Perdomo Cabinet Series Sun Grown Robusto

[jazznut]

"Effortless"

Perdomo Reserve La Tradicion Cabinet Series Sun Grown Robusto (White Band)

Dimensions: 5 inches by 54-ring gauge
Type of cigar: Robusto
Date smoked: Monday January 8th, 2007

Setting: A cool, overcast winter’s day sitting outside on the back porch, with blankets of clouds racing across the darkening late afternoon sky.
Accompanying drink: A sweetness-laced beverage really seems to set off the fireworks of this particular Perdomo. I chose to pour some 1986 Talisker Distillers Edition. The latent salt-peat forcefulness and juicy fruit opulence of the Amoroso cask wood finished Skye whisky emphasized the tobacco tones of the Nicaraguan to perfection. A fulsome amber Rum or high-proof Bourbon from heavily charred barrels, such as George T. Stagg or Booker’s, would also work well, I am sure.

Appearance of cigar: The beautifully rendered wrapper, with suppressed veins and good tooth, exhibited a uniform melding of deep cocoa and Van Dyke brown tones as well as a faint burnt umber cast in the background. The outer leaf gave off a crystalline semi-gloss glow in the natural light. The colour of the tripa ranged from burnt sienna to exceptionally dark walnut brown.
Construction: Quality of fabrication appeared exemplary. The evenly scrolled and fairly compactly organized filler leaves translated to a medium-firm to firm finger feel, while the well applied and deeply set cap sported a slightly flat contour. I noted a marginal box press.
Combustion: An ideal draw tempo. Combustion was essentially non-eventful, permitting me to concentrate fully on enjoying the aromatic and taste related merits of the cigar. The solid, medium grey to charcoal ash, sparingly striated with a more ruddy hue, held up to an inch of length in the breezy conditions and left a flat ember in its wake upon falling. Total smoking time clocked in at a little over 1 hour.

Pre-light aroma: Earthy tobacco. Mocha Java coffee. A lurking molasses-like sweetness.
Pre-light draw: Rich, earthy, spice tinged tobacco crisply edged with cedar.
Post-light aroma: Warm. Inviting. Touches of leather.

Opening: Strong, no-nonsense Nicaraguan tobacco with a rich, sultry earthiness. Definite dark roasted coffee notes layered atop more reticent wood tones. Ripe without being at all sweet.
Early stages: Dark chocolate and Caribbean black cake, the latter nuance echoing the molasses-like characteristic of the pre-light aroma. A smooth, full tobacco sensation.
Mid portion: Very harmonious. Medium to full bodied, with the power conveyed amidst a velvety textural envelope. The first inkling of a forest undergrowth demeanour, both root vegetation and spice driven in nature (shades of a Romeo y Julieta Edición Limitada Robusto, perhaps?), emerging.
Latter stages: Undercurrents of dark chocolate, coffee and bakery goods in the oven continuing to reverberate beneath the core tobacco taste. Bordering on the edible.
Finish: Developing an almost granular palpability with the cedar aspect acquiring greater prominence even as the overall presentation maintained an effortless sense of integration.

Summary: The balancing act between elucidation of the distinct flavour elements and their amalgamation into a greater whole is noteworthy. Just lacks that very last iota of elegance to elevate it into the top echelon. An excellent late afternoon through evening cigar, nonetheless. The Champagne Robusto’s alter ego?