Camacho black band A (connecticut monarch)
 

Some time ago, Camacho cigars made a viral advertising campaign called ‘the black band project’ that was supposed to take care of all the prejudice there is about Cuban cigars versus Non Cuban cigars. Everybody, well, almost everybody as the demand was bigger than Camacho expected and there were problems with the shipping, that signed up and watched the video’s got 3 cigars for free.

http://i538.photobucket.com/albums/f...A/DSC02611.jpg

The three cigars are packed in a nice cardboard box and have “specially selected and hand rolled for Mr.X” on the band, to stay in the style of the viral. You can see the difference kinds of wrappers used and the bands mention an A, B or C and on the website you can check which one is which. The A turns out to be a Connecticut, in a 5 x 50 robusto size called the Monarcha.

http://i538.photobucket.com/albums/f...A/DSC02612.jpg

The Camacho Connecticut is made with a Connecticut wrapper from Ecuador, Honduran binder and filler from Honduras and the Dominican Republic. The wrapper is nice, light brown colored with a silky feel to it. The construction doesn’t feel good, I can feel a lot of soft spots, a sign that this cigar is under filled. Because of that I decided to punch instead of cut, and the predraw confirms my feelings, the draw is way too light and leaves me with a mix of spices and a bit of chocolate. The cigar has a strong hay aroma.

http://i538.photobucket.com/albums/f...A/DSC02619.jpg

After lighting that hay flavor that I got in the predraw is the dominant flavor with mild chocolate as support. The cigar is mild spicy and slowly some spices become noticeable. Halfway into the cigar the hay is gone and all I can taste is a creamy flavor of spices and at the end that flavor is supported by some nuts.

http://i538.photobucket.com/albums/f...A/DSC02620.jpg

The cigar started with a crooked burn but after a correction it was just fine. The ash is firm and medium gray, and as you can see from picture 3, the cigar produces a lot of smoke. Unfortunately, due to the bad construction of the cigar, the draw was way too light. The strength of the flavors are medium to full, and the strength of the cigars is medium.

http://i538.photobucket.com/albums/f...A/DSC02621.jpg

Would I buy this cigar again? No, although I liked the flavors

Appearance: 7 / 10
Construction: 5 / 10
Draw: 5 / 10
Smoke & ash: 7 / 10
Burn: 7 / 10
Aroma (first part) 7 / 10
Aroma (middle part) 7 / 10
Aroma (last part) 7 / 10

Re: Camacho black band A (connecticut monarch)
 

Nice review, I had cigar B a few days ago which was pretty good, cigar A might not be my taste due to the wrapper, but we will see, it was free after all.
Good review, thanks!

Re: Camacho black band A (connecticut monarch)
 

Thanks for the review Ferdinand!

Re: Camacho black band A (connecticut monarch)
 

Thanks Ferdie! This was one of the cigars I PIFed along, so I never had the opportunity to try it.

Re: Camacho black band A (connecticut monarch)
 

I smoked this today on the way to work. I enjoyed the first half inch and then tossed it. :(

Re: Camacho black band A (connecticut monarch)
 

Thanks for sharing. By the time I had signed up to receive these...they were all gone. :td Curious about stick C!!

Re: Camacho black band A (connecticut monarch)
 

I really enjoyed the A, but I haven't had the B or C. Thanks Ferdie...

Re: Camacho black band A (connecticut monarch)
 

Thanks for the review Ferdie. :tu

Re: Camacho black band A (connecticut monarch)
 

You can find the review of the B here and the C here or on my blog.

Re: Camacho black band A (connecticut monarch)
 

Thanks, Ferdie. I got these a year ago or so and smoked the first one, the A, yesterday. Your experience is very similar to mine, except mine had no construction problems whatsoever: clipped perfectly, burned *very* straight, and drew fine, if slightly easy. The flavors, as you note, were quite nice -- some mild spices on top of creamy chocolate and nuts. I was pleasantly surprised, because I'd had a Camacho Connecticut a few months ago and wasn't that impressed with it. Perhaps the smaller vitola is better? perhaps the year in my humi allowed it to improve?