Back in 2012, Christian Eiroa, formerly the Owner of Camacho Cigars, launched his own brand CLE Cigars. As part of that launch he introduced an inaugural set of blends under the CLE name. One of those was the CLE Corojo. Five years later, the brand is still going strong and the CLE Corojo is still a value priced cigar in a pricey cigar market.
You have to love those in the cigar industry that not only care about their consumers but also give back to the community they make their cigars in. Christian is one such person. According to the CLE Cigars website:
Christian Luis Eiroa has three goals for the future of Honduras: building educational opportunities, reforestation, and renewable energy. Through La Angostura School, we can begin to build the future for the children of Honduras, but what happens by the time the children graduate? Most young men in Honduras find themselves addicted to alcohol by the time their teenage years roll around; while most women find themselves pregnant at all too young an age. Christian’s vision is build scholarships and opportunities for advanced education. By providing a means for children to grow, he believes that children will focus on a greater world of opportunities rather than following the footsteps of those before them.
I was recently at my friends cigar shop here in Rockledge, FL – Paradise Cigarz – and decided to pick one of these timeless cigars up. I am glad I did, asit is not only a fine cigar but I know my purchase will, in small way help Christian achieve his vision for Honduras.
The CLE Corojo is a Honduran puro blend described as:
- Wrapper – Honduran Corojo
- Binder – Honduran
- Filler – Honduran
They are available in 4 different vitolas and packed in 25-count boxes:
- 11/18 (Toro) (6 x 54) MSRP $6.50
- Corona Gorda (5.7 x 46) MSRP $5.50
- Robusto (5 x 50) MSRP $5.90
- Sixty (double toro) (Gordo) (6 x 60) MSRP $6.90
Pre-Light Examination
The CLE Corojo is a stunning milk chocolate-brown cigar that is finished with a well applied triple cap and light on veins. The wrapper has a smooth feel to it and the cigar is solid to the touch. The Pre-light aromas were spice along the barrel and a nutty pepper on the foot. The band on the CLE Corojo is simple,very simple – just a red, silver, and gold band with the letters CLE and the word Corojo imprinted on it.
Once the cap is removed, the cold draw had a slight restriction to it while offering notes of pepper, earth, and citrus. There was also a shake or two of black pepper that grows a bit as I rolled it about.
For this review I sampled the 11/18 (Toro) which is actually classified as a figurada since the it tapers slightly at the head and the foot.
Cigar Review Notes
CLE Corojo
CLE Corojo
CLE Corojo
CLE Corojo
CLE Corojo
CLE Corojo
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CLE Corojo
- Starts off with a pleasant pepper burn on the nasals
- Sweetness builds early on the lips
- Cinnamon and cocoa join in to deliver a pleasant flavor combination
- Profile settled quickly into a delicious blend of tobacco
- Sweetness picks up
- Smoke is full and creamy
- Vegetal note enters
- Roasted nut aroma wafts off the foot
- Love how the smoke volume increases as the burn moves past the taper
- Wrapper is oiling up well
- Creamy Coffee notes fill in the background at the start of the second third
- Sweet citrus notes enter mid second third
- Medium grey ash is solid, but falls as the cigar widens
- Nicely centered burn cone
- Spice moves up in the profile in end of second third
- Very consistent cigar sweetness maintains in the background and on the finish
- Medium Strength
- Total Smoking Time was roughly 90 minutes
CLE Corojo
Overall, the CLE Corojo is certainly a timeless cigar and a standard for what a budget conscious consumer can find on a shelf. This was a well constructed and flavorful Honduran puro and it is no wonder these are still selling strong after 5 years. This is one cigar I highly recommend as an addition to your every day rotation in your humidor.