Perdomo ESV 1991 maduro regente

I can believe that I hadn't written about one of my favorite Nicaraguan cigars yet, the Perdomo ESV '91 maduro. I had first smoked these a couple years ago, got floored by the flavor, and then quickly snapped up a handful off an auction site. Since then, I've only smoked a couple, and the rest have been hiding in the cooler, apparently getting tastier with the time.

It's been at least 6 months since I've smoked one, so I decided to partake.

While not a particularly dark maduro, like the dark but blotchy Partagas Black, Perdomo's Nicaraguan maduro wrapper exudes a sweetness to the profile that's unmatched. The draw was perfectly balanced, and the cigar dropped ash every 1.5 inches or so.

The first flavors presented were a mildly earthy coffee and leather blend, with a mild cocoa note and no obvious spice. It's like a smooth, medium-bodied mocha profile. Paradise. And this flavor was pretty static through the first half.

In the second half, a very smooth spice entered, and I was reminded of a Padron Anniversary 1964 maduro. The flavors were very smooth and refined in that second half. Not bad for a $6 cigar.

The spice gradually built up towards the nub, finishing splendidly. This is definitely a cigar leaves you savoring the aftertaste after the cigar has been long gone.

I will be jealously guarding the remaining stash..

Verdict:

Good flavors, decent construction, and was priced pretty well. 'Tis a shame they're gone.

Perdomo Reserve Maduro

Perdomo Reserve Series R maduro robusto
$4, Size: 5", Ring:54
Nicaraguan maduro wrapper, Nicaraguan binder and fillers

I like maduro cigers. Okay, if you've seen the list of cigars I've bothered to write about, you could say that I LOVE maduro cigars. I've got a major-league sweet tooth, so a sweet, toothy maduro wrapped cigar usually hits the spot for me. Perdomo's Reserve series uses some of the best fillers that Nicaragua has to offer. Couple that with a velvety Nicaraguan maduro wrapper, and anyone would be in for a treat.

Onward to my experience, my cigar had a medium chocolate maduro wrapper, which was toothy with a slight gloss, and a few pronounced veins. It was also fairly thick, which is good for keeping all that tobacco inside the cigar. Hefting it by hand,it felt like a solidly build cigar, felt very packed, and the draw was restrained enough to prove it.

Burn needed some touch-up here and there, I've found that the thicker wrappers tend to do that to me, and the densely packed filler took its sweet time burning. There was also lots of rich smoke to be found.

Before lighting, the cigar was mildly sweet on the lips, while earth and cocoa flavors were present in the cold draw. After ignition, the smooth, rich flavors were of earth and dark cocoa. As the first inch fumed away, a spicy note joined the flavors, for a predominantly peppery cocoa flavor that stayed fairly constant to the end. A mild nutty flavor occasionally poked it's way in for a puff or two. The flavors never got overpowering, and stayed robust and smooth.

Overall, the Perdomo Reserve maduro is a densely packed cigar with a rich, medium bodied flavor. The price isn't bad either.

Patrick, guest reviewer at Cigar Jack, smoked the honkin' 7x54 Reserve C churchill.

Perdomo Lot 23 Maduro

Perdomo Lot 23 maduro churchill $15/ 5 pk., Size: 7", Ring: 50 Nicaraguan maduro wrapper, Nicaraguan binder and filler

Rolled in Esteli, Nicaragua at Tabacalera Perdomo, the Lot 23 is a puro, made entirely from tobacco from one particular field in Nicaragua. The maduro wrapped version is a more recent release, hitting the market in 2007.

Lot 23's wrapper is a glossy, milk chocolate brown, with minor veins, and gives an aroma of light wood and coffee. Once punched, the draw was medium, if not a little tight, but it wasn't bothersome. Nice flavors in the pre-light draw, a preview of the light leathery flavor to come. The burn wasn't really straight, but it never warranted fixing either, and the light gray ash would hold for 1 1/2 inches.

The flavor starts off smooth and present, with wood and leather notes that stay fairly steady throught the smoke. A mild, but dark, spice flavor joins the mix soon after the first couple inches, then comes and goes. And that's the flavor you get for the next hour. And while it's not complex, or doesn't morph much, it's a pleasant, medium-bodied flavor.

Perdomo took some nice tobacco, rolled it with care, and called it Lot 23. Factor in the decent price, and we're looking at a good cigar.

Tierra Del Sol Maduro

Tierra Del Sol maduro robusto
$6/ 5 pk., Size: 5", Ring: 50 Box Pressed
Nicaraguan maduro wrapper, Nicaraguan binder and fillers.

Tierra Del Sol is a bundle cigar from Perdomo, made at Tabacalera Perdomo in Esteli, Nicaragua.

Light, milk chocolate coloring, dry raspy to the touch, with pronounced veins. After burning, these veins were visible in the ash as black veins in a flaky white ash. The draw was moderate, and though the cigar did not burn particularly straight, it never got terribly out of line. Kind of like a drunk staggering home; wobbles left, teeters right, but he eventually gets to the front door.

Before lighting, I ran it over the moustache to receive the slightly earthy wood smell.

First inch was harsh, with a flavor that varied between cedar and sawgrass. After that, the flavor mellowed to a medium cedar, with an edgy aftertaste appearing after the middle of the cigar. Not spicy, not bitter, just edgy. Pair this cigar with the right drink, and the taste might just disappear. Which, depending on your tastes, might be a good thing for a Tierra Del Sol.