Camacho Triple Maduro: Old Vs. New

I have been told the blends have been changed and they haven't been changed. All I can say for sure is, that for one reason or another the two cigars were much different. I'm not sure if I will ever know the truth.

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This is a pretty unique review for me. It's not often I have two versions of one cigar. It just happened that a few weeks ago while at Cigar Train I picked up the Camacho Triple Maduro in the old version, then last week the new versions arrived in the store so I picked up the new Camacho Triple Maduro with this review in mind.

Quick Details:
	Old	New
Cigar Size:	4.5 x 50	5 x 50
Wrapper:	Maduro	San Andres Maduro (Mexico)
Binder:	Maduro	Authentic Corojo Maduro
Filler:	Maduro	Maduro (HN, DR, BR)
Pairing:	Cravens French Roast	Cravens French Roast
Price:	8.99	9.99

Old Blend: Construction wise this was a pretty nice cigar. The dual silver bands   create a nice contrast with the dark maduro wrapper.  The sturdy, toothy wrapper was rolled on   with near seamless care there were only a couple of small veins that could be   seen.  Checking the body, it was packed   firm with no excessive hard or soft areas to be found. Checking cold aromas   from the foot, there were only faint tobacco notes. I found the same flavor   in the free cold draw once the cap was clipped. After toasting the foot the first few draws were a bold mix of red   pepper, barnyard and cocoa.  This mix   faded about ½ inch in and was replaced by a nice mix of cream and chocolate   lasting to around the cigar’s mid-point. Once the burn hit half way the   flavors changed drastically. The last half was a mix of strong black pepper,   dirty chocolate and peppered earth. It was just not my idea of how a triple   maduro cigar should taste. The mix was ok if you like pepper, but I was disappointed. The burn of this cigar was the highlight. This 4.5 inch stick burned   for 65 minutes and I consider myself a fast smoker. Don’t get me wrong, if you are a pepper fan, which I am not, this   would be a great cigar.

New Blend: Construction wise this new line triple maduro was first class. The   new dual band design gives this cigar a great look. This wrapper with a light   amount of tooth was rolled on with seamless care and it was virtually vein   free. The body was firmly packed with no hard or soft spots to be found.   Since the other reviews of the Camacho new line cigars had went so well I was   expecting big things from this cigar. Once the cigar was free from its   cellophane prison, I found notes of tobacco and cocoa from the foot.  This is more like I thought a triple maduro   cigar should be. I clipped the cap and tested the cold draw. The draw was   free, but I received a solid full bodied blast of tongue burning red pepper.   You can only imagine my surprise and my fear that this new line cigar would   be a red pepper bomb. With apprehension I toasted the foot and lit the cigar. To my   surprise the first mouthfuls of smoke were a nice mix full bodied mix of   earth and cocoa. Some cream followed by some mild brown sugar soon joined in.   This was exactly how I thought a triple maduro cigar should taste.  As the burn progressed notes of campfire,   toast and molasses joined the mix. In the final inch my favorite burnt mocha   mix arrived giving this cigar a super finish! This cigar had a bit of a wavy burn line and the ash had a funky   spilt the first inch but it all evened out by the mid-point and a nice oily   sheen devolved on the wrapper the last half. The burn time on this cigar was   again fantastic lasting a full 60 minutes. As I mentioned, this cigar had the flavor mix I was expecting from a   triple maduro cigar. I think Camacho really hit the mark on this re-blend.   Give it a try and see what you think.

Ratings:
	Old	New
Construction:	18	19
Flavor:	16	19
Smoking Characteristics:	19	19
Overall Experience:	19	19
Purchase Price:	18	18
Total	90	94