Camacho Distillery Edition Full Head-to-Head Review: Connecticut Vs. Corojo Vs. Ecuador

Distillery Edition Look & Feel

Needless to say, each blend has a drastically different appearance due to the various leaves used for the wrapper.

In the case of the Corojo, its eponymous leaf has a medium-brown colour with a slightly reddish hue. There are a few visible veins and the cigar is coated with tantalising sheen of oil. Overall, it’s quite firm with just a few soft bumps.

As for the Ecuador, it’s quite rustic in appearance with a wrapper that resembles cocoa nibs, a feint sheen, and very visible veins. However, the Connecticut is by far the most refined with a smooth texture and slight oiliness on its Ecuadorian wrapper.

In terms of aroma, each reveal a slightly boozy note. The Ecuador comes across as malted barley while the Corojo reveals butterscotch, and the Connecticut evokes brandy butter.

Otherwise, the Connecticut consists of hay and citrus bergamot, the Corojo or nutmeg and chocolate, and the Ecuador of leather and dark chocolate.

Camacho Distillery Edition Review

Paul Anthony and I split the boxes between us and tasted a fair few of the blends separately. We then compared notes in order to provide you with a full and detailed review of the cigars. I have personally smoked three of each but I believe that Paul has enjoyed a fair few more!

Pre-Lighting Experience

Camacho is well-known for its “powerband” bunching technique and the results speak for themselves. Indeed, each of the cigars tested had what we would regard as a perfect draw during the pre-light test.

Their pre-light flavours varied in a similar way to their initial aromas. For instance, the Corojo had a greater accent on bolder flavours, which consisted of vintage leather, spices, and cinnamon. Similarly, the boozy brandy butter was noted here rather than butterscotch in the nose.

As for the Ecuador, it also featured the notes of brandy butter and vintage leather. However, it a distinctive copper note that left a metallic taste on the tongue.

Finally, the Connecticut was quite similar to its original blend save for added butterscotch and a vanilla softness.

1st Third Smoking Experience

It goes without saying that each experience was vastly different from the first third all the way to the end. However, you could still identify their common use of the barrel-aged Corojo leaf. Nevertheless, this never revealed vivid notes of bourbon but would form unique accords with their other aromas.

Beginning with the Connecticut, the mildest of the three, it opens with a zesty note of star anise as well as soft vanilla. There’s also a slightly honey aroma that I would personally liken to mead or even French hydromel.

The Ecuador comes in as a more robust but still medium-bodied blend, mostly woody notes of oak and cedar. Yet, there’s some spicy toffee in there with a caramelised retrohole.

Finally, the Corojo is easily the most full-bodied with cinnamon in the forefront. Nevertheless, its first third is remarkably buttery with notes of fudge and buttercream.

2nd Third Smoking Experience

Interestingly, each blend share a common note of salted caramel in the second third. On each occasion, it’s expression was different due to the other components, but it can be easily be identified.

In reverse this time, from boldest the mildest, we begin with the Corojo. In the second third, it reveals some citrus notes that I would describe as grapefruit.

There’s also some zesty star anise similar to the Connecticut’s first third but with bolder presence as well as the salted caramel on the retrohale.

Similarly, there are sharp salted caramel aromas in the Ecuador. However, it’s considerably less prevalent with soft vanilla and a touch of pink pepper in the retrohale.

Meanwhile, the Connecticut offers an aromatic bouquet of crisp parsley. Its salted caramel note is much crystallised in character and quite buttery thanks to a boozy brandy butter note throughout.

Final Third Smoking Experience

Arriving towards the final third, and the experiences draw near their end. In the Connecticut’s case, it managed to retain the brandy butter note up until the nub. There are some very rewarding notes of nutmeg as well as an earthy terracotta aroma.

As for the Ecuador, it’s much earthier than its milder counterpart and quite peppery too. Additionally, the vintage leather note perceived in the pre-light returns with zealous punch.

Similarly, the Corojo has a strong, leathery presence. While it’s also remarkably peppery, it favours charred oak flavours rather than earth experienced in the other two blends.

Overall Burn

• Ash Backbone: Strong
• Burn Angle: Even
• Temperature: Cool
• Draw: Some Resistance
• Final Smoking Time: 75 – 105 Minutes

As hinted above, the Camacho cigars are very well constructed. As a result, you can expect even burning angles, a strong ash backbone and a cool smoke. However, they do reward patient and slow smoking.

Rushing through them will diminish the experience and you’ll likely lose out on the aforementioned caramelised notes.

Similarly, the draw was consistent with each blend. Although I had a preference for the Connecticut, both the Corojo and Ecuador were smooth with a rich smoke output.

Finally, the smoking time varied with each blend. Given the thicker, bolder leaves used in the Ecuador and Corojo, they were able to last for nearly 30 minutes more. Meanwhile, the Connecticut will burn faster even at the same temperature.

Ideal Pairings With A Camacho Distillery Edition

While the most suitable pairing may vary depending on the blend that you choose, they do have enough in common to go with similar things.

For instance, each will pair well with coffee and the resulting experience could be described as somewhat Irish. If this is your preference, I would opt for an espresso and choose its strength according to the cigar’s body.

Needless to say, each go very well with Kentucky bourbon and I would heartily recommend this pairing to reveal more of the cigars’ hidden notes. Likewise, a selection of dark rums would yield similar results.

In terms of snacks, chocolate is an ideal choice. Again, it’s worth tailoring your choice in chocolate according to your cigar blend. Additionally, peanuts would help extend the salted caramel notes. Finally, cured meat go well with both the Ecuador and Corojo.

However, if you want to spice things up a bit, why don’t you consider cheesecake with your Connecticut? It sounds wild but its creamy and zesty notes would work wonderfully with a dessert.

Overall Experience

If you’re fond of Camacho’s core lines then you’ll find the boxes quite familiar. In each case, they’ve taken the ranges design and colours and modified them to include the “Distillery Edition” branding. Otherwise, they’re the same lacquered boxes of great quality that we know and love.

As for the cigar’s bands, they’ve gone through a little bit more redesigning that resembles the Nicaraguan and American Barrel Aged blends from a few years ago. Rather than polygonal, they’re now square with information detailing the process. There’s also a second band on the foot in black.

Each of the blends retail at the same price of $185 for 20 cigars, which comes at $9.25 a stick. This is a typical pricing and we believe offers pretty decent value for money. However, Davidoff US is already running low on stocks so we would suggest that you hurry if you want to grab some!

When Should You Smoke A Camacho Distillery Edition?

Paul and I had a lot of fun comparing notes on the different blends. Consequently, we would suggest getting a selection of each and sharing them with friends as it’s a great little experiment.

Otherwise, these are ideal cigars as alternatives to your daily smokes and could accompany you at different times of the day. If you’re curious to know more about this, we have a number of guides that provide recommendations for the morning, the afternoon, evening, and night.

As for events, I wouldn’t really opt for these for more than casual occasions. They’re a bit pricey for parties but not quite elegant enough for formal occasions. Instead, I would consider them for small gatherings like barbecues with a selection of close friends.

Closing Thoughts

Although each blend offers a unique take on Camacho’s core lines, I wouldn’t go as far as saying that they replace or surpass them. Instead, I’d argue that they offer an original iteration that is certainly worth sampling.

As for the superior blend of the three, I’m personally fonder of the Connecticut than the Corojo and Ecuador. Given that it also performed better through the Bespoke Unit Cigar Formula, it’s probably the better blend of the three. Therefore, if you were only to pick one, I would recommend that you try that.

Further Reading

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