Camacho American Barrel-Aged Robusto

For cigar aficionados, the Camacho brand is synonymous with “full” – as in full-bodied, full-flavored, and full of character. Their blends usually promise a powerful well-balanced smoke brimming with aromatic flavor. This is precisely why Camacho makers Christian and Julio Eiroa have developed such a loyal cult-like following – that and their profile of 90+ rated cigars. While new innovations are common in the cigar industry, and some are a hit and some are not, the Camacho American Barrel Aged robusto you have in your shipment today is definitely a hit. Thinking outside the box has always been a part of the Camacho brand, and this one is one for the books.

The Camacho American Barrel-Aged robusto is the first to be produced in Davidoff of Geneva's prestigious Dominican factory and utilizes nearly 100% American tobacco leaves. Working from the inside out, the Camacho American Barrel-Aged features a well-aged blend of American Broadleaf, Pennsylvania Maduro and barrel-aged Corojo leaves that have been aged for five months in Kentucky bourbon barrels. This unique blend is then secured with an American Broadleaf binder and topped with an impressive bold and oily American Broadleaf wrapper. True to Camacho, this smoke is full-bodied with notes of pepper, cashew, and sweet spices that have a subtle undertone of bourbon. Smooth, powerful, and unique, enjoy the stogie with a single malt whiskey.

Though tobacco is indigenous to Hispaniola, the tobacco industry in the Dominican Republic existed in the shadow of Cuba’s dominance through the 1960s. When the exodus of Cuban cigar makers began in the wake of the revolution, many decided the Dominican Republic would be ideal for the resumption of their livelihoods. Unrest in Nicaragua in the 1980s fueled the Dominican cigar industry further. The country now makes more than half of the premium cigars imported into the U.S.

The Cibao Valley and the nearby city of Santiago are the center of cigar production in the Dominican Republic. Three main varieties are grown here: the mild and native Olor Dominicano; the intense Piloto Cubano, brought from the Vuelta Abajo of Cuba; and San Vicente, a milder and more acidic Piloto hybrid. Dominican puros were once unheard of as it was widely thought impossible to grow quality wrapper leaf on the island, but new growing techniques are now allowing some exceptional puros to be produced.