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| Perdomo Reserve Limited Edition Cameroon |
If you are a regular listener of Cigar Dave, one thing you will constantly hear the General ask Nick Perdomo is “when are you going to bring back a Cameroon cigar?” One cigar that Perdomo had made with the Cameroon wrapper was the Perdomo Reserve Limited Edition Cameroon. Cameroon wrappers provide a natural sweet flavor to a cigar perhaps more than any other wrapper. At the same time, this is not an easy wrapper for cigar manufacturers to keep in supply for a couple of reasons: 1) The instability of the countries in Africa (Cameroon is the main country, but there are others) make it difficult to obtain the wrapper; 2) Once the wrapper is obtained, it is a very fragile wrapper to work with because it is thin and it the fermentation process can often be a challenge. Therefore, it was no surprise when Perdomo discontinued the Limited Edition Cameroon. However, never say never – and 2011 might be not only be Cigar Dave’s lucky year, but a lucky year for many cigar enthusiasts. The Perdomo Reserve Limited Edition Cameroon has made a comeback as Nick Perdomo has made a limited release of this cigar.
The word is that Nick Perdomo had some Cameroon wrapper still left in the warehouse that had been aging. Since there was not a large supply of the tobacco, and most of the leaves were not large, Perdomo decided to only re-release the Limited Edition Cameroon in a Petit Corona. They will only ship ten to a box, and are meant to be a limited run.
Here are some more details on the return of the Perdomo Reserve Limited Edition Cameroon.
Blend Profile
The obviously is the Cameroon wrapper from Africa, but Perdomo complements this wrapper with Nicaraguan tobaccos from Esteli, Jalapa, and Condega.
Wrapper: Cameroon
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Vitolas Available
At this time the Perdomo Reserve Limited Edition Cameroon is only available in a 4.5 x 44 Petit Corona. If you happen to see other sizes, it are most likely leftover cigars from the previous release.
Preparation for the Cigar Experience
After placing a straight cut into the cap of the Perdomo Limited Edition Cameroon, I commenced with the pre-light draw. The Limited Edition Cameroon had a sandy feel to the wrapper and I picked up a similar texture on the dry draw, but ultimately the flavors I picked up were wood and berry. The body of the dry draw was not deep, but it still was satisfactory. It was now on to firing up this cigar and see what would come to the table,
Flavor Profile
Ultimately, a good cameroon cigar is going to provide the right among of sweetness balanced with the other flavor notes. Right out of the gate, some nice sweet flavors came from the Perdomo Limited Edition Cameroon. The sweetness was definitely unique as I assess it was a combination of caramel and berry. I also detected some cedar spice on the after-draw early on.
Around the 1/3 point, I detected additional flavor notes of earth and coffee. These additional notes added to the caramel/berry sweetness and cedar spice flavors. The mix of flavors provided a good level of complexity at this point in the smoke of the Perdomo Limited Edition Cameroon. In the second third, the cedar spice moved more into the forefront and was not just limited to the after-draw. For the most part, this would be the way the flavor profile would hold for the remainder of the smoke.
The finish to the Perdomo Limited Edition Cameroon was pleasant and not harsh. The nub was a little warm, but it was firm.
Burn and Draw
If I had a nominee for best burning cigar of 2011, the Perdomo Limited Edition Cameroon would be the front-runner. This burn was razor-sharp from beginning to end. It burned at the perfect rate and temperature. I will let the pictures tell the story.
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| Perdomo Limited Edition Cameroon Burn – Early Stage |
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| Perdomo Reserve Limited Edition Cameroon Burn – later stage |
As for the draw, it was reflective of such a great burn as it was outstanding as well. This made the Perdomo Limited Edition Cameroon a real enjoyable smoking experience.
Strength and Body
The Perdomo Reserve Limited Edition Cameroon is not going to be an overwhelming in terms a nicotine profile. It pretty much falls into the medium area of the spectrum in terms of strength. As for the body of this cigar, the flavor notes have a decent level of depth to them. I assess this as being a medium as well.
Final Thoughts
I had not smoked the Perdomo Reserve Limited Edition Cameroon when it was previously out. After sampling the re-released Petit Corona, I can understand why Cigar Dave was asking Nick Perdomo when this cigar was coming back. While I’m not a big fan of this particular size vitola, I was very pleased with the way this one smoked. Both novice and experienced cigar enthusiasts will not only appreciate the sweetness that this cigar brings to the table, but the subtle flavor nuances provided by this cigar. Hopefully there will be enough wrapper for this cigar to stick around – because it is a good one.
Summary
Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Medium
Body: Medium
Assessment: Nice to Have
Source: The cigars for this assessment were purchased from Holt’s Cigars in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
