Released last week, The Perdomo Special Craft Series is specially blended to pair with types of beer. The Connecticut for the Pilsner, Sungrown for Amber, and Maduro for Stouts.
Today we look at the Stout, which according to Perdomo, “It uses a dark, oily Cuban-seed Nicaraguan Maduro wrapper from the Jalapa Valley, a rich, aromatic Nicaraguan binder from the Condega Valley, and robust Cuban-seed Nicaraguan fillers from the Estelí Valley. The Maduro is also medium to full-bodied blend but is geared towards the thick, dark chocolate, roasted coffee, and smoky flavors found in stouts, porters, brown ales, bocks, dunkels, and imperial stouts.”
Cigar: Perdomo Special Craft Series
Size: 5.5 x 54 (Robusto)
Wrapper: Nicaragua Maduro (Jalapa Valley)
Binder: Nicaragua (Condega)
Filler: Nicaragua (Esteli)
Strength: Medium-Full
Source: 2GuysCigars.com
The Look: I said it when we reviewed the Pilsner, the cigar needs a secondary band as when you pull off the sheath theres is no identifying mark to show what you are smoking. The maduro wrapper is lighter than the Maduro that was featured on the Small Batch and the Double Aged. The cigar is exquisitely rolled with no seams, a nice weight and no soft spots.
The Draw: The cold draw of the cigar has notes of chocolate, but not any chocolate. It tastes like a Hostess Devil Dogs cake and I do not want to light it at this point and just enjoy memories of my childhood. The foot of the cigar has some elements of chocolate and a muskiness.
When the cigar is lit, the chocolate notes remain and I can see where this cigar would pair nicely with a Newcastle Brown Ale. There are also some citrus notes in the background of the cigar, and a pleasant aroma.
In the second third of the Special Craft the chocolate notes remain but change from the cake like chocolate, to a more traditional chocolate note. There is some earth and raisins as well but I can picture the cigar becoming much sweeter when paired with a stout.
The last third of the cigar sees the strength kick it up a notch with notes of wood, raisin, and a slight chocolate note that fades as the cigar gets smaller. The aroma which stood out in the first two-thirds dwindles as well. This isn’t to say the last third isn’t flavorful, it just winds downs as the cigar comes to a close.
The Burn: Perdomo cigars have an exquisite draw every damn time and this smoke was no exception to that rule. The razor-thin combustion line was even from first light to last puff and the light-colored ash held in thirds.
The Finish: Being I review most of my cigars while I am at work I can’t pair them with a beer, though this is one cigar that I really with I could have as I believe it would become even sweeter with a bitter brown ale. The notes of chocolate stand well on their own making this cigar something you can enjoy even without pairing.
Score: 91
Price: $7.29 / $151.99
Perdomo Stout
Perdomo Stout Foot
