Stogie Reviews: Camacho Candela Monarca

8 Mar 2007

Once upon a time, candelas were the favored cigars of American smokers. In fact, these green wrappers were so popular they became known as “American Market Selection” (as opposed to the darker “English Market Selection” that dominates today). Now you’re lucky if you can even find one candela cigar in your local store.

Still, there are a few companies that make candelas, including Arturo Fuente, Don Thomas, Indian Tabac, and Camacho. A small but dedicated group of candela smokers enjoy them. So when I got my hands on a few of Camacho’s robusto-sized Comacho Corojo Candela Monarcas, I had to see what all the fuss was about.

Obviously the first thing that stands out about the five inch by 50 ring gauge stogie is the moss green wrapper that seemed to have more veins than it actually did because of the color. The cigar was firm to the touch and pre-light it gave off some sweet honey notes.

After clipping and lighting my uniquely-colored Robusto, I noticed some bitter banana peel notes that overwhelmed the traditional tobacco flavors. Fortunately, as the cigar progressed, these unpleasant artificial flavors faded and gave way to grassy notes, leaving the cigar extremely mild. On the plus side, the construction on these sticks is flawless and the draw is just right.

Overall, while I don’t think the candela is going to be anything more than a rare change of pace due to its combination of mild strength and disagreeable chemical flavors, I still would recommend that all serious cigar smokers try at least one.

And with St. Patrick’s Day just around the corner, what better time to give a green cigar a try? The Camacho Candela Monarca receives a rating of two and 1/2 out of five stogies.