2020 Cigar of the Year: Perdomo Reserve 10th Anniversary Maduro

This time each year, since 1992, Two Guys Smoke Shop and The Cigar Authority have had the honor of announcing “The Cigar of the Year.”

Today marks 29 years of The Cigar of the Year, an award that has been given out by David Garofalo, owner of Two Guys Smoke Shop, and the host of the award winning cigar podcast called The Cigar Authority. David explains that his team takes this assignment very seriously, and takes everything into consideration when giving out the award. Availability, consistency, quality and of course flavor and value is what separates a great cigar from a good cigar, and once again, they have a clear winner.

2020 will go down as a year we would all like to forget. However, as a cigar smoker there was one thing that stood out above the rest and that was the latest from Nick Perdomo.

The Perdomo Reserve 10th Anniversary Box-Pressed Maduro is a medium to full-bodied Nicaraguan “puro” blended with a dark, oily 6-year old Cuban-seed Nicaraguan wrapper that has been bourbon barrel-aged for an additional 14 months and is paired with 6-year old Cuban-seed Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos

The Perdomo Reserve 10th Anniversary Maduro is handmade in Nicaragua making it the 10th Nicaraguan cigar to reach the top spot in its 29 year history, 11 Dominicans, 7 Hondurans, and 1 Costa Rican cigar have also made it to The Cigar of the Year.

Congratulations to Nick Perdomo and everyone involved at Perdomo Cigars.

Cigar Review: Perdomo Reserve 10th Anniversary Maduro
Wrapper: 6-year old Cuban-seed Nicaraguan (Aged 14 Months in Bourbon Barrels)
Binder: 6-year old Cuban-seed Nicaraguan
Filler: 6-year old Cuban-seed Nicaraguan

Length: 6″
Ring Gauge: 54
Size: Epicure

The Look: Packaged in 25 count cabinet style boxes the Perdomo Reserve 10th Anniversary Maduro is soft box pressed to perfection. The box and band feature a vibrant blue color with gold and black. In the hand the cigar is firm to the touch with a well packed foot and a fair amount of oils visible. The wrapper is aged 6 years and it is a perfect looking specimen.

The Notes: The cold draw on the 2020 Cigar of the Year show cases the effects of the Bourbon barrel aging. There is a bourbon sweetness along with hints of oak and molasses. The aroma off the foot mimics that of the cold draw with the oak being slightly more prominent. Once we toast and light the cigar the initial notes offer of a subtle honey sweetness.

Moving into the first third the honey sweetness pulls back considerably as notes of chocolate emerge and take control of the palate. As we reach the half way point of the cigar there is a sweetness that I find synonymous with wine and I think this would pair well with a full bodied red wine at least at this point. Notes of dark chocolate remain dominant on the long finish transitioning to cocoa. The retrohale offers up touches of black pepper before giving way to oak.

The second third sees the notes of cocoa remain dominant with hints of cashews developing just before the halfway point. As we cross over the halfway point of Perdomo Reserve 10th Anniversary Maduro notes of leather begins to emerge with a continued sweetness of honey, berries and chocolate. The retrohale adds a touch more leather to the mix where it lingers on the long finish with a subtle coffee bean.

As we smoke the last third of the cigar the notes of leather fade away as notes of espresso and chocolate magically dominate the palate. The two notes intertwine with each creating a smooth and robust flavorful experience right until the end. The rest aroma of the cigar features oak which is enhanced on the retrohale making this the best Maduro cigar in the Perdomo portfolio, in my humble opinion.

The Finish: At the beginning of 2020 there was concern about new cigars and whether they would come out with the FDA breathing down the neck of the cigar industry. While 2020 will go down as a year we all want to forget there were some great cigars but none were better than the Perdomo Reserve 10th Anniversary Maduro. This cigar marks the first time that The Cigar Authority has named a Maduro as a Cigar of the Year. We believe this cigar will age really well and stand the test of time.

Score: 97
Price: $8.99 / $185.99