Review | Perdomo Double Aged Maduro

The trifecta is now complete. Yesterday the good people at Perdomo were kind enough to send some rocks glasses and the Maduro version of the Perdomo Double Aged 12 Years. Of the three releases, this is the one I have been looking forward to the most. The Connecticut, which features an Ecuador wrapper was the first we reviewed followed by the Sungrown Wrapper. I’ll be the first to admit, personal preference does come into play when reviewing a cigar. We try to remain neutral but sometimes certain aspects of a cigar cause a reaction that isn’t always favorable. It’s human nature. We mean nothing personal, because a review is just one man’s opinion. And you know what they say about opinions, right?

There will only 240,000 cigars equaling 2,500 boxes of each wrapper released and a total of 4 sizes. Robusto ($10.00 MSRP),  Epicure ($10.50 MSRP), Churchill ($11.00 MSRP) and Gordo Extra ($11.50 MSRP). During a recent episode of The Cigar Authority, Janine Perdomo was nice enough to confirm that these will be released yearly in a continued limited edition format.

Cigar: Perdomo Double Aged 12 Years
Size: 5 x 56 (Robusto)
Wrapper: Maduro
Binder: Not Disclosed
Filler: Nicaragua (Condega, Esteli & Jalapa)
Strength: Medium-Full

The Look: I’ve said it before and I will say it again, I love the band of the Perdomo Double Aged because it gives you the information of the tobacco used right on the band. It makes it easy to know what the hell I am smoking. The band takes it a step further as it also lists the tasting notes. Looking at the cigar itself, the evenly colored wrapper is flawless. There are really no veins visible and the roll is flawless without a seam. The stick is firm with no soft spots and a perfectly place cap. In the hand it feels heavy for its size.

The Notes: The cold draw on the Perdomo Double Aged Maduro is a rich chocolate note equivalent to a really moist chocolate cake. I feel the calories piling on just from the cold draw. The foot of the cigar has a slight hint of chocolate, but it mostly an earthy aroma of hay. Before lighting up I enjoy the cold draw for a moment more. Upon first light there is a spice through the nose and some chocolate notes reminiscent of the cold draw.

Working our way into the first third of the cigar, the chocolate is the dominant note, but there is also a slight hint of mint present. It reminds me a little bit of mint chocolate chip ice cream. To be honest, it’s really delicious. Working further into the first third the mint fades a rich chocolate continues to develop. The spice remains through the nose, but it begins to take on a coffee aroma.

As we begin the second third of the cigar the chocolate note begins to share the spotlight with some notes of coffee. The taste brings me back to a time spent in the Mao section of the Dominican Republic where a tobacco field worker from Haiti roasted coffee beans under the warm sun as a group of bloggers and I spent under the shade of a straw roofed gazebo.

Entering the last third of the Perdomo Double Aged Maduro the notes of coffee are front and center as the warm chocolate cake is merely an afterthought at this point in time. The spice continues through the nose a little bit more than in the previous portions of the cigar making this cigar lean toward fuller bodied. As the cigar comes to a close some components of earth join in, but the finish is lusciously rich.

The Burn: This well packed specimen from Perdomo burns incredibly slow with a nice amount of smoke production. The draw offers the right amount of resistance for me, to help keep the process prolonged. The light gray has held strong with a little bit of flake, but it didn’t drop on its own until nearly the half way point. The burn line was crisp and razor-thin.

The Finish: As I stated before, the Maduro was the one I looked forward to the most. I definitely liked it without a doubt better than the Connecticut. The question is, was it better than the 93 rated sun grown. I believe the answer is a firm, YES!. With wonderfully rich notes, excellent construction added to the fact it smoked nice and slow, this is a cigar that delivers.

Score: 94
Price: $10.00

Footnote: The cigar should be in stores in a few weeks, in the meantime 2 Guys Smoke Shop still has some of the other wrappers available.