Perdomo 10th Anniversary Maduro Staff Review
I’m smoking Perdomo 10th Anniversary Maduro in a chunky 6 by 54 Epicure, a perfect cigar to wrap up an epicurean Italian meal while I sip an espresso and savor the last bites of a molten chocolate cake. Brand founder Nick Perdomo has been blending premium cigars for nearly three decades, and he has steadily built his brand into a prominent force. Nick is intimately acquainted with every detail that goes into planting, growing, harvesting, and aging premium tobacco. His insistence on quality control is tough to match, and Perdomo 10th Anniversary Maduro is one blend in the expansive Perdomo cigars portfolio that exemplifies Nick’s high standards.
Perdomo 10th Anniversary Maduro is finished in an oily, dark-brown Nicaraguan Maduro wrapper leaf, and beneath it is Nick’s signature recipe of premium Cuban-seed Nicaraguan long-fillers procured from Perdomo family estates. The binder and filler tobaccos are aged for six-year minimums. Nick is especially proud of the wrapper varietals he grows, which are also aged six years before they spend another fourteen months maturing in bourbon barrels for enhanced sweetness.
Perdomo 10th Anniversary Maduro cigars are packaged in shiny black, blue, and gold boxes and bands with a crisp, metallic finish. Perdomo packaging is simple, colorful, and consistent, making it easy to spot the Perdomo section in any cigar shop. Not surprisingly, the cigars are perfectly uniform when you open a fresh box. One word comes to mind standing in front of the Perdomo shelves in the Holt’s retail humidor: organized. Nick sticks to a precise formula for every blend he launches, and it’s designed to communicate trust and value.
When I pluck a fresh Epicure from the top row and slide the cellophane off, aromas of cedar, brownie batter, raisin, and espresso bean permeate the nostrils. After performing a fast slice to the cap, 10th Anniversary Maduro starts off with a sweet and peppery cold draw. Malty streams of smoke coat the palate as I fire the cigar up. The blend is a bit peppery to begin with, but I’ve smoked plenty of Perdomo cigars before, and it’s nothing out of the ordinary.
I take a sip of espresso to match the cigar’s initial stiffness, and my taste buds dial in like a radio station when you’re tuning out the static. This is an ideal cigar to smoke with a premium bourbon, but I’m glad I’m smoking it with dessert lingering on my palate. Hints of caramel weave in and out to balance an overall bolder profile of earth and pepper. The editors in Cigar Journal awarded Perdomo 10th Anniversary Maduro Epicure their ‘#1 Cigar of the Year’ honors for 2021, and Nick couldn’t be more appreciative, posting the accolade front and center on his website.
Shapely plumes of smoke billow from every draw. Perdomo cigars are meticulously well made, and the ash is exceptionally firm. The flavor stabilizes throughout the middle of the Epicure with toothsome proportions of sweetness and zest. Notes of hickory, mesquite, and campfire create a little more complexity while a sumptuous and chocolaty foundation persists.
Black pepper, leather, and wood characterize the nub once the band is off. About an hour has passed. A creamy finish of cocoa and espresso bean resonates across my tongue, and a deep spice grounds the lingering aftertaste.
Perdomo 10th Anniversary Maduro is spicier than traditional Connecticut Broadleaf Maduros, but it will surely appeal to fans of Nicaraguan cigars. If you’re just getting into Perdomo, the 10th Anniversary Sampler includes this cigar with the Nick’s popular Champagne and Sun Grown blends, or consider the Perdomo Maduro Connoisseur Collection to taste the differences between all of Nick’s bestselling Maduro cigars. Perdomo 10th Anniversary Maduro is an easy cigar to rely on when you’re craving a dark and deep smoke that’s not too expensive.
