Cigar Review: Perdomo Grand Cru Corojo

Robusto, 5" x 50 ring gauge, $6.30
Perdomo released the Grand Cru in mid-2009 and says that is represents the "best of the best" from the 2004 crop of the company's farms. These cigars are created from Cuban-seed (Semilla Habano) tobacco, grown in Nicaragua, from filler to binder to wrapper. This newest Perdomo offering has received much fanfare and many positive reviews, so I have been anxious to get my hands on them for months. The Grand Cru is available in both Corojo and Maduro wrappers; today I will be looking at the Corojo and I hope to get my hands on a Maduro soon.

The wrapper was light brown with some darker mottling. The veins were more to be seen rather than felt, making for a smooth surface that was rather oily. The wrapper had an alfalfa aroma with some barnyard/manure thrown in. The foot had a chocolate aroma along with a touch of coffee. The band is somewhat understated, but with a lot of verbiage--just from a design standpoint, this is really not an attractive band. The cold draw was excellent and there were flavors of pepper spice, semisweet chocolate, some hay and caramel--not unlike what you might get from a mild cigar.

After lighting, initial puffs definitely had a creamy coffee aspect, with some black pepper hitting the back of the throat. The first third of the Grand Cru was a study in contrast: smooth, creamy smoke with a harshness in the throat; mild, creamy coffee with a strong pepper component. It basically felt like a collision of milder cigar characteristics with fuller-bodied cigar traits--not unlike the Lot 23, but fuller.

The second third is where this stick started getting more interesting and the comparison to the Lot 23 ceased. The spice reduced to almost nothing, but so did the creamy, smooth, mild cigar aspects. There was a nuttiness and earthiness along with a stronger, black coffee flavor and a muted sweetness that was not quite dried fruit, but was not too far from that, either.

In the last third, the spice ramped up again, but was more of a chili pepper this time. The body ramped up, too, becoming more medium-to-full, bordering on low full-bodied status. The earthiness was still there along with some essence of clove. In conclusion, this was a very fine cigar that had plenty of complexity and a steadily increasing body and strength all the way to the end. The construction was absolutely perfect: a razor-straight burn line and fantastic draw. Because of the nuanced way it starts out, it is probably a cigar you want to have as your first of the day; otherwise, you may not get much from it until halfway through. I would definitely recommend it to try, especially at the bargain price they are asking.

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

AFP Scale:
Prelight: 1.5/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4.5/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9/10