Perdomo Habano Sun Grown Epicure Staff Review
Today’s review is an easy one: Perdomo Habano Sun Grown in the brand’s bestselling 5 x 54 Epicure shape. Anytime I smoke a Perdomo cigar, I know I’m in for a treat. Perdomo cigars are well made and blended according to brand founder Nick Perdomo’s meticulous standards for quality and taste. Cigar-making aside, Nick is a genuine, down-to-earth guy who’s a pleasure to hang out with when you meet him in person. It’s easy to get a sense of his generous appreciation for his customers and his passion for premium tobacco within a few minutes of talking to him. Perdomo smokers are especially loyal to the brand as a result. The most enthusiastic and devout even formed a club called The Perdomo Army.
Nick’s father and grandfather were tobacco men. His grandfather, Silvio Perdomo, emigrated from Italy to Cuba and worked his way up through a few factories before landing a job at the world-renowned Partagas factory. Nick’s father, Nick Sr., followed in Silvio’s footsteps and worked at Partagas until Fidel Castro threw Cuba’s economy and political landscape into chaos during the Cuban Revolution of the 1950s. Silvio Perdomo was imprisoned for fifteen years before emigrating to the U.S. in 1974, and Nick Sr. narrowly escaped execution from his hospital bed after being shot by communist forces. Nick Sr. made it out of Cuba through the Uruguayan Embassy with the help of the Catholic Church and eventually found refuge in the U.S., settling in Florida. Like many Cuban immigrants, the Perdomos started over from nothing.
Cigar-making again became a serious pursuit of the Perdomo family in the early 1990s when Nick Jr. began producing cigars in his garage with his father. The two steadily built their brand into a strong family enterprise that Nick Jr. operates with his son, Nick Perdomo III, today. Perdomo Habano Sun Grown is a prime example of how far they’ve come.
An oily Cuban-seed Nicaraguan wrapper shimmers with a beautiful medium-brown color over a well-aged blend of binder and filler tobaccos grown on Perdomo’s Nicaraguan farms. The tobacco in Habano Sun Grown is aged for a minimum of 6 years, followed by an additional 10 months in bourbon barrels for added complexity. The slightly chunky 54 ring gauge of the Epicure looks promising the second I slide the cellophane off. The velvety wrapper emits a luscious aroma of oak and spices when I place the cigar under my nose.
After a quick and clean cut to the cap, I light up. My palate is greeted with abundant notes of earth, cedar, and spice. Throughout the first third, notes of cinnamon and hay marry nicely with the cigar’s woody undertones. I can tell it’s a flawlessly crafted shape thanks to its precise burn and the bulging pillows of smoke I can draw from it with ease. As I reach the halfway point, a sweet, nutty flavor sneaks into the profile. It provides excellent balance to the woody and spicy taste of Habano Sun Grown. Overall, the blend is medium-bodied and very consistent throughout the final third. A long, smooth, and hearty finish lingers with gratifying aftertaste.
Habano Sun Grown is one of the best Perdomo cigars in the expansive Perdomo portfolio. I have nothing but praise for each and every Perdomo cigar I have ever smoked. Most sell for between $6 and $12 apiece, making them a great value. Nick Jr. is a stickler for reasonable prices. Perdomo Habano is also available in an Ecuador Connecticut and a Maduro wrapper. There are plenty of Perdomo assortments to consider, too, like the 10th Anniversary Sampler, before you decide on a favorite blend. Splurge on a box during one of our frequent Perdomo deals. If you haven’t smoked one yet, what are you waiting for? I recommend firing up a Perdomo without hesitation!
