Many customers who come here the first time have only smoked second-rate cigars in the past and when they try their first Perdomo, they are impressed at the difference. So what makes the best cigars better than the rest?

Of course, the answer isn’t simple. There are lots of ingredients that go into making an excellent cigar. Most of those ingredients start well before the cigar makes it into the retail store. In fact, many of them start well before the tobacco makes it to the rolling room.

Every cigar starts with high quality tobacco – it is, after all, 100% plant – so a lot of importance goes to the seed stock, the health of the soil, weather conditions while growing, density of plants per metre, choice of fertilisers, and how well the plants are protected from pests (including choice of insecticides).

After the tobacco has been harvested, it must be cured and fermented with great care. This process, during which the leaf dies and undergoes chemical changes, takes several months. After fermentation, the tobacco must be aged for several years to ensure maximum smoothness and flavour. Errors in any of these steps during the maturing of the leaf can lead to inferior tobacco and therefore an inferior cigar.

One of the most common issues with cigars is that they haven’t been aged appropriately. This is one of the reasons many cigar aficionados will buy a box of cigars and then store them in their personal humidors for several years before they smoke them. Perdomo Cigars, however, are “ready to smoke”, meaning the tobacco is aged in the factory before they are shipped to retailers.

Signs that the tobacco has not been aged properly include an alkaline taste on the tongue or if the cigar keeps going out without a good reason (i.e. you have lit it properly and continue to puff on it every minute or two but it still goes out). These are signs that the manufacturer is probably using the tobacco before its time.

Once the tobacco has been sufficiently aged, a selection of leaves are chosen to become a “blend” and these leaves are then given to the rollers. Inexperienced cigar rollers may roll the tobacco too tightly making it difficult to draw air through the cigar. This is referred to as a “plugged cigar” and is also one of the most common problems with cigars. Fortunately, every single cigar made by Perdomo is tested on a “DrawMaster” machine before it leaves the factory, making sure that you will never get a plugged Perdomo.

Perdomo cigars tested on the DrawMaster. Photo by Sam Spurr http://inluminocomms.blogspot.com.au/

Finally, once they are sitting on the retailer’s shelves, cigars need to be stored carefully – between 65 – 72% humidity and around 22 º C. If they are allowed to become too humid or too dry or too hot, the delicate oils and flavours in the tobacco will be ruined.

So, as you can see, there are plenty of factors involved in creating the best cigars. If any one of these elements isn’t 100% correct, the cigar you smoke will not be the ideal experience. Which is why when we discovered Perdomo and learned about their quality control and vertical manufacturing process (i.e. they grow all of their own tobacco instead of buying it from secondary sources as many manufacturers do), we knew we were on to a good thing!

Here are some highlights:

“The band for this cigar is simply beautiful….”
“The cold draw tastes of butter, hay, earthy, and a slight bitterness….”
“Between draws I’m left with a creamy flavor on the palate mixed with a little spice. The body is full with a very rich flavor…”
“The last third of this smoke was the most enjoyable part. A walnut flavor joins in with the notes of wood, hay, and butter….”
“Overall: I’ve found the Perdomo Exhibición Sun Grown exhibit to be an excellent medium cigar. While it has little in the way of strength, it packs a full rich, enjoyable mix of flavors. The cigar required no corrections to its burn or draw at any point, which makes any smoke more enjoyable….”

Thanks Peter! Long ashes to you, sir!

Visit the Perdomo Exhibicion product page in our online cigar store!

He starts off by complimenting the appearance:

“The cigar is wrapped in a dark, almost black, maduro leaf. The wrapper is so dark that I can barely see the small veins in the leaf. There’s an oily sheen that’s clearly visible in the sunlight, and gives a smooth appearance. The wrapper has a texture of velvet or crushed felt, and is very pleasing. The cigar is densely packed, and offers no soft spots. Bringing the cigar up to my nose I pick up sweet earthy tones, floral notes, and a slight hint of sweet herbs. All in all, it’s a very pleasing cigar to every sense, and shows quite a bit of promise.”

In his summary, he writes:

“Overall I’m quite pleased with this cigar. The presentation of the cigar is quite nice, with a wonderful dark wrapper and a band that adds to the attractive looks. The cigar burned slowly and evenly, and produced cool smooth smoke. The slow burn helped the cigar last me roughly two hours, which was great because the flavors were very enjoyable.”

The cigar is wonderful to look at, a light sheen lets it almost
glow. This Nicaraguan puro is well constructed, firm in the hand with a
great cedar-y smell in the pre-light.
I paired it with an 11 year old Balblair Highland single malt that my daughter just brought back from
Scotland, The citrus notes of the scotch were perfect with the rich
full-bodied Perdomo. It’s burn was consistent-no relights or touch ups.
The flavor was cedar and leather with a spicy retro-hale. This cigar’s flavor
was tasty throughout.
The size and construction of the gordo is just great. You really feel
special with the creamy smoke and great draw.
I smoked it down to the nub. It took about an hour and I was in no hurry.

I’ve really become a fan of pairing the ESV Sun Grown with a peaty single malt…. a Laphroaig or a Caol Ila or a Talisker. It really seems to compliment them quite well.

Order yours today!

I believe Nick Perdomo has outdone himself with the Lot 23.  The tobacco in this stick is specially grown in Nicaragua on a field called Lot 23…thus the name.  This field was cultivated in 2000 and six years later Perdomo and his team masterfully blended these tobaccos to create the unique premium cigar, Perdomo Lot 23.

 The veiny, dark brown wrapper is leathery to the touch and expertly constructed.  Along with the spicy notes, the broadleaf wrapper provides some sweetness.  The cigar is a bit peppery in the beginning but nicely transitions to a smooth, sweet offering creating a robust but pleasant taste and experience.  The Perdomo Lot 23 produces a firm white ash and a solid burn line.

In summary, the Perdomo Lot 23 possesses great construction, quality and overall value.  It was a privilege to smoke the Lot 23. I enjoyed it thoroughly and know you will too.