Perdomo 10th Anniversary Sun Grown Staff Review
I consider Perdomo cigars, like the 10th Anniversary Sun Grown Robusto I’m smoking for today’s review, a high-end value cigar. Brand owner Nick Perdomo has grown his portfolio of premium handmades steadily and substantially over the past three decades – and he’s done it according to his own rules.
Nick’s a genuine cigar-maker, family guy, and smart businessman. When Holt’s General Manager of Retail Operations, Anthony Mazzola, sat down to talk with Nick during our Perdomo event this past spring, it’s clear why the man has surpassed, by such a big margin, the humble goals he set for himself as a newcomer in the cigar business in the 1990s. Nick is focused, pragmatic, and he expresses much gratitude to his customers.
Perdomo 10th Anniversary cigars follow Nick’s classic formula with a Connecticut blend, a Maduro, and the Sun Grown I’m about to fire up. Each wrapper changes the flavor profile considerably because a cigar’s wrapper influences its taste more than any other component in the blend. Although Perdomo 10th Anniversary Champagne, the Connecticut edition, has been the number-one-selling Perdomo cigar for several years, Nick creates equally impressive distinctions with every wrapper he works with. He patiently ages his tobaccos to ensure maximum smoothness, and in the case of 10th Anniversary Sun Grown, the result is a sweet, silky, and spicy smoke you can enjoy without spending a fortune.
Perdomo 10th Anniversary Sun Grown is blended from a Cuban-seed Nicaraguan wrapper grown under direct sunlight and aged for six years. The wrapper spends a final ten months resting in a bourbon barrel before a skilled cigar roller draws it over Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos, also aged for six years. Nick grows all his own tobacco on a network of farms he visits regularly when he’s not out in the field meeting with retailers and cigar lovers around the country. He’s a hands-on factory owner as well, and that’s how he maintains such a high level of quality control across his entire portfolio.
The Perdomo 10th Anniversary Sun Grown Robusto shimmers under its shiny black, red, and gold cigar band. This woody and peppery smoke imparts an unexpected sweetness thanks to Nick’s bourbon-barrel-aging process. The wrapper is oily and seamless, and air passes through the cigar with the perfect degree of resistance when I clip the cap on a 5-by-54 Robusto and take a few cold draws.
The cigar fully ignites after a minute of toasting the foot with my single-jet Xidris torch from Xikar. Tasting notes of smoked almond, leather, and baking spices swirl over the palate in dense streams of smoke that contribute a tempting room note. Cinnamon and wood complement the cigar’s persistent foundation of coffee bean and pepper throughout the first twenty minutes. A strong ash develops over the course of the cigar’s flawless burn.
Perdomo 10th Anniversary is a medium to full-bodied cigar. It’s an excellent smoke to pair with Maker’s Mark or an IPA because it’s got a lot of depth and spice without overpowering your palate. Thanks to Nick’s high standards for construction and consistency, you can smoke Perdomo cigars without constantly relighting them or worrying about an obstructed draw. Because they’re budget-friendly, Perdomo cigars are great for sharing with your pals too.
By the time I’m preparing to take the band off, a lively crescendo of cedar, cinnamon, and black pepper unfolds after I knock the ash off a final time and coax the remaining draws from the nub. Perdomo 10th Anniversary Sun Grown offers all the standard hallmarks you’d expect from a premium handmade blended and produced by Nick, and there are no unwanted surprises. If you like 10th Anniversary Champagne cigars, take a step up in strength and give the Sun Grown blend a shot. Or explore the Perdomo Award-Winning Connoisseur Collection and sample Perdomo’s finest in a wide variety of wrappers. You’re guaranteed to find a good cigar that fits in your regular rotation.
