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The Perdomo Exhibicion line of cigars made its debut at the 2011 IPCPR Trade Show. Like many other cigars in the Perdomo Exhibicion line, it offers consumers three different wrapper options over a common binder and filler blend. This has proven to be a successful approach for Perdomo cigars because not only creates variations in the flavor profile, but allows Perdomo to reach a wide range of cigar enthusiasts. A few days ago, we explored the Perdomo Exhibicion Exhibit Sun Grown which proved to be a nice smoking experience. In this assessment, we explore the maduro wrapper option – the Perdomo Exhibicion Exhibit Maduro. The Perdomo Exhibicion Exhibit Maduro provides a classic maduro-style smoke and was a solid smoking experience.
For the Perdomo Exhibicion line, there are three wrappers that have been utilized:
- Perdomo Exhibicion Exhibit Connecticut (Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade)
- Perdomo Exhibicion Exhibit Sun Grown (Nicaraguan Sun Grown)
- Perdomo Exhibicion Exhibit Maduro (Nicaraguan Maduro)
Let’s take a closer look at the Perdomo Exhibicion Exhibit Maduro and see what this cigar is all about.
Blend Profile
The Perdomo Exhibicion Maduro utilizes a Nicaraguan maduro wrapper over Nicaraguan binder and filler tobacco. All of the Perdomo Exhibicion cigars use Perdomo’s bourbon barrel aging process. The maduro wrapper is then aged an additional 14 months.
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Sun Grown
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Cuban Seed Nicaraguan (4 Year Condega Seco, 5 Year Jalapa Viso, 6 Year Ligero)
Vitolas Available
Each blend of the Perdomo Exhibicion comes in four sizes. They are also sold in boxes of 20. The interesting thing is that all of the cigars have the 54 ring gauge.
Robusto: 5 x 54
Toro: 6 x 54
Churchill: 7 x 54
Torpedo: 7 x 54
Appearance
For this cigar experience, I selected the Toro vitola. While the photo above appears to be a little lighter, the Perdomo Exhibicion Maduro has a classic maduro wrapper. The wrapper itself is coffee bean colored. It has a slightly oily complexion to it. Like the Perdomo Exhibicion Sun Grown, the Exhibicion Maduro wrapper has a rougher feel to it. It is somewhat bumpy, toothy, and has some visible wrapper seams. The aroma from the foot yields a deep farm-like aroma.
The band has a similar design to the other Perdomo Exhibicion line but with different coloring. Overall, I didn’t care for the color scheme of this band as much as the Perdomo Exhibicion Sun Grown. The front of the Exhibicion Maduro band is black and gold. It features the Perdomo sun-burst logo. There is a “P” in gold font in the middle surrounded by a circle and flanked by “Tabacalera Perdomo” also in gold font. The top of the band features “Perdomo” and the bottom features ” Exhibicion” (also in gold font).
Preparation for the Cigar Experience
For my experience with the Perdomo Exhibicion Maduro, I placed a straight cut into the cap. After I started the pre-light draw, I detected flavors of coffee, espresso, cherry sweetness, and a hint of cedar spice. Overall, while it was a predictable dry draw from a maduro, it was a satisfactory one. At this point, it was on to light my Perdomo Exhibicion Maduro and see what the smoking experience would bring to the table.
Flavor Profile
The start to my Perdomo Exhibicion Maduro treated me to a mix of coffee and spice. I also detected a couple of “old school” flavors in oak and musk. Early on, it was the coffee notes that moved to the forefront. The coffee notes had a nice richness to it. Shortly afterwards, the spice notes became a classic maduro “sweet spice”. This sweet spice was a cross between citrus sweetness and cedar spice. This sweet spice emerged as a secondary note with the old school notes tertiary.
Toward the end of the first third, the coffee notes also took on an espresso syrup flavor. This was indicative on how rich the coffee flavors were. Once the Perdomo Exhibicion Maduro reached the midway point, the coffee notes finally diminished. The second half saw the coffee notes morph to more of a leather flavor. When the cigar experience crossed the midway point, the leather notes along with the sweet spice that alternated as to which was the primary flavor.
The Perdomo Exhibicion Maduro did get more spicy toward the end of the cigar. The spice moved away from the sweet spice and takes on more of a classic baker’s spice. The resulting nub was outstanding – firm to the touch and cool in temperature.
Burn and Draw
The burn of the Perdomo Exhibicion Maduro did require several touch-ups each time I smoked this (I had two samples) I found this cigar needed a lot of work to keep it burning straight. There was not any serious canoeing, but it did require some more TLC than I would like. There were no issues with the burn temperature and burn rate as these were ideal. As for the draw, it was effortless – and in my book it scores high for this attribute.
Strength and Body
From a nicotine standpoint, I found that the Perdomo Exhibicion Maduro provided the right amount of strength in this area. This cigar fell right into the medium to full range in terms of strength. When the Perdomo Exhibicion Maduro was unveiled, this was positioned as the fuller-bodied offering of the Perdomo Exhibicion line. From my perspective, it took a little time for this cigar to develop its full-bodied flavors. It definitely starts out as medium to full, but by the second third (once that espresso syrup kicks in), it is full-bodied. Overall, it has just the right amount of strength to balance against these flavors.
Final Thoughts
Overall, this was a very nice maduro cigar. When i compare it to the Sun Grown, there definitely are some common traits (such as the citrus notes). While the Perdomo Exhibicion Sun Grown was a nice smoke, the Perdomo Exhibicion Maduro has a slight edge. There is going to be nothing revolutionary about the flavor profile of this smoke, but it does deliver a nice every day smoke. A novice cigar enthusiast looking for something fuller with a little bit of strength would appreciate this. Experienced cigar enthusiasts should also be pleased with this cigar. It is definitely a cigar I would smoke again.
Summary
Burn: Good
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Medium to Full
Body: Medium to Full (First third), Full (remainder of smoke)
Finish: Excellent
Assessment: Nice to Have
Score: 89
Source: The cigars for this assessment were purchased from Union Cigar Company in Monroe, NC
