Est. 1844 by Camacho Churchill

The Established 1844 Churchill we've selected for you is a smoke that took us by surprise. Looking at the label, we thought—who makes this? Why isn't their name on it? Are they not proud of this cigar? In fact, of the many samples we have at our disposal for review, we actually skipped over these guys for a few months. It wasn't until we heard from a new panel member who recognized this as a brand he knew and loved that we found out for ourselves how consistent, flavorful, and well-made this cigar is. We knew it looked good with its beautifully brown-hued, soft, supple chestnut brown maduro wrapper. You can see it's aged—hold it up to the light and roll it to reveal micro-crystals on the wrapper that sparkle a bit like stars. For you hopheads out there (folks who like their beers VERY hoppy), the unlighted stick gives strong aromatic notes akin to resinous cascade hops, with a slightly spicy edge. It implies a spicy cigar. The smoke opens with a spike in intensity but it's quite mild once you get into it a bit. As the tobaccos begin to warm up and burn evenly, the nearly bitter opening bite mellows and the draw— a bit on the thin side—fattens up. For a Churchill, this is a pretty quick-burning smoke, so plan accordingly—about 45 minutes total burn time. At the start, look for a moderate earthiness, with a rather woody finish and a lemon-like, herbal note. Over time, expect a flavor expansion, including a leathery interlacing with toasty, lightly sweet coffee-like notes developing in the 2nd half. Oh Boy! This one is a smoker—you can practically sky-write with this puppy! Pair with a lighter-bodied iced coffee, preferably lightly sweetened, or a Helles Lager. Either will accentuate some of the latent, sweeter notes that develop late in this cigar.