Origin : Nicaragua Format : Robusto Size : 5 x 56 Wrapper : Cuban Seed Nicaraguan grown Maduro Filler : Nicaragua (Esteli, Japala and Condega) Binder : Nicaragua Hand-Made Price : ~$7.75 each
In 1992, an enterprising air traffic controller named Nick Perdomo Jr. started a cigar company out of his home garage in Miami, Florida. Today, Tabacalera Perdomo owns the second largest cigar manufacturing facility in Estelí, Nicaragua. The 20th Anniversary blend was released to celebrate 20 years of business.
Origin : Nicaragua Format : Torpedo Size : 6 x 54 Price : ~$3
This review is submitted by MoBarbq (Wes) and is participating in our “Share your cheap smoke!” contest. To get a chance to win a box of cigars, you can submit yours here.
This is the epitome of a bargain/value cigar, as I see it. The Cigar Authority recently featured Nick Perdomo talking about a little demo he likes to pull on tours of his factory. He takes out a Perdomo Fresco (without a band) and hands them out to the group, asks them to smoke it, and then tell him what they would be willing to pay for such a cigar. To noted praise about the stick from the group, many say $8 or $9. He then tells them what it is they are smoking, and says it sells for $3.00. Many are shocked. I’m guessing that before this experience, some of those in the crowd probably would have never purchased a $3 cigar, so it is a good lesson that all of us can learn from: Don’t let the lower price tag lead you to a premature judgment about a cigar.
This is a bundled cigar that does not taste or smoke like a bundled cigar! I’ve been smoking these for going on two years now. I have tried all the vitolas, but have to say I like the torpedo vitola the best. It has a nice weighty feel to the hand, with a larger ring gauge and a beautiful sheen to the wrapper. They are well rolled and have a nice weight, making you realize there is a lot of tobacco in this cigar. This is a Nicaraguan puro with an earthy “barnyard” aroma to the wrapper and foot. As to appearances, the stick has a very fancy and colorful band, which is a clue that this is not a typical bundled cigar. Most bundled cigars are naked, but Perdomo even puts a fancy band on their low-end Fresco. The construction is excellent, and I have not had one yet that had any draw problems; they have always have a flawless draw for me. Sometimes I have to make a minor burn correction, but that is a small price to pay, and is no different from what I have to do with many cigars I smoke. I am sometimes known to be a biter, and the wrapper stands up well to being firmly held in the teeth. It smokes like cigars I have paid much more for. The bundle can be found in the mid to high $40 range and that is for a bundle of 25, not 20-as many manufacturers have gone to. There are cheaper bundles out there, but I have had many of them, and none hold a candle to Fresco. As singles, I have paid anywhere from $3 to $3.95, with the other vitolas available for slightly less. It can be had in both Connecticut wrappers or Maduro, as I had here.
I would call this a medium-bodied cigar. With the Maduro, I routinely pick up some nuances of chocolate, as well as something akin to molasses, and sometimes notes of coffee. It produces plenty of smoke and the ash chunks off in about ½ inch segments, something which is nice for commuters to know, as it is conducive to smoking while driving -and not getting covered in ash. If you are looking for a good value cigar, you need look no further than Perdomo Fresco.
Origin : Nicaragua Format : Torpedo Size : 6 x 54 Wrapper : Cuban-Seed Corojo Filler : Nicaragua Binder : Nicaragua Hand-Made Price : ~$6-7 each
Background Info
Perdomo Cigars released the Perdomo Habano in August 2007. The company has touted this cigar in its use of three different tobaccos from different regions in Nicaragua, making for a balanced and enjoyable smoking experience.
Mission Debrief
Like the La Escepcion from my last review, I found the Perdomo Habano by accident, the box stuck in a corner of my B&M’s walk-in humidor. As I have not had as much experience in smoking the wares of Perdomo as I do of other popular cigar brands, I thought this would be a great time to get more acquainted with this line from Perdomo.
Origin : Nicaragua Format : Churchill Size : 7 x 50 Wrapper : Nicaragua (Natural) Filler : Nicaragua Binder : Nicaragua Hand-Made Price : ~$4.70 each
In 1992, an enterprising air traffic controller named Nick Perdomo Jr. started a cigar company out of his home garage in Miami, Florida. Today, Tabacalera Perdomo owns the second largest cigar manufacturing facility in Estelí, Nicaragua and produces nine diverse product lines. The Lot 23 line began in 2000 with the clearing of an untouched plot of land in Nicaragua. The tobacco grown there is fermented for one year and bale-aged for a minimum of three years.
Origin : Nicaragua Format : Churchill Size : 7 x 52 Wrapper : Connecticut Filler : Nicaragua Binder : Nicaragua Hand-Made Price : ~$50 for a bundle of 20
Mission Notes
Interestingly, the weight of this cigar was less than other churchill-sized cigars in my humidor holding cell. It was densely packed, just didn’t have the same feel. Connecticut wrapper was in good shape but lacked in elegance (similar to Agent 3 when the Pittsburgh Penguins lose to any team on the planet). Complexities I’m not accustomed to from a Connecticut wrapper. Awesome aroma. Medium in body. Delicious. I was unable to identify flavors other than natural tobacco and some other complex flavors. That’s a first. Burning characteristics were spot-on.
Final Statement
This target demands your attention. If I smoked this cigar without a band, I would have put it in the $6-7 price range from the flavor complexities alone. If you come across the Slow-Aged 826 by Perdomo… interrogate without fail or price prejudice.
Origin : Nicaragua Format : Torpedo Size : 6.0″ x 54 Wrapper : Nicaraguan Maduro Filler : Nicaraguan Long Filler Binder : Nicaraguan Hand-Made Price : $6 each
This new offering from Perdomo is a Nicaraguan puro that is made with 100% Semilla Habano tobacco. Simply said, it is all Cuban-seed, Nicaraguan grown tobacco and they all happen to be selected from the same 2004 crop. It is offered in 4 run of the mill sizes and in three different wrappers. You can have it in a Connecticut Shade, Nicaraguan Corojo, and a Nicaraguan Maduro wrapper. I was curious when I saw it was available in a Connecticut Shade wrapper. Where was that particular wrapper grown? Do they grow that wrapper in Nicaragua? I’m not sure but I didn’t think that wrapper type is grown anywhere in that country. If it isn’t grown in Nicaragua, then that version obviously couldn’t be called a “Nicaraguan Puro” but I guess that doesn’t really matter. Back to the cigar at hand. For this review, I will be smoking the Maduro variety in the Torpedo format.
Origin : Nicaragua Format : Robusto Size : 5.0″ x 54 Wrapper : Cuban-Seed Criollo Filler : Nicaraguan Binder : Nicaraguan Hand-Made Price : $6 each
Celebrating 10 years of the Perdomo Reserve line of cigars, Tabacalera Perdomo released the 10th Anniversary Edition sometime last year (if memory serves). Dressed in a smooth and oily cuban-seed Criollo wrapper the 10th Anniversary is a good looking cigar. They are available in five sizes:
