Today I chose the review on the blind, sorta. My humidor is on a shelf above my desk and instead of hunting and pecking for a cigar that I wanted to review, I reached in and picked one at random. I figured what do I have to lose, if its in my box, I must like it. So instead of being picky, I let the random results speak for itself.
Cigar Review: Perdomo Reserve Campage
Factory: Tabacalera Perdomo
Country of Origin: Nicraragua
Wrapper: Nicaragua Sun Grown
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Length: 5″
Ring Gauge: 54
Vitola: Robusto
Cutter: Lotus Jaws
Lighter: Black Label Domininator
The Pre-Light: The Perdomo Reserve was released in 1998 and was known as La Tradicion Cabinet Series Perdomo Reserve. Today, the line has a simpler name, Perdomo Reserve. The Sun Grown wrapper is aged for six-years before it is applied to the cigar. Milk chocolate in color, there are a few veins that are visible and the cigar is rolled to perfection. It’s a bit over-sized for a robusto coming it at a 54 ring gauge and is well packed with no soft spots and a heft weight.
The Notes: The cold draw is rich and syrupy. There are notes of maple, molasses and caramel. The inviting notes of the cold draw are duplicated on the nose of the foot. One the cigar is toasted and lit, there is some subtle cinnamon and maple with a hint of red pepper.
Moving into the first third of the cigar from Nick Perdomo the flavors are thick and chewy much like caramel. The primary notes are caramel, nuts and maple. The latter two are amplified on the retrohale as well as the aroma of the cigar which lead to an exceptional finish that is moderate in length.
The second third of the Reserve continues to offer notes of caramel as the cigar sees some hints of pepper begin to emerge with growing intensity. The aroma finish of the cigar is woodsy and nutty with red pepper on the retrohale. As the second third comes to a close some notes of honey begin (trust me, I tried to work a joke about Boogie Oogie Oogie in here, but I doubt many of you would know the song).
The last third of this Perdomo sees the notes of honey really take hold with hints of cashews and maple. The pepper that showed itself on the retrohale of the second third has left the building. This sweet tasting cigar is balanced and complex showcasing why Perdomo is such a highly sought after cigar.
The Finish: For a cigar to be on the market for almost 20 years it has to best consistent and timeless. The Perdomo Reserve continues to take up shelf space in almost every cigar store in the country because it is just that. It might not be a trendy cigar, but it is a the Levi’s of the cigar industry.
Score: 92
Price: $7.49 / $153.99
