Vitola: Robusto/Rothschild- 4.5” x 50 ring gauge
- MSRP $8.50
- Purchased at Burns Tobacconist
Background
In a rather unusual move for the cigar industry, in February Davidoff started telling retailers exactly what was coming up in 2018 for several of their lines, including Camacho. The email in my inbox came in February 7, 2018, so that’s when I have to say the Coyolar was “officially” announced. This is the second “what’s old is new again” release from Camacho in 2018, following the Candela.
Admittedly, I didn’t know this was a re-release, which I guess shows how much impact some of the old Camacho lines had on me. This is being billed as “Boldness Without Boundaries” and “Camacho fully unleashed.” The Coyolar is another Honduran puro from Camacho, although this one is slightly different in that it uses a “Single Farm Vintage” approach to the tobaccos, sourcing all the leaf from a single 15-acre farm near the mountains that join Honduras and Nicaragua. All the tobacco used is Criollo varietal—another departure since Camacho is primarily known for its Honduran Corojo. And I’m going to say right up front that this is a strong, full-bodied cigar…if you’re looking for something like a Camacho Connecticut, you are in the wrong place.
I’ve smoked several of the Coyolar blend, in Robusto/Rothschild, Super Toro, and Perfecto #1 sizes. I purchased this review blend at Burns Tobacconist.
Prelight
Starting off I will explain why I’ve referred to this cigar twice as Robusto/Rothschild. The barcode sticker on the cigar says “Robusto” while the marketing materials (and box, I believe) say “Rothschild.” I’m going to keep referring to it as whichever one pops into my mind when I am typing, but rest-assured there is just one 4.5 x 50 size.
The Coyolar box and banding follows suit with the re-branding of Camacho several years ago, though more with their “higher end” issues like Triple Maduro, Brotherhood Series or the Barrel-Aged Series in that the boxes and bands seem to be just a little fancier. The main band may be a little too understated as it’s actually very hard to see the band on the cigar and hard to read the medium-dark gray type against the dark gray and black background. Perhaps they should have carried over the red foil from the foot band for some of the elements on the main band to make it pop a little more. Speaking of the foot band, the triangular mountain representation there reminded me a little bit of the Davidoff Nicaragua triple triangles.
Did I mention that the wrapper leaf was very dark? Yes, it was when I mentioned that the band was hard to see against the leaf. I don’t think they classify this as a Maduro cigar, but it is a very dark leaf…probably more “Oscuro.” It had an oily feel and the aroma from it was rich earth, leather, and espresso bean. The foot of the cigar had more earthiness, but slightly less pungent, along with a cocoa powder note.
The cold draw was very good. It had a mix of semi-sweet chocolate and cedar notes (good), along with a touch of a chemical, almost modeling glue, note (not so good…but I’ve had this before and it doesn’t translate to the burning cigar usually). The longer I held the cigar in my mouth the more I also got a burning peppery note.
Flavor
On light-up the Camacho Coyolar produced a thick, oily, heavy smoke that was rich with cedar flavor up front and a little berry sweetness on the back end. In between I got flavors of earth and leather and red and black pepper. The retrohale had a sharp red pepper burn that faded pretty quickly. As the first third went on the pepper decreased and the sweetness grew more prominent, changing into a more chocolatey note that went quite well with the pepper. From the very start, the Coyolar was strong and full-bodied.
The second third burned through pretty quickly, delivering more spice and semi-sweet chocolate, along with earthy and leathery notes. The retrohale was still spicy, but also quite leathery at this point.
In the last third of the Coyolar, the earthier notes took over with espresso bean making an appearance at last. The sweeter flavors took a back seat, balancing nicely with the spiciness.
Construction
I had a little trouble getting the Coyolar to burn evenly and consistently, but the draw was great and the ash was solid. The cigar was probably a little extra moist when shipped and even a couple weeks in my humidor didn’t totally fix that issue.
Value
Hovering around the $10 mark, the Coyolar is a reasonably priced Camacho, especially as it seems to be positioned toward the upper end of their regular lines.
Conclusions
If you are in the market for a full-bodied, strong cigar there are a few great choices—LFD Double Ligero, Cain F, RoMa Craft Neanderthal. I believe Camacho Coyolar is another excellent choice if that is what you enjoy. This cigar has the strength, but also a very full-flavored profile that has plenty of complexity to keep you interested the entire way.
By-The-Numbers
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9/10
