Perdomo Lot 23 Maduro Toro

The Perdomo Lot 23 line has been a part of the Perdomo Cigars’ portfolio for nearly two decades. It was a project that was spearheaded by Nick Perdomo Sr., who would then work with his son Nick Jr. to bring the project to life. The Lot 23 line features tobaccos from a single plot of land in Nicaragua (i.e. Lot 23). The concept of using a crop from a single farm plot is something that has been seen in the wine business. Perdomo Lot 23 remains a brand that is very important to Perdomo Cigars as a company. Like most of Perdomo Cigars’ brands, the Perdomo Lot 23 comes with three wrappers: Ecuadorian Connecticut, Nicaraguan Sun Grown and Nicaraguan Maduro. Today we take a closer look at the Perdomo Lot 23 Maduro in the Toro size.

At the 2019 IPCPR Trade Show, the Perdomo Lot 23 line came into the spotlight again. Over the past few years, Perdomo Cigars had been investing in packaging upgrades across its various lines. In 2019, it was Perdomo Lot 23’s turn. The cigars would receive newly designed boxes and bands. The changes weren’t overly radical as they still featured the brand’s signature sketch of the Tabacalera Perdomo factory and farm, but some metallic accents were added to help the line stand out – and better distinguish between the Connecticut, Sun Grown, and Maduro lines.

Perdomo Lot 23 Maduro Toro Packaging

Without further ado, let’s break down the Perdomo Lot 23 Maduro Toro and see what this cigar brings to the table.

SPECIFICATIONS

Blend and Origin

Since the Perdomo Lot 23 uses tobaccos from a single plot from the company’s farms in Nicaragua, the cigar itself is a Nicaraguan puro. The cigar itself utilizes tobaccos that have at least five years of age on them, including a higher priming wrapper.

Wrapper: Cuban-seed Nicaraguan Maduro
Binder: Cuban-seed Nicaraguan
Filler: Cuban-seed Nicaraguan
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Factory Tabcalera Perdomo S.A.

Vitolas Offered

The Perdomo Lot 23 Maduro is available in five sizes. Each of the five sizes is presented in 20-count boxes.

Gordito: 4 1/2 x 60
Robusto: 5 x 50
Belicoso: 6 x 54
Toro: 6 x 50
Churchill: 7 x 50

Appearance

The Nicaraguan Maduro wrapper of the Perdomo Lot 23 Maduro Toro had a cocoa-colored wrapper. The wrapper had a light coating of oil on it. While there were some visible veins and visible wrapper seams, this wasn’t a wrapper with a rugged look. The wrapper had its own charm and elegance to it.

The band of the Perdomo Lot 23 Maduro features a sketch of the Tabacalera Perdomo factory and farm with blue accents. The sketch is surrounded by a metallic blue frame with the text “LOT 23” in white font on a blue nameplate. To the left and right of the sketch is a beige background with brown pinstriping toward the center. On the pinstriping to the right is a brown “P” surrounded by a metallic blue circle. Above the right pinstriping is the text “TABACALERA” and below the pinstriping is the text “PERDOMO S.A.” – both in brown trim. Toward the top and bottom of the band is a thick brown stripe with a metallic blue border. On the top brown stripe is the text “PERDOMO” in beige font while on the lower brown stripe is the text “Esteli, Nicaragua” in a tan cursive font.

PERFORMANCE

Pre-Light Draw

A straight cut was used to remove the cap of the Perdomo Lot 23 Maduro Toro. After the cap was removed, it was on to the pre-light draw ritual. The dry draw was a classic one for a Maduro consisting of cocoa, cedar, and a slight amount of dried fruit. This was a straight-forward, yet very satisfying pre-light draw. At this point, it was time to light up the Perdomo Lot 23 Maduro Toro and see what the smoking experience would have in store.

Tasting Notes

Once lit, the Perdomo Lot 23 Maduro Toro picked up where the pre-light left off. There still were notes of cocoa, cedar, and dried fruit. At the same time, there were also notes of white pepper and oak present. As the Lot 23 Maduro Toro moved through the first third, the cocoa notes moved into the forefront. Meanwhile, the cedar, fruit, pepper, and oak notes settled in the background. Meanwhile, the retro-hale delivered additional layers of oak, cedar, and white pepper.

Later in the first third, there were some coffee notes that emerged with the cocoa notes. At times there was a fusion with the coffee and cocoa creating a “mocha”-like flavor to it. Meanwhile, the dried fruit, pepper, cedar, and oak notes remained secondary. As the Lot 23 Maduro moved through the second third, the coffee notes would displace the cocoa notes as the primary notes. The cocoa settled in the background with the other notes. During this phase, there also was an increase in both the pepper and cedar components.

By the final third, the pepper and cedar joined the coffee in the forefront. In the background were still notes of fruit, oak, and cocoa. The spices at this point were prominent, but not overpowering. This is the way the Perdomo Lot 23 Maduro Toro came to a close. The resulting nub was slightly soft to the touch and cool in temperature.

Burn

The burn of the Perdomo Lot 23 Maduro performed quite well. This was a cigar that maintained a straight burn path and had a straight burn line. There were not many touch-ups required along the way. The resulting ash was firm and near-white in color. The burn rate and burn temperature were both ideal.

Burn of the Perdomo Lot 23 Maduro Toro

Draw

As for the draw of the Perdomo Lot 23 Maduro Toro, it also performed excellently. The cigar had a touch of resistance to it – which as Cigar Coop readers will tell you is something that I like. At the same time, this was not a high maintenance cigar to derive flavor from.

Strength and Body

The Perdomo Lot 23 Maduro Toro is a cigar that had some boldness to it. This is a cigar that started out both medium to full in strength and body. Along the way, there was a nominal increase in of the intensity level of both attributes. In the end, the Lot 23 Maduro still remained in the medium to full range for strength and body for the duration of the smoking experience.

As for strength versus body, both attributes balanced each other nicely with neither attribute overshadowing the other.

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

While this is the first time I have formally assessed the Perdomo Lot 23 Maduro on Cigar Coop, this is a cigar I have smoked many times over the years. The good news is that not much has changed about the Perdomo Lot 23 Maduro over the years – except for the packaging upgrade. As for the cigar itself, this is simply an excellent blend by Perdomo Cigars. It excels in the category that matters the most – flavor. While this is a bolder cigar I would recommend to the seasoned cigar enthusiast, this is a nice cigar to introduce a novice looking for something in the medium to full range. As for myself, this is a cigar I have smoked many times over the years and plan to smoke many times for years to come. It’s a cigar that garners box worthy consideration.

Summary

Key Flavors: Coffee, Cocoa, White Pepper, Cedar, Dried Fruit, Oak
Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium Plus
Strength: Medium to Full
Body: Medium to Full
Finish: Very Good