Camacho Liberty 2011

[BlackIrish]

The cigar: Camacho Liberty 2011

Nutritional information:Serving size: 6x54 figurado
Origin: Honduras
Filler: Dominican Republic, Honduras
Binder: Honduras
Wrapper: Honduras

The marketing:
As with all editions of the Liberty Series, this new blend is constructed in our proprietary 11/18 format (48x54x48x6) and selected from our best concept blends of the year. This particular cigar, medium-to-full in body, is the perfect combination of balance, strength, and aroma. The sophistication of the 2011 Camacho Liberty is second to none. Filler tobaccos from (3) unique countries of origin provide for an intensely flavorful and complex experience that is truly extraordinary.

Each master box consists of twenty limited edition cigars packed and individually numbered in their own cedar coffins. These single cigar cedar coffins are best stored whole inside your humidor, and will allow the Liberty’s to age properly without absorbing the characteristics of other cigars stored in the same unit.
(courtesy of Camacho)

Pre-Light: Beautifully packaged in its coffin and elegantly banded, this figurado looks quite nice. The wrapper is medium dark brown, glossy, with some veins. It's well rolled, firm but not hard to the touch. It doesn't have as much heft as I'd expect; it seems lighter, for instance, than the Triple Maduro 11/18. The triple cap is very well-applied, and it slices easily, exposing a very good, slightly easy draw. The flavors on the cold draw, toast and nuts, are lighter than I anticipated.


Construction and combustion: As you'd expect for a limited release cigar, this year's Liberty is very well built. The wrapper looks pretty, despite some moderate veining. The cap and head are sturdy, the bunching is excellent, and the draw is easy. I really like Camacho's 11/18 figurado, because it allows for some flavor dynamics, and this one was made quite well. The burn was top notch: the 11/18 lights easily and it burned straight from start to finish. The ash grows into a beautiful light gray biscuit, holding firm for an inch and half before dropping. No relights or even touch ups are needed, and the easy draw delivers a lot of smoke. Smoke time was about 1 hour and 20 minutes.


Flavor: This cigar is s-m-o-o-t-h. There's not a hint of pepper bite or harshness upon lighting. The flavors are immediately toasty and creamy. As we settle in, the flavor profile remains here: delicate and toasty, with creamy smoke, slightly sweet notes on the back palate, and a very short clean finish.

The flavors stay in this range throughout the balance of the cigar. At times I taste more vanilla, sometimes marshmallow, occasionally a note of cocoa, and sometimes a hint of fruitiness (I can't quite figure out what). As I got to the wider part of the cigar I got some nuttiness (cashew?) and a little bit later a smoky hickory flavor emerged.

The smoke was always smooth and soft, easy to retrohale. And that's good, because these flavors seemed delicate and subtle, requiring concentration.

I liked the body and flavor of the cigar, but I'll confess that by the last third I felt a little disappointed. What this cigar offered was good, but I'd expected more from such a pricey stick: more flavor, more dynamism, more something. I never got that. Maybe the Liberty 2011 will develop something more with a little rest (fortunately I have a couple that I can stick in the back of the humidor and forget about), but I'm reviewing it now, and right now it left me wanting.

Overall: When I think of Camacho, I think of big, full-flavored cigars that deliver a nicotine punch, like the Triple Maduro, the Coyolar, the Corojo. This year's Liberty is different. It's lighter, more delicate, smoother, more refined. It's beautifully constructed. That's all good. Here's the but: the Liberty 2011 is a bit one-dimensional, not as dynamic or complex as I expected. I'm hopeful that some more flavors and complexity will emerge with some age.