Founded in 2016, Caminos Cigars is the creation of Cesar A. Reyes in collaboration with Francisco “Chico” Rivas. You may know the 30 year cigar industry veteran – Chico Rivas – as the master blender for Quesada Cigars but he has since opened his owned factory, Manufactura Rivas, in the Dominican Republic and has been producing a number of small boutique lines including Caminos. After early reviews and feed back on the Caminos initial blends, the company has re-blended and tweaked the original recipes to commemorate the company’s five year anniversary. Today I would like offer a review a review of one of those, the Caminos Cigars 5th Anniversary San Andres, specifically the robusto vitola.
The Caminos Cigars 5th Anniversary San Andres has blend described by the company as:
- Wrapper -San Andres
- Binder – HVA ((Havana Vuelta Abajo)
- Filler – Dominican and Nicaraguan
They are expressed in 2 vitolas, each packaged in 20-count boxes::
- Cortos Robusto (5.5 x 54) – MSRP $8.25
- Trillo Toro (6 x 52) – MSRP $8.75
For this review, I focused on the Cortos robusto vitola, which I received from the company for the purpose of reviewing on Stogie Press.
Pre-Light Examination
The Caminos Cigars 5th Anniversary San Andres is an dark, oily, reddish brown cigar that has a light amount of tooth (gritty) to it. The cigar is solidly packed from head to foot with no soft spots along the barrel. There a a few visible veins running through the wrapper and it is finished with a simple cap.
Two bands adorn the cigar. The primary band reminds me of a baseball logo with its centered diamond and the scripted name “CAMINOS” printed across it. The name El Retiro is printed below which translates roughly to “retreat, rest, or meditation”, which is apropos for a cigar – as that is what we normally enjoy them for. A secondary band is placed just below the primary that uses the same color motif as the primary and displays a dark letter “V” and the dates 2016 and 2021 denoting the company’s 5th anniversary.
As I ran the cigar along the nose, I noted the pungent fermented leaf and earthy aromas along the barrel while the foot exuded the same pungent note.
Using my double blade cutter, I sliced the cap straight across the shoulder and proceeded to give it some cold draw puffs that I found to be satisfactory with regards to restriction and draw as it offered notes of natural tobacco sweetness, earth, and a hint of peppery spice.
Using my double flame torch, I warmed the foot gently bringing it to an even orange glow and drew in the first few puffs of smoke that were a tad harsh on the palate to begin the journey. Follow along as I burn the Caminos Cigars 5th Anniversary San Andres to ash.
Cigar Review Notes
- First puffs were a little harsh to start
- Medium volume of smoke
- White ash forms on top of a decent burn line
- A mild honey nuance joins the profile
- Sour citrus notes evolve through the first inch
- The citrus notes begin to morph into a sour cherry
- I feel it is still trying to find its way through the first third
- Ash fell in a decent chunk revealing an off centered burn cone
- The burn is a bit wavy but does not require a touch up
- Dark chocolate and malt nuances present themselves under the ever present sour cherry note
- Things start to develop as cream notes enter in the second third
- Toasted Cracker notes blend with the dark chocolate and cream
- Aroma shifts to a sweet cinnamon entering the final third
- Earth and cedar notes become prevalent in the final down to the nub
- Medium Strength
- Total Smoking Time was 1 hour and 30 minutes
Final Analysis
I found the Caminos Cigars 5th Anniversary San Andres Cortos to be a medium strength cigar that unfortunately took a good third to find its way with regards to flavor. Starting off with some harsh notes to begin, it evolved into honey and sour citrus notes before offering a sour cherry note. Once into the second third, the cigar started show what it had with notes of dark chocolate, malt and cream. The remainder of the cigar was a pleasant experience but I had to power through that first third. From a burn perspective, it had a decent ash but started to exhibit a wavy burn line that eventually corrected itself. This is one that may need a bit more aging on it. I might smoke one again. I rate this an 88.
Point Deductions: (-1) Harsh Start; (-1) Sour Notes in first third; (-1) Off Centered Burn Cone; (-1) Wavy burn midway; (-1) may try one again; (-1) Medium Volume of Smoke
