Cigar Review: Perdomo Lot 23 Maduro

Robusto, 5.0" x 50 ring gauge, $5.48
Perdomo has a reputation of creating quality cigars for a reasonable price tag. In 2009, with the federal government mandating increased cigar prices through the new SCHIP taxes, Perdomo was among the first (and only) companies to stand up to say they would absorb the cost of the new tax rather than passing it on to the consumer. At a recent event, our local south-east Perdomo rep told me that the company actually lowered prices during the last year in response to the weaker economy. For these things, I applaud the company and invite everyone to find a favorite Perdomo stick to partake of frequently. The Lot 23 cigars are composed entirely of tobacco from a certain field (Lot 23--kind of like Area 51, I guess?) they own in Nicaragua. The original cigar used Connecticut-seed, shade-grown leaf, while this variation uses a Broadleaf Maduro.

The band on this stick was so big that it covered about a third of the stick. The wrapper was rough and rustic with some apparent veins. It felt quite oily and had just a little give, so a nice firmness. The wrapper smelled of humidor and barnyard, while the foot smelled like chocolate. The prelight draw was excellent and featured flavors of cocoa and coffee.

Upon lighting, the smoke was smooth with a little chocolatey sweetness and roasted nuts, with a bit of leather on the retrohale. The first third turned out to be so nutty I started to wonder if Jimmy Carter was in on the blend. The flavors both on puff and retrohale have a large roasted peanut component. There was a little coffee and even less sweetness to it. The ash started to banana-peel almost immediately, causing me to tap ash at half an inch, and the burn line started to canoe immediately after that.

There was some coffee flavor as the second third started--black coffee, but not very strong. The burn line continued to be uneven and the ash was exceptionally flaky, making a mess on my shirt, in my lap, and on the magazine I was reading. Disappointing and irritating.

This flaky ash problem continued through the end of the stick. The last third saw a bit of spice showing up, but the cigar as a whole was still predominantly roasted nut with a little cocoa. The draw was excellent from beginning to end. I was disappointed with the Lot 22 Maduro after enjoying the natural version quite a bit. This stick did not bring nearly the amount of flavor or body that I had expected and seemed rather dull. That might be acceptable if the cigar cost a couple bucks, but I expect a lot more for $5+, especially from Perdomo. Try it yourself, though, your results may vary...if you end up liking this cigar, it is a spectacular deal.

Body: 7/10
Strength: 8/10
Complexity: 7/10

AFP Scale:
Prelight: 1.5/2
Construction: 1/2
Flavor: 3/5
Value: .5/1
Total: 6/10