Cigar: Perdomo Habano Barrel-Aged Sun Grown
Size: 5 x 54
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Sun Grown
Binder: Cuban-seed Nicaraguan
Filler: Cuban-seed Nicaraguan
MSRP: $8.00 to $9.00 per cigar via online retailers
Perdomo cigars are numerous at my local B&M. While there are various singular blends to choose from, the shop usually has a couple different Perdomo sampler packs ready to sell to the public. And honestly, it’s a nice deal. You get a number of different Perdomo cigars already sealed in humidified package. It’s the fast food version of buying cigars. I realized that for whatever reason, I don’t smoke Perdomo cigars on a regular basis. I have nothing against the brand; it’s one of those that gets lost in the mix of cigars in the $8-11 price range. Being that I wanted to get out of rut in smoking what I always pick (and find new cigars to smoke and review), I found that the Perdomo Habano Barrel-Aged Sun Grown to be a fine choice to check out during our lovely shelter-in-place.
No construction issues on the second of two cigars I bought for review. The pre-light aromas brought a pleasant mix of cedar, leather and cooking spices while the cold draw provided faint hints of wood and spice. Because I left my camera upstairs, I took my straight cutter with me for the cut and after the light, found a moderately open draw with opening flavor notes of wood, spices on the side of the palette and something like graham cracker. It’s a nice blend that couples well with a stronger side of medium bodied strength. The wrapper on this cigar is double-aged, six years at first then another 10 months in bourbon barrels (hence the name). I didn’t find a ton of bourbon flavor to be had but I could see hints of it throughout if that is something that interests you. Twelve minutes in, I found the spice to diminish greatly on the palette while more wood and graham cracker came forward, accompanied with a touch of pepper. From here, the cigar more or less held firm on the flavors. 27 minutes later is where I found the cigar to pick up some strength to where it crossed into the medium-to-full bodied range of strength. The final inch of the cigar brought heavier notes of wood and graham cracker for a pleasant and smooth smoking 52 minutes.
The only issue I had throughout the cigar was that it seemed to waffle back and forth between even and uneven the entire time. It wasn’t an issue as it was easy to make a correction here and there, except in my opinion it happened a few too many times. Otherwise, it was fine.
By-The-Numbers
Pre-light: 2/2
Construction: 1.75/2
Flavor: 4/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 8.75/10
To recap the Perdomo Habano Barrel-Aged Sun Grown:
- It’s a pleasant balance of strength and complementary flavors that make this an enjoyable cigar to smoke.
- Not too strong for those who like a milder fare yet enough strength and complexity to keep the veterans happy too.
- Buy them online – you’ll be able to find these under $10 per cigar (and maybe more than that).
- While I liked it, in this price range, this isn’t going to beat out my favorites but it’s one that if nothing is tickling my fancy, it’s a safe buy.
Thank you all for reading. I hope everyone out there is staying safe with the virus craziness going on.
