This week the budget is tight so I am going to be reviewing cigars that carry an MSRP under $6.00. There are a lot of cigars out there that deliver at that price and under. Some you might not have heard of while other’s are well known. We start it off with a cigar that originally rolled in Nick Perdomo’s garage before he hit the big time. That cigar is Nick’s Sticks and today we look at the Connecticut in the robusto size.
Cigar Review: Nick’s Sticks
Wrapper: Connecticut Shade
Binder: Cameroon
Filler: Nicaragua
Length: 5″
Ring Gauge: 52
Size: Robusto
The Look: Packaged in wooden boxes, the cigars feature the logo of the original release which was once only available in Little Havana, Miami, Florida. As an homage to that, the back of the band denotes Little Havana. The Connecticut shade wrapper is perfectly rolled and it has an abundance of oils. There is a network of thin veins present, and the cigar is firm to the tough with no voids of tobacco.
The Notes: Once he cap is clipped the cold draw is wonderfully sweet with hints of earth and raw tobacco while the aroma off the foot has a rich molasses like nose to it. Once the cigar is toasted and lit the first note is a nutty pecan.
As we smoke the first third of the cigar the primary note remains nutty with subtle hints of cocoa and cedar. At about a half-inch in, the cedar becomes the dominant note with the nuttiness fading. The cigar begins to develop a cinnamon like quality and a touch of earth. The retrohale of the cigar is woodsy and it helps enhance the cinnamon notes with a moderate finish.
The second third of the cigar sees notes of cedar and cinnamon become dominant and both are easily identifiable on the retrohale as well. Around the half way point of the smoke, some earthy notes begin to develop. As the second third comes to a close earth becomes the dominant note with a nutty finish that continues to be moderate in length.
The last third sees cedar dominate the palate, aroma and retrohale of this Connecticut Shade cigar from Perdomo. There are subtle nuances of earth, cinnamon, nuts and a touch of mocha to keep things interesting.
The Finish: The Nick’s Sticks by Perdomo is a budget friendly cigar that doesn’t necessarily come off as such. There is a nice complexity to it and the cigar is fairly balanced all of which would bring me back to it again even when money isn’t an issue. Is it the best cigar in Perdomo’s portfolio, not by a long shot, but it is worthy of smoking especially if you enjoy Nick’s offerings.
Score: 90
Price: $5.69 / $88.99
Perdomo Nick’s Sticks Connecticut Foot
Perdomo Nick’s Sticks Connecticut Burn
