Stogie Reviews: Camacho Connecticut Monarca
27 Jul 2009
Since it debuted in May as the company’s first Connecticut-wrapped blend, I’ve heard mixed things about Camacho’s Connecticut line. Some folks love it. Some, including one of my local tobacconists, think Camacho invested too much into marketing and too little into quality control. And some think the smaller sizes are great while the larger vitolas are more average. Love it or hate it, it was high time I tried this blend for myself.
Camacho Connecticut represents a new direction for this Miami-based company. From Corojo and Camacho Select to Triple Maduro and Coyolar, Camacho is known its full-bodied smokes. This line is their “response to countless consumer and retailer requests for something on the other side of the strength spectrum.â€
With six vitolas, this blend is intended to fill the niche for a “spicy yet milder mannered Connecticut-wrapped cigar with superb balance and signature Camacho body.†Aside from the smooth, dry, and delicate Ecuadorian Connecticut-seed wrapper, Camacho Connecticut includes a Honduran binder and filler tobaccos from Honduras and the Dominican Republic. It is manufactured by the Eiroa family at the Tabacos Rancho Jamastran in Honduras.
I paid $5.65 apiece in a local shop for two Monarcas (5 x 50). Both include faint pre-light notes of nuts and sawdust off the golden wrapper leaf. The cold taste reveals a clear draw with some tingle on the lips.
Devoid of much resemblance to Connecticut tobacco, the first half inch sports a lot of that Camacho punch, including flavors of black pepper, dry wood, and plenty of spice. Not overwhelming, but definitely attention-grabbing.
Then, as the cigar comes into its own, some of the tastes you’d expect—including cream, hay, and almond—join in to add complexity and smoothness. The interplay between the lighter wrapper and the heavier binder and filler tobaccos is the defining characteristic of this blend. As the even burn progresses and the tight ash builds off the foot, the spice slowly re-builds without overcoming the softer tones.
So, between the love it or hate it extremes, I’m leaning definitively in the complimentary direction. This departure for Camacho, in my book, proves to be a winning strategy—and cigar enthusiasts who appreciate more subtle cigars should put this on their wish lists. For its interaction of mild and medium tobaccos, abundant smoke, and good combustion qualities, the Camacho Connecticut Monarca earns four stogies out of five.
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While not being a big fan of most other Camachos on the market, I was thoroughly impressed by this milder offering from them. It is on the mild side and yet still is very flavorful and the price point is truly surprising for Camacho.
I would rank it in the top 3 mild smokes on the market along with the Oliva Connecticut and Nub Connecticut (all of which tend to be on the mild-to-medium side of mild). All 3 of these cigars offer wonderful flavors in a mild smoke for a price that is a fraction of what you would pay for something like a Davidoff or AVO.
I'll have to try this one. So far, the H. Upmann Signature Monarca is the best of this genre but getting harder to find.
I have had a few and prefer them over the Oliva Connecticut.
I think Camacho has a winner:)
Nice review.
These are some mighty tasty Connecticut wrapped cigars. The figurado shape is definitely my favorite or the line. Creamy, toasty billowing clouds of smoke. Give me one of these over a Davidoff any day of the week both my palette and my wallet love this cigar.
I smoked half of one of these and threw it out. You nailed it though when you said hints of saw dust. Why would someone enjoy the taste of sawdust??
Really great to see other tobaccos besides Dominican paired with Connecticut wrappers. Interesting smoke. This was more earthy and mossy than the Nicaraguan Connecticuts like Oliva White.
I've kept this cigar in my humidor since it's release. There has been rumor that Camacho did not have good quality control when releasing this cigar. Based on my experience this line has actually changes for the better over time. I would agree on some of the low reviews when I would get a "bad" stick in 2009 when they were released. However, each stick I light now, probably since Spring of this year, is very consistent–with the 4 out of 5 rating. Although I can't speak to someone's personal tastes, this line is worth another go if you haven't tried one, or did and it's been a while.