As a cigar blogger, I look forward to the releases from Perdomo for a couple of reasons. The first and foremost is I enjoy the cigars that Nick Perdomo releases but secondly, it’s going to come out in three wrappers giving me three different reviews. At times figuring out what to review and what to smoke can be difficult.
We have reviewed the Connecticut and the Sun Grown edition of the cigar that features a 6-year-aged wrapper, with binder and filler that gets 4-6 years of aging. The difference is how long the wrapper spends in the bourbon barrel, and the Maduro wrapper gets the longest time in isolation coming in at 14 months.
Cigar Review: Perdomo Habano Bourbon Barrel Aged
Size: 5 x 54 (Robusto)
Wrapper: Nicaragua Maduro
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua (Condega Aged 4 Years, Jalapa Aged 5 Years and Esteli Aged 6 Years)
Strength: Medium-Full
The Look: The band of silver, black and various shaded of tan/brown really stands out on the evenly colored maduro wrapper. Under inspection there are crystals on the wrapper visible to the naked eye. A secondary band denotes maduro at the foot. The cigar is flawlessly rolled with a nice weight to it, no soft spots and a well packed foot that has a nice swirl of dark tobacco.
The Notes: The cold draw of the Perdomo Habano Maduro has a sweet cherry note to it that reminds me a little bit of Robutussin DM and I mean that in a very good way. There is also a note of soy sauce present on the draw. Meanwhile, on the foot there is notes of soy sauce and mesquite with a subtle pepper that has me on the verge of sneezing.
Once the cigar is lit there are pepper notes through the nose while the cigar of itself seems to lack the bourbon experience of the other two wrappers. There are notes of coffee and mocha present with a subtle licorice finish.
In the second third the coffee notes becomes the dominant focus as some earthy components join the mix. The sweet mocha has fade as the spice has picked up in intensity. Through the nose some licorice remains with a faint hint of bourbon that still pales in comparison to the other wrappers.
The last third of the Perdomo continues with notes of coffee and earth, and a hint of dark cocoa that is barely noticeable on the finish of the cigar. Through the nose the pepper continues to build with some additional earthy components.
The Burn: The slow burning Perdomo Habano Bourbon Barrel Aged Maduro features a thin combustion line that reveals an ash that is mostly light gray in color with a little bit of flake. The ash holds strong for more than a third of the cigar before rolling off in the ash tray with ease. The draw was perfection and the cigar remained lit from first light to last puff.
The Finish: I’ve long been a fan of Perdomo Maduro cigars and while I expected this one to shine above the rest, I was a little sad not to pick up any of the nuances from the bourbon barrel aging. If you look past that though, the cigar is delicious with straight forward notes and a touch of complexity. But for me, my money is on the Sun Grown version of this new Perdomo Habano. That being said, I would probably keep a few of these on hand to offer some contrast.
Score: 90
Price: $7.19 / $151.99
Review Notes:
- There are subtle differences on each of the bands and while I liked the color scheme of the Sun Grown; the more I look at the Maduro the more it looks more expensive and special.
- Between the three wrappers, the Maduro has the most smoke output.
- According to Perdomo, the original Habano line was bourbon barrel aged. At first I was unsure, but I always smoked the maduro, and the bourbon notes are minimal in this wrapper.
- Smoking time was 1 hour 50 minutes
Perdomo Habano Bourbon Barrel Aged Maduro
Perdomo Habano Bourbon Barrel Aged Maduro Foot
Perdomo Habano Bourbon Barrel Aged Maduro Burn
