Simon Camacho in Nicaragua first created this outstanding brand back in the 1960's. Today the Camacho medium to full-bodied brand is manufactured in Honduras by Tabacos Rancho Jamastran, owned by the Eiroa family. Camacho Corojo cigars have been described as "The Best Habano outside of Cuba" by many cigar experts. Camacho cigars are made with the original Cuban Criollo and Corojo seed tobaccos grown in Honduras' Jamastran Valley, in the Eiroa's farms.
Today they have grown to become a successful, vertically integrated company based in Miami, Florida. They grow their own tobacco, manufacture their own cigars and boxes, and handle their own distribution. Camacho Cigars manufactures 16 cigar names, seven of which are their own labels.
Christian Eiroa: "Our story is very similar to most others that had to leave Cuba. My grandfather grew tobacco in Cuba. In doing so, he built a great relationship with the Oliva family (the tobacco people, not the cigar people). They were based in Tampa. My father left Cuba in 1959 and joined the army to participate in the Bay of Pigs invasion. He then served in Korea. Once finished, he went back to Tampa where he secured a job at Perfecto Garcia. When the Embargo was to commence, Angel Oliva offered my father to go to Honduras and try to grow tobacco. At this time, tobacco was being grown in many areas because the leaf brokers needed to find new sources of tobacco. After the first crop, my father decided to go on his own. Eventually, he had close to 2,000 acres where he grew tobacco in. Some in partnerships, some by himself. As time went on, he got into making cigars for others and in the mid - 80's he purchased the Baccarat "The Game" brand and in the mid 90's, Camacho."
From the Bay of Pigs to the mountains of Honduras...
Until the early 60’s, U.S. cigar manufacturers depended on Cuban tobacco. Because of the imminent U.S. embargo on Cuba, A substitute source was needed quickly, so the search began! Tino Argudin, who discovered the Jamastran Valley said: "We will never find neither soil nor region as similar to Vuelta Abajo (Cuba) as the Jamastran Valley in Honduras".Accompanying Tino Argudin was Julio Eiroa. Julio Eiroa, native of Cuba and son of Generoso Eiroa (tobacco grower from the early 1900’s), remained in Jamastran ever since.
It was only a matter of time before the Jamastran Valley and Danli would become the leaf tobacco and cigar capital of Honduras and Central America. Almost 40 years later, Julio Eiroa’s operation grew to 1,500 acres of cropland and 20 million cigars a year, employing a total of 3,300 workers. " Making cigars is not a business, it’s an art form and the only way to make good art is to make it all yourself," says Julio Eiroa.
DON JULIO AND CHRISTIAN EIROA
Julio and Christian Eiroa aren’t the first father-son team to disagree over how to run the family business. But the main players in Camacho Cigars Inc. and Tabacos Ranchos Jamastran are likely the only cigarmakers in the world rooting against their own products.
"We have a bet," says Christian, over the performance of two selections in the Camacho line. Julio likes the Camacho Select, a cigar made with a Cameroon wrapper that debuted in early May. His son’s favorite is the more high-powered Camacho Corojo.
"In the first 12 months, whoever sells more, wins. That’s the bet. Camacho Select versus Camacho Corojo," says Christian with a chuckle.
The two won’t disclose the terms of the bet, but each is serious about the outcome. Pride is at stake. The elder Eiroa, who lives in Honduras and runs Camacho’s tobacco growing and cigar-making operation, known as Tabacos Ranchos Jamastran, made the Camacho Select blend his way, kept the packaging Spartan and closed his ears to input from his son.
"When the old man first made a sample, I said, ‘Dad’"-Christian makes a motion in the air, showing how his father cut him off. "He said, ‘No. This is my baby.’" The good-natured ribbing got a bit heated last Christmas. Julio left Miami angry and early, flying back to Honduras.
Julio is not apologetic about being at odds with his son on occasion. "I don’t like full-bodied cigars," he says. "They’re too strong for me. I always go for the cigar that you can smoke five or 10 cigars a day."
Julio is Camacho’s patriarch, a 67-year-old with a stubborn personality honed by decades of doing things his own way. He used to own a small plane, which he would fly around Honduras, but a crash in 1977 nearly ended his life. It robbed him of some of his freedom, leaving him partially paralyzed.
"When I got in the accident, I was by myself, and then everything went down. There was nobody to follow me," he says. Christian was only five years old. "I got out of tobacco for a few years. When I got back, I started hiring Cubans from Cuba. It was a disaster."
Upset with how others were running his operations, Julio eventually reduced the amount of tobacco he planted and took a greater role in the growing. He now says he is getting nearly the same yield from far fewer plants. And he continues to be a perfectionist when it comes to the quality of the leaf. "Two years ago, I burned $2 million worth of tobacco, bale by bale," says the elder Eiroa. He didn’t like it, and wanted to rid himself of the temptation to turn it into cigars. Christian, 34, is stubborn in his own right. When he joined the family business in 1995, his father didn’t want him buying tobacco from overseas, but he began buying it anyway, realizing it was the only way the company could grow. "I got lines of credit from the bank, and I just started buying tobacco. He didn’t know what was going on," says Christian. "So there was always a difference in perception…there has always been a certain conflict."
Christian didn’t want to work with his father. "Family businesses are always hard. It’s never easy," he says. The situation proved too difficult for his older brother, Justo, who left the family business to work in the bottled-water industry. "They couldn’t get along," says Christian. "Too many arguments." Christian, a big, outspoken man with a sharp sense of humor, has the personality to match his father’s confidence. "There are a lot of silent treatments before the launch of each brand," says Christian. Julio has been known to yank a product or change speed at the 11th hour, often spoiling Christian’s distribution plans. He sometimes hides tobacco in Honduras, to throw Christian off when he visits.
"As competitive as our industry has become," says Christian, "speed to market is a big issue, and I think that causes a lot of our problems. He’ll say it’ll be ready in June, then I have to pull back the reins; everything has to come to a stop again. It drives me crazy."
Each Eiroa is confident he will win the bet. "My cigar is going to be selling 90 percent, and you’re going to be 10 percent," says Julio.
Despite the good-natured ribbing, each sees the value of the other in the business. "He’s a hell of a salesman," says Julio of his son. "We love the business, we work hard. But I tell him, he sells the first cigar, but then the cigar has to sell itself."
The Cigars
Camacho Triple Maduro
This is simply a wonderful cigar. Comprised of maduro tobacco through-out, and as dark as the night, this cigar might frighten some of the less adventurous of us, but it is surprisingly smokable! Our own Chris Hutts reviewed this cigar a while back.
Click here to read what "Big Daddy" had to say about the Camacho Triple Maduro!
*Camacho Corojo 10th Anniversary
Introducing Camacho Cigar’s Camacho Corojo 10th Anniversary cigar selection - a smooth, creamy blend created by Christian Eiroa as a follow-up to his highly-rated Camacho Triple Maduro cigars selection. This box-pressed anniversary cigar commemorates the Eiroa Family’s 10 years of growing the world’s only Authentic Corojo Seed tobacco. The cigars are medium to full-bodied, blended with an all Honduran-grown Corojo-seed filler, binder and wrapper recipe.
Camacho Liberty
Camacho Cigars announces that this year’s Camacho Liberty cigar will begin to ship in June 2008. As with each issue, this blend is also different and very intricate. This year’s Camacho Liberty will be a medium-bodied, box pressed, "Barber Pole" cigar. Camacho Cigar will only be offering 2000 Limited Edition numbered chests totaling 40,000 numbered coffins and cigars.
Camacho Corojo Diploma Cigar
The Camacho Diploma is complete with it’s new presentation. They really went all out with the design of the new bands, a big change from the old simple Diploma band. This Honduran puros is comprised of the choicest Corojo leaf grown in the Jamastran Valley. Beautiful is the best word to describe this oily cigar with a slightly toothed wrapper. It was heavy, firm and the draw was easy with just a touch of resistance. The complexity of the Diploma doesn’t take long to show up, starting out with a strong black peppercorn flavor with a woody undertone. Along with this spice the cigar had some harshness, which fortunately mellowed out to a tolerable level after a few minutes. It was difficult to pin down the dominate flavor once the cigar warmed up. I tasted a nice blend of pepper, wood, and occasionally some sweeter flavor reminding me of a good whiskey. The Diploma is best smoked slow to respect the cigars strength, but even then I was feeling a bit light headed by the halfway point. After I was satisfied that I could discern the flavors in it, I picked up a small glass of port. The port paired nicely with the Diploma, taking the edge off the harshness. Other reviews I’d read discussed some burn problems but mine was flawless from start to finish.
Camacho Coyolar
Originally released in 2005 under the name "Say Uncle" the Camacho Coyolar Puro is the Eiora’s family first venture in using tobacco not from their farm. This cigar is full bodied and deserves your respect, after my first experience with this cigar I found out why.
1962 PRE-EMBARGO
The Camacho 1962 Pre-embargp cigar starts with a Vintage 1999 Jamastran Corojo wrapper that finishes a complex filler that includes authentic 1962 Pre-Embargo Cuban tobacco. The aged Cuban tobacco used in this cigar is taken from one of four remaining bales in the world. It has been a long time since we have encountered a cigar of this caliber. This is without a doubt one of the finest cigars we have ever had the privilege of smoking. The smooth Pre-Embargo filler is complemented nicely by the complex Corojo wrapper.
SLR Camacho
"Special Limited Reserve" cigars gives you a taste of Camacho's full-bodied side.This amazingly powerful cigar is offered in boxes of 25 and features Honduran wrapper, binder and fillers.
Corojo
Released in 2000, these cigars are genuine Corojo puros. This means they are made entirely of the same kind of tobacco, all grown in the Jamastran Valley in Honduras. This gives you a consistant smoke, every time, with flavor that does not fail till the cigar is too small to smoke. Offered in 13 distinct sizes, all packed in cedar boxes.
Havana
When this cigar first came out in the 60's, it was manufactured in Nicaragua until production was moved to it's present home in Honduras. Very close to the Camacho Corojo line, with Corojo Binder and filler, this cigar is distinguished by it's Criollo leaf, grown in the same Jamastran Valley the Corojo tobaccos are from. All 9 sizes come in boxes of 20. 3 other sizes H1, H2, and H3, which are aged for a longer period of time, are offered in boxes of 50.
Candela Monarca
At first glance of this cigar, do not be put off! It does have a green wrapper, you're not just seeing things! This robusto size stogie is a gem! Comprised of the corojo blend, it is wrapped in a candela leaf, a process whereby the leaf is quickly aged to retain the color of the leaf at harvest, but to make it smokable. What the cigar then becomes is a mild, cool smoke, but because of the filler and binder, a flavorable one as well. There are other candelas out there, but the Camacho Monarca is by far...simply the best one!
Camacho Cigars Signature Travel Case
This spectacular travel case comes packed with 20 Premium Camacho Cigars! There is room to carry an additional box of cigars, an ashtray, lighter & fuel.The case is of durable neoprene fabric.
SMOKE RING
14019 SW FRWY #400
281.265.1387
CAMACHO CIGARS TASTING EVENT
JUNE 26, 2008
5 pm 'til Done
