Camacho American Barrel Aged Review: A Full Bodied Cigar With A Touch Of Bourbon Sweetness

This is truly an “American” cigar featuring American Broadleaf Tobacco in the wrapper, binder, and filler. With the filler further complemented by Pennsylvania Maduro and Camacho’s famed “Original Corojo” which has been aged for six years, and finished in American Bourbon casks for five months.

The finishing process allows the Corojo leaf to absorb some of the “devil’s cut” of bourbon left in the American Bourbon oak barrels. The initial batch was for 2,000 lb (900 kg) of Corojo leaf, with each leaf being hand rotated every several weeks so that an even flavor profile was imparted.

Cigar Look & Feel

• Wrapper Hue: Dark American Broadleaf
• Rolling Consistency: Fantastic construction, of the 10 smokes thus far zero issues
• Spring: Ample spring, not spongy or firm. The Camacho “Powerband” bunching technique never seems to disappoint
• Aromas: Woody with a faint must, oaky, slightly smokey and sweet

Box Presentation

It shall come as no shock to Bespoke Unit’s regular readers that I’m a fan of Camcho’s “bold” boxes. Again this does not disappoint.

The glossy top proudly features the Camacho log, alongside three American Bourbon casks, with other information pertaining to what’s inside the box.

I’m a sucker for the details, and the box has many of them without being overwhelming. From the bourbon color brown / orange used for the sub box color & logo, all the way down to the branded Camacho hinges that are recessed and hand-screwed in.

The inside of the box does not disappoint either.

It features a wood print of the bourbon casks and some information on the cigar itself. I love it when brands do this, as it’s a huge help when shopping one’s local cigar store. It’s a quick and easy way for us the consumer to get the inside scoop on the cigar’s story, its build, intensity and flavor profile. As such, it allows a more informed choice to be made.

Camacho American Barrel Aged Cigar Review

Pre-Lighting Experience

• Draw: medium to light resistance
• Aromas: woody / earth, some sweetness of oak, and dark biter chocolate

Above one can see the exposed head of the cigar after the cut. Here, the “powerband” bunching technique can be seen.

1st Third Smoking Experience

• Notes: there is medium-to-high smoke output, with a medium-full body. As for the flavors, I was consistently getting sweet flavors, woody, cashew and caramel.  Depending on the time of day and my palette I could “get” these flavors, or “just” an intense experience. Either way it was enjoyable.

The cigars burned very evenly, of all tested.

2nd Third Smoking Experience

I was writing this very blog entry, and took my eye off the burn allowing it go all the way to the band!

However, the build and construction were spot on once again.

• Notes: By this point the cigar had evolved quite a bit, that initial top sweetness has dissipated, and I was getting a little bit of a white pepper ping but not spicy. Other traits are earth, woody and deeper sweetened more akin to bourbon itself.

Final Third Smoking Experience

I enjoyed these smokes all the way down to the nub!

The smoke output was slightly higher, but never got too hot. I’m not a fan of overly hot smokes and thus usually favor larger ring gauges. Even as a 50 gauge, this was corresponded well to my preferences.

To reiterate, even this low I have no burn issues, being consistent all the way down.

• Notes: all the way down the bottom I even picked up some slight creaminess, liked to that touch of vanilla often found in Bourbon imparted from the oak casks. The boldness and layered complexity was still present.

I’d also like to comment on the fantastic performance of the end of the cigars, maintaining structural integrity right down to the smallest of nubs. I know many guys don’t go that far, but for those of us who do, it’s good to know!

Overall Burn

• Ash Backbone: strong, exceeding over an inch
• Burn Angle: even and very consistent
• Temperature: low
• Draw: medium to light
• Final Smoking Time: roughly 60 mins

Ideal Pairings With An American Barrel Aged Cigar

Having enjoyed 10 of these cigars I tried several pairings. Obviously, I also experienced several on their own, which, by the way, is a great option too!

As a bold smoking experience, I favored bold offerings. I paired against a Pinot Noir, and it just wasn’t up to the task.

Many people shall pair with their favorite bourbon and rightly so. I also enjoyed it with a more woody rum, anything sweet became a bit too much.

One of the greatest pairings I enjoyed was having the cigar with some hard cheeses, prosciutto and a Petite Sirah. The grape had more then enough to stand up to this intense smoking experience.

When Should You Smoke?

As Camacho says itself, these are bold everyday smokes.

I enjoyed them while cutting the grass in my yard and on my center city balcony with some robust wine.

For me this is definitely an afternoon and evening smoke, as it’s too full-bodied for a morning / empty stomach companion.

Closing Thoughts

A most enjoyable smoke that offers great value in the $12 dollar range category. Its labor-intensive process really does add to this stick, and brings a lot of Americana to the table too!

Pairs well with robust foods, drinks, and activities.

Could maybe have a slightly longer burn time.

Overall a box worth purchasing (not only for the cigars, but a stunning box itself!)

Further Reading

If you enjoyed reading this cigar review, feel free to check out more related content:

• Camacho Nicaraguan Barrel Aged
• All Camacho Cigar Reviews
• Camacho Brand History
• Bespoke Unit – Cigar Homepage