Perdomo 10th Anniversary Champagne
I have always had a proclivity for contrarian thinking, but some cigars are just so good that, try as I might to find a reason for a dissenting opinion, I find myself flowing right along with the torrent of positive reviews. Sometimes the masses all agree for a reason…because they’re right.
The Perdomo 10th Anniversary Champagne Epicure (6×54) is one of the most popular premium cigars in our shop, and I mean inside the top 5, outsold only by Romeo Y Julieta Reserva Real Toro and Magnum, Montecristo White Series Toro, and the CAO Flathead 660. The brands on that list are all Behemoths in the cigar industry, with massive sales and marketing budgets and big-time name recognition. Perdomo is a family owned company that earned it’s place in the industry in only one way…making incredible premium cigars at reasonable prices. The 10th Anniversary Champagne is a perfect example. You can snag this smoke in Robusto (5×54), Epicure (6×54), or Super Toro (6×60) for about $10 or less per stick.
So let’s take a look inside:
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade
Binder: Cuban-seed Nicaraguan
Filler: Cuban-seed Nicaraguan
Seems common enough, until you get one in your hand and remove the tell-tale tinted yellow cellophane. This beautiful butterscotch Shade wrapper feels like velvet. Like the thinnest strip of perfectly supple leather you’ve ever felt. The pre-lit cigar has all of the traditional aromas of Nicaraguan and Connecticut Shade tobaccos, but there is an extra hint of sweetness that enters the nose as well. A dry pull yields earthy notes, and some wood, with a hint sweet cream near the front of the palette.
Cream, honey, and oaky, woody undertones are the prominent flavors of the first third-to-half of this smoke once lit. But it is the very specific combination of these flavors in their specific variants and amplitudes that give this cigar its undeniably Perdomo essence. Perdomo fans will know what I mean when I say that every Perdomo cigar has a shared essence, which I was able to taste immediately and which remained throughout the experience.
The cigar does begin to heat up some after crossing the halfway point, but if extra care is taken not to pull too hard or too frequently, the smoke remained cool enough for pure flavors to be drawn out.
This is a mild cigar, but as complex as any Connecticut Shade I am familiar with. I have to put it up very close to the Oliva Connecticut Reserve in terms of quality and flavor. Connecticut Shade is something I typically will only reach for in the morning, but this cigar has been, and will remain in my breakfast cigar rotation.
If you’ve never had the pleasure, see for yourself why so many serious cigar enthusiasts are buying this cigar by the fist full. You can find it in our web store, and as a thank you for reading, use the code CHAMP for 10% off your Perdomo Champagne purchase online!
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-DP