Camacho Factory Unleashed 2

Like most sequels, the Camacho Factory Unleashed 2 offers a number of similarities to and differences from the original release that came out in 2021.

Most notably, the blend is entirely different. This cigar uses an Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper over a Nicaraguan binder and corojo fillers from Honduras and the Dominican Republic, whereas the original version used an Ecuadorian corojo wrapper, Honduran binder and fillers from the Dominican Republic, Honduras and Nicaragua.

The Camacho Factory Unleashed 2 is also a bit more expensive than its predecessor, as it has an MSRP of $8 per cigar, while the original was priced at $7.80.

But there are plenty of similarities, including that both cigars are 6 x 50 toros that have an unfinished foot and are produced at Diadema Cigars de Honduras S.A. That production is capped at 125,000 cigars, offered in both bundles of 10 cigars and boxes—or crates—of 100 cigars. The majority of brick-and-mortar retail stores will receive the 100-count box format, while e-commerce and catalog retailers will see the cigars via the bundle option. The split between the two formats is 1,000 of the 100-count boxes and 2,500 of the 10-count bundles.

“Introducing the second release of a blend that represents the unorthodox potential and barrier-breaking innovation of our factory is a privilege and an honor,” said says Lana Fraser, director of marketing for Davidoff of Geneva USA, in a press release. “It goes without saying that the mighty Corojo is the core component in the blend that carries our badge of boldness, and the shaggy foot symbolizes the fearless character of the Camacho factory to always push boundaries even further. The aromas and flavor of this blend will indulge the palates of Camacho fans as well as expand the diversity of our portfolio.”

• Cigar Reviewed: Camacho Factory Unleashed 2
• Country of Origin: Honduras
• Factory: Diadema Cigars de Honduras S.A.
• Wrapper: Ecuador (Connecticut)
• Binder: Nicaragua
• Filler: Dominican Republic & Honduras (Corojo)
• Length: 6 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 50
• Vitola: Toro
• MSRP: $8 (Bundle of 10, $80; Box of 100, $800)
• Release Date: April 21, 2022
• Number of Cigars Released: 1,000 Boxes of 100 Cigars and 2,500 Bundles of 10 Cigar (125,000 Total Cigars)
• Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3

As soon as my fingers touch the cigar as it starts to slide out from its cellophane sleeve, I’m struck by waxy texture of the wrapper, reminding me immediately of a candle. But on the whole, the Camacho Factory Unleashed 2 offers a lot of visual details. The wrapper has some veins, the roll has some interesting little bumps, particularly at the head, the uncovered foot offers a visual and textural contrast to the wrapper, and the band feels like it almost jumps off the cigar with its colors and design. The cigar is consistently firm with just a bit of give, what I would generally think of to be a textbook example of how a cigar should be rolled. The foot’s aroma is fairly tame, reminding me a bit of dry cornflakes at first, then branching off into a bit of creaminess, vanilla cupcake, wheat bread, butter and sporadic hits of both white and black pepper. It is worth noting that no sample has all of these aromas, as they appear in varying quantities across the three cigars. The cold draw is smooth but with some varying levels of firmness, while the flavor is equally as mild as the aroma. The flavor moves a melted vanilla ice cream into the lead role, while the cereal flavor moves to the secondary role with some wheat bread crust behind that. One cigar has a very slight butter flavor to it, which creates a unique buttercream combination.

Smoking the first of the Camacho Factory Unleashed 2 samples on a Sunday morning, the cigar’s initial profile offers what I think most people would consider a typical morning cigar profile. It’s mild in intensity with bread and a bit of creaminess, and a little white pepper added to wake up the palate. There ends up being some variance between the samples. Given the small sample size, I don’t want to conflate a firmer draw with a heavier profile, but that is my experience as one sample has a heartiness that suggests wheat rolls and a bit of earthiness. I don’t notice a drastic change in the profile when the burn line reaches the wrapper, but the profile does get a bit more complex as it picks up a bit of a sourdough bread sensation, which in turn makes the profile a touch lighter and brighter. After three samples, I’m not convinced that the change is drastic enough to be attention-grabbing and if focused on, the change might seem a bit more pronounced. By the time the three components to the blend are all burning, I’m getting a fairly thick-bodied smoke with a relatively mellow profile marked by creaminess, honey graham cracker, damp firewood and a bit of black pepper that suggests the cigar has some moves towards a fuller flavor in store. There are hints of char in that pepper at times, and that transfers to the wood, suggesting that the proverbial leash is starting to come off the cigar. By the end of the first third, the flavor intensity has increased to a medium-minus level thanks to a bit more pepper and the dry wood taking on a bit more of a lead role. Construction is very good all around, with my only note being a slightly slower burn rate than I would prefer. Flavor is creeping up on medium, body is medium-plus and strength is mild.

The second third kicks off with a notably more vibrant flavor, as all the components from the first third have woken up, as well as brought along a new aroma to add some complexity. Retrohales have a good bit of white pepper, softened by just a bit of creaminess to provide an initial tingle to the nostrils that hangs around but doesn’t overdo the sensation. Black pepper and a bit of smokiness join the profile as well in this section, further nudging the flavor towards a slightly rougher profile. As the midpoint approaches, there is a definite change to the profile as it picks up some dry earth for the base, while the pepper has more texture and thus more an impact on the taste buds. The aroma is what I would call a freshly started campfire as it’s light and lacks the heavier aromas of thoroughly burnt wood and ash. Once the burn line is across the midway point, the creaminess is all but completely gone, furthering the shift that the flavor profile has gone through while also thinning out the body of the smoke. The finish is now quite dry, leaving a lingering finish on the palate as this section comes to a close. Flavor is medium-plus, body is medium, and strength is medium. Construction remains very good as long as the cigar gets regular puffs, with a sharp and even burn line along with good smoke production and no changes to the draw.

As the final third gets underway, the cigar continues to walk a line between medium and medium-plus flavor intensity, at times flirting with taking that next step forward but never fully committing to it, seemingly due to the lack of a heavier base flavor. Retrohales are quite bright with a crisp white pepper and some effervescent, reminding me a bit of the fine bubbles of Champagne but without the associated aromas or flavors. The campfire aroma returns and makes its way to the taste buds by way of firewood, some dry leaves, a bit of smokiness and a diminished amount of black pepper, changes that have me yearning a bit for the creaminess of earlier while also realizing the sweetness has been noticeably absent for the vast majority of the cigar. That said, the flavor is still enjoyable, and rough spots have been few and far between as the cigar begins eyeing its conclusion. All of the flavor components lighten up in the final inch as the body gets closer to medium-minus, with the dry wood and white pepper in the lead, suddenly joined by a bit of creaminess from earlier, though the newfound tingle on the inside of the lips keeps my attention on those first two aspects. Flavor finishes right around medium, body is medium, and strength is medium. Construction is still fantastic and problem-free.

Final Notes

• The band on the first cigar was applied quite snugly and removing it caused some damage to the wrapper as it felt like just a bit of adhesive might have bled through onto the leaf. It didn’t seem to affect the performance or flavor of the cigar drastically, but it wasn’t pretty to look at. Another sample took some wrapper with it, though again, didn’t seem to affect performance.
• I find the use of an uncovered foot to be interesting and helpful in understanding the blend, yet I also wonder how significant the addition of the wrapper should be to make it truly useful.
• There are times I wonder why the 50- or 100-count packaging format isn’t more prevalent. It would seem to cut down on box production issues and it could create unique displays in humidors, though they are a big commitment and most humidors seemingly aren’t built to accommodate a lot of these. Not to mention that it does make box purchases tougher, though I would be interested to work through the data to see if might make sense to utilize them more.
• I didn’t find there to be much strength in the Camacho Factory Unleashed 2, as while it flirts with it at times, it never hits the system with nicotine strength.
• Davidoff of Geneva USA advertises on halfwheel.
• The cigars for this review were purchased by halfwheel.
• Final smoking time was about two hours on average.
• Site sponsors Atlantic Cigar Co., Corona Cigar Co., Famous Smoke Shop and JR Cigar carry the Camacho Factory Unleashed 2.