Perdomo Genuine Pre-Embargo "EL" Cuban Counterfeit Epicure

[jazznut]

"What’s In A Name?"

Perdomo Genuine Pre-Embargo “Edición Limitada” Cuban Counterfeit Epicure (1958 Band)

Country of origin: Nicaragua
Dimensions of cigar: 5 inches by 51-ring gauge
Type of cigar: Robusto
Date smoked: Thursday January 4th, 2007

Setting: An unseasonably warm early winter afternoon on the back porch.
Accompanying drink: Barbancourt Réserve Spéciale 8 Year Old Rum from Haiti.

Appearance of cigar: The toothy, semi-gloss, marginally smooth Colorado-Oscuro outer leaf of the Robusto displayed a predominant Van Dyke brown hue diffusely enhanced with areas of burnt umber and more sparsely distributed regions of reddish cocoa. A few prominent straw-sienna veins coursed over the surface, thereby further emphasizing the overall darkness of the wrapper. The binder appeared sandalwood-tinged cocoa in colour, while the spectrum of the filler encompassed straw-ochre, burnt sienna and dark chocolate tones.
Construction: Quality of fabrication, as expected, was top-drawer, with the compactly and evenly scrolled leaves of the tripa forming a perfectly round cross-sectional profile within the overlying capote and capa. A securely and deeply set cap with a mildly rounded contour crowned the head of the cigar. Finger feel fell within the decidedly firm range, and combined minimal give with a high degree of resilience.
Combustion: The Perdomo proved faultless in technical performance from first flame to final fading glow. Its solid pale grey to medium charcoal ash held resolutely until tapped, leaving a conical ember behind. Total smoking time clocked in at approximately 1 hour.
Draw: Ideal. At no moment did I sense either an overly exuberant or inhibited tempo.

Pre-light aroma: Ripe tobacco. Distinct earthiness with an undercurrent of Ghanaian chocolate.
Pre-light draw: Earthy. Woody. A subtle bitter chocolate-laced piquancy.
Post-light aroma: Pungent. Sweetly roasted tobacco and smouldering autumnal foliage. Charred honey-drizzled nut husks.

Opening: Enticingly velvety overture. Honey-cured tobacco with the drier soil and wood elements relatively subdued.
Early stages: A more pronounced groundswell of dry-spiced earthiness temporarily obscuring the core tobacco characteristics. Rooty. Hints of cloves and some mild pepper, too.
Mid portion: The wood aspect gently binding to the demure sweetness as well a slight residual acidity, thereby allowing the tobacco to release a discreet fruity quality, as though apple cores and lemon rinds were being tossed onto a bonfire. Round and integrated.
Latter stages: Resurgent sweet-roasted sensation incorporating a note of spice-encrusted Brazil nuts. A touch of herbaceous tingling at the tip of the tongue providing contrast. Uplifted, crisply delineated flavour presentation despite the backdrop of greater strength. Fine balance.
Finish: Profound cedar invading tobacco. Lingering dryness.

Textural quality: Medium bodied, with perhaps a smidgen less opulence than the “1958” Torpedo.

Summary: An extremely appetizing cigar with a certain brightness about it. Pre-dinner by preference. I have an inkling this particular Perdomo would pair magnificently with Dalwhinnie 15 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky.