JC Newman

September 30, 2012

Perdomo 20th Anniversary Maduro Epicure (6 x 56)





Video review HERE.


The Perdomo 20th Anniversary cigars are hand-crafted with the finest tobaccos grown exclusively on Perdomo’s most prestigious farms in Esteli, Condega, and the famed Jalapa Valley in Nicaragua. Using the highest priming tobaccos from each region, the new Perdomo 20th Anniversary cigars have a tremendous flavor profile with layer upon layer of rich, elegant, complex flavors. The seamless combination of the all Cuban-seed Nicaraguan grown wrappers, binders, and fillers makes the Perdomo 20th Anniversary cigars exceptional Nicaraguan puros. Using the best tobaccos from each of their farms in each region, Perdomo has truly created a masterpiece blend with a core of deep, satisfying flavors.



In order to achieve a perfect balance, the Perdomo 20th Anniversary blend requires wrappers that have been carefully hand-selected and well-aged for over 6 years. After being fermented to perfection, each Cuban-seed Sun Grown and Maduro wrapper is barrel-aged in bourbon barrels for an additional 14 months. These barrel-aged wrappers are at their peak color and flavor, making each Perdomo 20th Anniversary cigar impeccably smooth from beginning to end.




“Our family has been truly blessed over the years with a loyal and dedicated staff both in Nicaragua and the United States. We are extremely grateful to the retailers and consumers who have supported us through the years and continue to share our enthusiasm and passion for our premium hand-made cigars. I’m extremely proud of this brand and we are very excited to share these special cigars with everyone,” states Nick Perdomo, Jr.
 
 
 




This cigar, like the Sun Grown version, is well made and quite dense.






After cutting the cap the test draw was very good. The initial flavors after light up were sweet dark chocolate, coffee, cream, and a nice amount of black pepper. The cigar feels medium bodied already and I expect it to go further.





About 3/4 inch in the cigar made a change. The cream notes are now an orange citrus. The dark chocolate and coffee are still there. The orange notes are in the beginning stages of richness. The finish is a cream with hints of citrus. In some ways it is similar to the Sun Grown in that way. The cigar produced a lot of smoke.








About 1 1/4 inch in there was another change. The orange citrus is quite rich and it is now combining with a toasted cream. The dark chocolate has subsided but the coffee is quite prominent. I also get notes of wood which are probably oak from the barrels the wrappers were aged in. the pepper is very, very good; every bit a 7 out of 10. The finish is now a straight cream with very little hints of citrus. The pepper lingers nicely on the finish also. The ash is a dense salt and pepper in color.







About 2 1/2 inches in I removed the band. The main difference in the maduro band and the Sun Grown is the maroon strip at the bottom. The coffee is extremely intense now. It overshadows the orange citrus and cream. You could call the coffee an espresso. It is very intense. Other than that everything else is about the same. The cigar is now full bodied.







With about 2 inches left the richness has gone from the orange citrus and cream. It is probably overshadowed by the espresso. I did not like the fact that the richness left but those of you who like heavy coffee cigars, in particular espresso, will like this cigar.







As the cigar wound down the espresso notes continued to lead the flavors. The orange citrus and cream held their own for as long as they could but they could not compete with the espresso. The pepper remained very good throughout. The finish change a bit from straight cream to cream and hints of citrus, and finally toasted cream with light citrus. There was a lot of lingering black pepper on the finish also. The cigar ended up full bodied. The downturn in the richness of the orange citrus and cream notes was a negative for me. That happened at about the 3/4 point. Other than that the cigar was very good, especially if you like heavy coffee cigars.


Score: 91

2 comments:

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Tim Rollins said...

Glad you gave it a second chance. Perdomo makes some very good cigars.