Perdomo Estate Selección Vintage Limited Edition Box-Pressed Maduro Regente

Perdomo Estate Selección Vintage (ESV) Limited Edition Box-Pressed Maduro Regente

At the 2019 IPCPR Trade Show, Perdomo Cigars formally showcased the return of the Perdomo Estate Selección Vintage (ESV). Perdomo is a company with a huge portfolio of FDA predicate blends and has felt the pressure to bring something new to market for the sake of bringing something new. Perdomo had much success with the ESV in the past and banked on that with bringing the line back in a limited production. The twist is that the ESV returns this time as a box-pressed offering. As in the past, the ESV comes in three blends: Ecuadorian Connecticut, Sun-Grown, and Maduro. Today we take a closer look at the Perdomo Estate Selección Vintage Limited Edition Box-Pressed Maduro blend in the Regente (Robusto size).

The Perdomo Estate Selección Vintage is described as one of Perdomo’s most premium cigars to date. The cigar utilizes tobacco from Finca Natalie, a farm owned by the Perdomo family and named for company President Nick Perdomo’s daughter Natalie. The tobaccos used in the ESV Box-Pressed are from the top 5% of the crop, and are also from the first crop to come out of that farm. Because of the limited amount of the tobaccos, the ESV is an ongoing limited production cigar. Initially, Perdomo Cigars has made the ESV Box-Pressed available to 133 select retailers.

A view of Finca Natalie in Estelí, Nicaragua

Without further ado, let’s break down the Perdomo Estate Selección Vintage Limited Edition Box-Pressed Maduro Regente and see what the cigar brings to the table.

SPECIFICATIONS

Blend and Origin

The Perdomo ESV Limited Edition Box-Pressed Maduro is a Nicaraguan puro. In addition to all of the tobaccos grown by Perdomo, production is handled out of Tabacalera Perdomo in Estelí, Nicaragua.

Wrapper: Nicaraguan Maduro
Binder: Cuban-seed Nicaraguan
Filler: Cuban-seed Nicaraguan
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Factory: Tabacalera Perdomo

Vitolas Offered

There are Perdomo ESV Limited Edition Box-Pressed Maduro. There are five sizes to the ESV Limited Box-Pressed lines and they are consistent across each of the three ESV blends. Each is presented in 20-count boxes. The Imperio size is also available in six-count coffins.

Regente: 5 x 54 (Robusto)
Imperio: 6 x 54 (Toro)
Prestigio: 6 1/2 x 54 (Torpedo)
Aristocrata: 7 x 54 (Churchill)
Phantom: 6 1/2 x 60 (Gordo Extra)

Packaging for the Perdomo ESV Limited Edition Box-Pressed Maduro

Appearance

The Nicaraguan Maduro wrapper of the Perdomo ESV Limited Edition Box-Pressed Maduro Regente had a dark espresso bean color with an oily surface. The dark color of the wrapper did a good job at hiding any visible wrapper seams. There are some thin visible veins on the surface. The box press itself is what I would describe as a “soft trunk press”.

There are two bands on the Perdomo ESV Limited Edition Box-Pressed Maduro. The primary band has a cigar band seal-like design but embossed in a silver and gray color scheme with holographic accents. There are elements on the band including the Perdomo logo, a capitol building, and some Roman-like elements on it. On the upper center of the band is the text “PERDOMO ESTATE SELECCION” in a gold font with holographic accents. Just above that text is the text “PRIMERA CALIDAD” on a silver ribbon design in a small dark font.

The secondary band matches the color scheme of the primary band. The text “ESV” sits on a black rectangle in a gold font with holographic accents. To the left and right of the black rectangle are two lions, also in the same color font.

PERFORMANCE

Pre-Light Draw

A straight cut was used to remove the cap of the Perdomo ESV Limited Edition Box-Pressed Maduro Regente. Once the cap was removed it was on to the pre-light draw experience. The cold draw delivered a mix of cocoa powder, leather, and cream notes. I found this to be an excellent pre-light draw experience. I then moved on to light up the Perdomo ESV Regente and see what the smoking experience would have in store.

Tasting Notes

The Perdomo ESV Limited Edition Box-Pressed Maduro Regente commenced with notes of mocha (which I consider a fusion of chocolate and coffee notes) and natural maduro sweetness (which I consider a fusion of natural tobacco with some dried fruit). Early on the mocha and maduro sweetness moved to the forefront. There were some additional notes of leather and cream in the background. Concurrently there was a layer of red pepper on the retro-hale.

As the Perdomo ESV Maduro Regente moved through the first third, the mocha notes took over as the primary note. The cream and leather notes dissipated and were replaced by notes of char and a slight amount of mixed pepper on the tongue. During the second third, the mocha notes exhibited more of the coffee component, but remained in the forefront. The notes of maduro sweetness, mixed pepper, and char rounded out the flavor profile.

During the final third of the cigar, the mocha notes once again exhibited a combination of coffee and chocolate. The background flavors didn’t change much as the maduro sweetness, mixed pepper, and char remained. This is the way the Perdomo ESV Limited Edition Box-Pressed Maduro Regente came to a close. The resulting nub was firm to the touch and cool in temperature.

Burn

The Perdomo ESV Limited Edition Box-Pressed Maduro Regente maintained a straight burn path and straight burn rate. The resulting ash had a mostly silvery gray color. This was an ash that was nor overly firm, but wasn’t loose nor flakey either. As for the burn rate and burn temperature, both were ideal.

Perdomo ESV Limited Edition Box-Pressed Maduro Regente

Draw

The draw to the Perdomo ESV Limited Edition Box-Pressed Maduro Regente scores very nicely. It had a touch of resistance which I like on any cigar, but especially on a box-press (which sometimes is too open for me). This was a low maintenance cigar to derive flavor from and its a cigar that produced nice layers of smoke.

Strength and Body

The Perdomo ESV Limited Edition Box-Pressed Maduro Regente is a cigar that starts out in the medium to full range for both strength and body. Toward the last third of the cigar, there was a slight spike in both attributes. While the strength still was in the medium to full range, the body jumped into full-bodied territory where it remained until the end of the cigar.

In terms of strength and body, both attributes maintained an equilibrium for the first two thirds before the body took the edge in the last third.

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

Many times I get asked what is the best cigar I smoked out of the IPCPR, but its a tough question to answer because I don’t smoke everything on the show floor. By late September, I had smoked the pre-releases of Perdomo ESV Limited Edition line and I was comfortable saying this was one of the best lines that was unveiled at the trade. In particular, the Perdomo ESV Limited Edition Box-Pressed Maduro shines – especially in the Robusto-sized Regente format. It’s as good a maduro as I had in 2020. It’s a cigar I’d recommend to a seasoned cigar enthusiast, but also to a novice looking to smoke something on the medium plus side. As for myself, this is a cigar I’d smoke again and recommend a full box purchase of.

Summary

Key Flavors: Mocha (Coffee, Chocolate), Maduro Sweetness, Mixed Pepper, Char, Leather, Cream
Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium Plus
Strength: Medium to Full
Body: Medium to Full (1st 2/3), Full (Final Third)
Finish: Excellent