Perdomo 20th anniversary Maduro Review

Like many cigar smokers, the name Perdomo brings back fond memories of my earliest days smoking. Lot 23 Maduro, for instance: one of the first cigars I ever reviewed. So I was excited to finally get a chance to review the 20th Anniversary Maduro.

On to the review…

Blend Specifics

Wrapper: Habano Maduro
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Size: 5″ x 56 (Robusto)

Appearance & Construction

Beautiful branding and a great overall look. The wrapper of the Perdomo 20th Anniversary is a deep dark chocolate brown that sports a lot of oils as well. Just a touch of toothiness. The cold draw is slightly restrictive and gives clear notes of sweet granola, chocolate, hay, and earth.

Flavor & Smoke Characteristics

The 20th Anniversary Maduro kicks off with medium bodied smoke with notes of black pepper, bittersweet dark chocolate, dry cedar strips, some salt and other spices. The spices border more on being akin to hot peppers. Combine that with the dry cedar and you’ll need a drink to go along with this cigar.

Into the second third the cigar changes considerably. The hot pepper tones down (my palate is thankful) and moves more toward the retrohale, and the flavor becomes a bit sweeter, with the dark chocolate note becoming a bit more like milk chocolate. Additionally, there is a slightly savory note akin to beef jerky.

By half in, the peppers are still drawing down, and the texture of the Smoke is changing from very dry to slightly creamy.

In the final third, the smoke becomes dry again, a shift I’m not a big fan of.

Conclusion

Overall, I wasn’t impressed with the Perdomo 20th Anniversary Maduro. My favorite part of this cigar was probably the first 10 minutes, but I found after about an inch in the pepper notes and dry consistency of the smoke too much to be enjoyable. You’re better off sticking with other classic cigars from Perdomo like the Champagne 10th Anniversary or Champagne Noir.

Final Grade: C+