Camacho Liberty 2016 Cigar Review

The Camacho Liberty has been in production since 2002 and it will be interesting to see if this line can survive the FDA regulations that are almost upon us. While the cigar has been marketed continuously since the 2007 date; then the blend has changed from year to year.

According to a press release, “This year’s Camacho Liberty cigar is a rich and powerful blend featuring tobaccos from five different origins, skillfully rolled in a proprietary 11/18 figurado format (48 x 54 x 48 x 6) and medium-to-full in intensity. As with each of the Liberty releases, the recipe takes inspiration from one of the best concept blends of the year developed by our master builders. Utilizing rare, hand-selected tobaccos not available in sufficient quantities for full production, the Camacho Liberty Series blend is unique in the sense it can never be replicated again.”

Cigar Review: Camacho Liberty 2016
Country of Origin: Honduras
Factory: Agroindustria LAEPE S.A.
Wrapper: Habana 2000 (Ecuador)
Binder: Original Corojo (Honduras)
Filler: San Andres Ligero (Mexico), Esteli Ligero (Nicaragua), San Vicente Seco (Dominican Republic) Ometepe Seco (Nicaragua)
Length: 6″
Ring Gauge: 48 x 54 x 48
Vitola: 11/18
Strength: Full

The Look: Packaged in gorgeous matte black boxes, the cigars are lined up inside in individual coffins. Today’s cigar is numbered 7,222 and wrapped in tissue paper inside the cedar made box. As for the cigar, it features a band showcasing a triangular folded flag with the words, “The land of the free and the home of the brave.” The cigar has a nice amount of visible oils and some medium-sized veins but it is rolled to perfection.

The Notes: The one thing about every Camacho Liberty is the aroma that comes off the cigar as it sits just above my keyboard prior to light it. The cedar fills the room and is easily identified and calls out to me. The foot of the cigar is predominantly cedar, but there is an element of vanilla as well. The cold draw of the cigar has elements of leather and a subtle sweetness.

Once the cigar is lit there is an abundance of spice on the aroma and on through the nose from the two ligero leaves of the cigar. As the spice calms down there are definitive notes of raisins and coffee with a hint of fig trying to work its way into the mix.

In the second third the cigar really begins to shine as the cedar notes take hold on the palate and on the aroma. Though the nose the pepper has subsided tremendously as hints of balsa wood begin to emerge. Look, yeah I get it. But when I retrohaled Balsa instantly entered my mind from nowhere.

In the last third the cedar is in full effect as the aroma fills my office and my co-worker even comments on the sweet smelling cedar. A touch of leather develops on the palate while the finish of the cigar is long and woody.

The Burn: The cigar had a perfect draw, while the ash of the cigar was firm and held on for almost half of the cigar. Almost white it color it had a smooth appearance and no flake. The burn was flawless and the combustion line got smaller as the cigar progressed never needing to be relit or touched up.

The Finish: Two things really stand out about the 2016 Liberty. The first is they should age really well, and while there is no way to know that for sure I think it has the characteristics of a cigar that should age exceptionally well. The second is this is the strongest Liberty to date. So much so it caught me off guard. It may not be the best Liberty to date but it is definitely worthy of the name.

Score: 89
Price: $17.99 / $324.99