sounds silly, it makes me think of the rolling process and the skilled hands that created this cigar.
SMOKING CHARACTERISTICS – (21 of 25 pts.)
The foot and wrapper both have a mild aroma of fresh cut wood and some earthy sweetness. None of the aromas on the wrapper and foot are very strong however. Cut with my Palio cutter and lit with my Blazer torch. Cigar burned evenly until the final third where it got a bit out of control. each of the three samples I tried of this stick all had some sort of burn issue towards the end of the smoke. Not sure the reasoning there, but it was consistent. Draw was very good and smoke was light and airy.
FLAVOR – (25 of 30 pts.)
The initial flavors were a basic light wood, light leather and dry nuttiness. Flavors were good, but not overwhelming. Second third, each of the flavors intensified and the smoke became more enjoyable. There was also a slight saltiness I noted in the second third. The combination of wood, leather and nuts remained into the final third of the cigar.
OVERALL IMPRESSION – (20 of 25 pts.)
Considering how much I enjoyed the SCR blend by Alec Bradley, I was somewhat disappointed in this stick. It wasn’t bad, it just didn’t have anything that would compel me to pick one up again. It was a little too basic for me and didn’t have that “wow” factor that would separate it from any other cigar in its category. Flavors were good, not great. Build was good, not great. Impression was good, not great.
TOTAL SCORE – 83
Tags: Alec Bradley, Family Blend
“QUICK PUFF” – Liga Privada T52
Jan 9, 2010 Cigar, Quick Puff
Tonight’s “Quick Puff” review is the new Liga Privada T52 by Drew Estates.
Drew Estate created the Liga Privada T52 Toro “stalk cut habano” for Steve Saka’s personal enjoyment and this cigar was released in 2009 at the New Orleans IPCPR show. A departure from the flavored cigars and budget sticks Drew Estate is known for, the Liga Privada T52 is quite complex. A multi-country blend of tobaccos the core of this cigar is the Dominican, Honduran, and Nicaraguan filler. The Brazilian Mata Fina binder is grown by Jose Fuego. The wrapper is a new wrapper never before used called the “stalk cut habano”.
The T52 has the same beautiful construction you find in the Liga Privada No.9. The wrapper is a flawless, smooth, oily beauty. It’s absolutely gorgeous. Aromas off the wrapper are of coffee bean and sweet tobacco. The T52 had a flavor profile very similar to the Liga Privada No.9 but with more intensity. There were some of the familiar dark chocolate, espresso and burnt sugar flavors. The difference is the power. The T52 has a more intensity with each of those flavors along with a black pepper and slight spice that I never found in the Liga No.9. It lit, and burned absolutely perfectly. For my palate, I prefer the No.9 over the T52 simply due to the medium body in the No.9. For those of you who enjoyed the No.9 but wanted little more “kick”, this might be just the cigar for you.
Tags: Liga Privada
