A few months back I was walking around in my local cigar shop when I noticed some really red looking cigars. I decided to go in for a closer look and see exactly what they were. What I found was a crimson red perfecto tucked away in a very simple slide lid box with the word Camaguey printed on the front.

Never having tried these cigars I was a little skeptical and asked the owner what he thought of them. He explained to me that they were Nicaraguan Puros and available in three different wrapper types (they are available in four, but he only carried three) Rosado, Maduro, and Connecticut. He then went on to tell me that they were a very good value priced cigar with good construction.

After hearing the owner’s impression, I decided to pick up three of each wrapper type available. After I got home I placed them in my cooler and forgot about them for a few months. While rummaging through my cooler I came across them once again and decided to fire up a Rosado to see just how they performed.

While looking over my Camaguey Rosado I found the wrapper to be an awesome looking crimson color with a few medium sized veins running throughout. Upon closer inspection I found the wrapper to have a couple of small spots that appeared to be chipped. When pinched I found the stick to be very hard and have no spring to it. This immediately made me think that this cigar was going to be a fast and hot burner.

After my inspection I reached for my guillotine cutter and clipped the head of my cigar. The pre light draw was free with almost no resistance. At this point I had the impression that this was going to more like work than a pleasure to review. I then moved on to toasting and lighting, at which point the cigar quickly began to make big clouds of thick smoke.

Initially the cigar had a very dry and unappealing flavor, much like it was under humidified. After about six puffs I was pleasantly surprised by the way the cigar began to change. The dry and almost tasteless flavor was now becoming that of rich tobacco with a mild spice that is common in Nicaraguan cigars. The body was about medium while the finish was smooth and lingered on the palate for five, or so, minutes after each puff.

As I smoked my way through the first third and into the second third, I was really enjoying this cigar. The base flavor was that of your typical Nicaraguan cigar with a mild spiciness when the smoke is blown through the sinus passages. I was now getting a very nice sweet flavor that I can only assume is due to the Rosado wrapper. The finish remained smooth and long while the body remained seated firmly in the medium range. The burn line was nice and thin as well as even. Unfortunately the cigar seemed to smoke a little fast, however this was more of a nuisance than a problem. The draw remained very free with little resistance and produced very thick clouds of smoke.

As I rounded out the second third and moved into the final third, I was really enjoying this cigar. The base flavor stayed consistent with the second third while slowly building and becoming a little richer. The body was slowly building as well, but peaked in at low end of medium to full while the finish stayed smooth and lasted several minutes on the palate. The draw remained free and produced a fairly firm grey ash that held on for about an inch before falling.

Overall I enjoyed this cigar. While the flavors did not really grab my attention and draw me into the cigar, they did a very good job of falling into the background and staying enjoyable without forcing me to concentrate on only the cigar itself.

I seem to remember paying less than $3.00 per single for the first three that I purchased, but when going back to the shop to buy some more, I found them to be marked at $3.25 each. Even being more than I thought they were originally, I think they are a good cigar and worth the extra few cents per single.

These seem to be a little tough to find, but if you come across one I would recommend picking one up to try.