“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.
Camacho Triple Maduro
Jun 26, 2009 Cigar
From the wrapper to the filler and binder, the Camacho Triple Maduro consists entirely of fine maduro leaves. Maduro, which stems from the Spanish word for “ripe,” is a process by which the leaves from the higher more flavorful plant primings are fermented for long periods of time at high temperatures. This process draws out the sugars in the plant, thus turning the leaf a dark brown or sometimes even black color.
The Camacho Triple Maduro is a prime example of the perfection of this art. The cigar itself is an exceptionally full flavored smoke that is both strong and complex.
And now, on to the review.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Size: 6×54 (Torpedo)
Origin: Honduras
Wrapper: Honduras
Binder: Honduras
Filler: Honduras
APPEARANCE and CONSTRUCTION -
Wrapper is a rough looking and toothy. It feels very thick and hearty. It’s jet black with no apparent blemishes.
There are no soft spots and there’s actually a firm feel to the cigar. A well constructed cigar in all aspects. I am still always awed by the beautiful silver band on the Triple Maduro. It’s one of the nicest bands in the business.
SMOKING CHARACTERISTICS -
The foot and wrapper both have an intense smell of sweet raisin. It’s so apparent, it made me chuckle a little.
Draw was very consistent with a slight resistance.
Trip Maduro lit evenly and burned quite well throughout the smoke. Required almost no touch-ups or re-lights.
The ash is firm and a beautiful white color which contrasts so nicely with the extremely dark wrapper.
The smoke was light and fairly airy as it floated to the ceiling.
FLAVOR -
The initial flavors were a sweet tobacco flavor with a little bit of earthiness. The earthiness picked up in the second third and that was the predominant flavor overall. The final third introduced a woody flavor intermixed with the earthiness. Definitely a full-bodied smoke, but not the powerhouse that everyone seems to think it is. I’ve generally found the Triple Maduro to be on the mid-range of full-bodied smokes.
OVERALL IMPRESSION -
The flavor profile of this smoke always appealed to me. The sweet earthiness is a taste I enjoy a lot in cigars. The beautiful presentation of the wrapper, band and construction all add to a wonderful smoking experience. Although pricey, they are a very good smoke that I treat myself to. Would definitely buy again.
TOTAL SCORE – 93
Tags: Camacho, Triple Maduro
