The Perla del Mar Maduro is the follow-up to the highly acclaimed Perla del Mar line. Perla Del Mar was first conceived in the late 19th Century to honor Cuba’s highly acclaimed cigar heritage. With its rich, fertile soil creating the most flavorful cigar tobacco in the world, Cuba was regarded then as the true Peal of the Sea. Today the cigar is made in Nicaragua and is part of the JC Newman portfolio. At the IPCPR this year the cigars saw a full release of the Perla Del Mar Maduro and today it ain’t nothing but a G thing, baby.
Cigar: Perla Del Mar Maduro
Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Length: 6.25″
Ring Gauge: 54
Size: ‘G’ (Toro)
The Look: While I wouldn’t call the boxes of Perla Del Mar weathered, they do have a nice texture finish that makes them look nostalgic. The box has a nice cliche denoting the brand that gives in an old world feel, but its vibrant enough that it still feels modern. The Perla Del Mark band features black & white art work of a schooner and lighthouse with elements of blue, beige and gold. A secondary band uses all the artist aspects of the primary band and denotes Maduro. As for the cigar, it features a dark Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper and the cigar is box pressed with a well packed foot and nice weight to it.
The Notes: The cold draw of the PDM Maduro has a sweet chocolate note it that reminds of the darker part of a marble pound cake. There is a butter like richness present as well. The foot of the cigar has a continued sweetness that is more along the lines of molasses giving this a classic Maduro feel to it which would be an interesting spin for a Broadleaf wrapper if things continue down this road.
Once the cigar is lit, the first note of the cigar is a rich chocolate sweetness. As we continue the first third of the cigar there is a subtle pepper through the nose that doesn’t overpower the senses. The pepper through the nose subsides as the cigar progresses. Around a half-inch the cigar develops a cedar component that is noticeable specially on the finish of the cigar. So on the front end there is mocha and on the back-end some cedar.
The second third continues to serve up notes of mocha and cedar which change places in terms of which is more dominant. Added to the mix is a subtle vanilla note along with some pecans on the finish of the cigar. The retrohale offers up some pepper as well with nuances of leather. The finish on the cigar is short to moderate in length and very clean.
Moving on to the last third the cigar continues to show case creamy notes of mocha with continued cedar. The retrohale of the cigar continues to serve up some notes of pepper and nuances of leather. Nothing much as changed, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. The finish of the cigar remains clean and relatively short.
The Finish: While the primary notes of the cigar were consistant throughout, that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. There were easily identifiable and enjoyable throughout and while the cigar wasn’t overly complex it did not disappoint. I was happy that the sweets of the cold draw remained throughout the cigar and it changed things up for me, and was an interesting take on a Connecticut Broadleaf. The cigar reminded me of an old school Maduro and I will visit this again relatively soon.
Score: 91
Price: $6.59 / $136.99
Perla Del Mar Maduro
Perla Del Mar Maduro Foot
Perla Del Mar Maduro Burn
