Perdomo 30th Anniversary Maduro Epicure

Today, we look at the Perdomo 30th Anniversary Maduro in the Epicure (Toro) size. As the name indicates, this pays homage to 30 years of Perdomo Cigars. In today’s digital age, when it comes to the Premium Cigar Association (PCA) Trade Show, we often know what the products are and will look like before the show. This wasn’t the case with the Perdomo 30th Anniversary cigar. While we knew Perdomo was launching the cigar at PCA 2023, the final packaging was unveiled as the Trade Show opened. In fact, Perdomo’s Arthur Kemper and Nicholas Perdomo III kept the packaging under wraps from CEO Nick Perdomo until the night before the Trade Show. A few months later, Perdomo would ship its 30th anniversary to retailers.

Three blends make up the Perdomo 30th Anniversary line:

Perdomo 30th Anniversary Connecticut
Perdomo 30th Anniversary Sun Grown
Perdomo 30th Anniversary Maduro

The three blends that make up the Perdomo 30th Anniversary are, in this author’s eyes, one of the biggest launches of a regular production cigar in quite a while. Each of the three blends features 15-year-old tobacco. The aged tobacco limits what Perdomo has produced. Currently, Perdomo 30th is offered to 75 retailers. This allows these retailers to keep the product on the shelves. The company is hoping to add additional retailers in the future.

Without further ado, let’s turn our attention to the Perdomo 30th Anniversary Maduro and see what this cigar brings to the table.

Perdomo 30th Anniversary Maduro Epicure – Cigar Review

SPECIFICATIONS

Blend and Origin

Produced at Tabacalera Perdomo in Estelí, Nicaragua, the Perdomo 30th Anniversary Maduro features 100% Nicaraguan tobaccos grown on the Perdomo family farms in Condega, Estelí, and Jalapa. The cigar is highlighted by a 15-year-old Cuban-seed wrapper aged in bourbon barrels.

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

Vitolas Offered

The Perdomo 30th Anniversary is offered in the same five box-pressed sizes across the Connecticut, Sun Grown, and Maduro lines. Each vitola is presented in a 30-count box.

Robusto: 5 x 54
Epicure: 6 x 54
Gordo: 6 x 60
Churchill: 7 x 54
Torpedo: 7 x 54

Appearance

The Nicaraguan Maduro wrapper of the 30th Anniversary Epicure was a chocolate bar color. The surface didn’t have much oil on it. Upon closer examination, there was a slight amount of mottling. The wrapper also had a slight amount of toothiness. There were some visible veins and some thin, visible wrapper seams. The box press was a classic Cuban-style soft press.

Close-up of the Perdomo 30th Anniversary Maduro Epicure

PERFORMANCE

Pre-Light Draw

A straight cut was used to remove the 30th Anniversary Maduro Epicure cap. Once the cap was removed, it was on to the pre-light smoking ritual. The cold draw delivered a mix of espresso. This was a simple, straightforward, and satisfactory pre-light draw experience. At this point, it was time to toast up the footer of the 30th Anniversary Maduro Epicure and see what the smoking phase would deliver.

Tasting Notes

The 30th Anniversary Maduro Epicure opened up with espresso, earth, wood, cedar, and cocoa notes. Early on, the espresso notes moved to the forefront. The cocoa notes soon joined the espresso. There wasn’t a fusion between the cocoa and espresso (i.e., mocha), as both notes remained separate and distinct. There also was an underlying creaminess to the cocoa and espresso notes. Meanwhile, the earth, wood, and cedar settled into the background. A mixed pepper note joined these background notes. The mixed pepper was also present on the retro-hale.

The cocoa and espresso notes remained primary as the 30th Anniversary Maduro Epicure moved through the second third. During this third, the creaminess that was present in the first half slowly diminished. At the same time, the earth, wood, cedar, and pepper remained secondary.

The final third saw the espresso and cocoa remain grounded as the primary notes. The pepper moved up to become the most prominent secondary note. Meanwhile, most of the creaminess had subsided. There still were notes of wood, cedar, and earth rounding out the flavor profile. This is the way the 30th Anniversary Epicure came to a close. The resulting nub was slightly soft to the touch and cool in temperature.

Burn

The 30th Anniversary Maduro Epicure scored very nicely regarding its burn. For the most part, the cigar maintained a straight burn path and burn line, and it did not need any excess touch-ups. The resulting ash was firm and silver-gray in color. The burn rate and burn temperature maintained ideal levels.

Burn of the Perdomo 30th Anniversary Maduro Epicure

Draw

The draw of the 30th Anniversary Maduro Epicure was on the open side. Normally, I prefer a little more resistance on the draw. In the end, this didn’t have any adverse effect on the cigar experience. At the same time, this cigar was low maintenance to derive flavor from. There was also an ample amount of smoke produced from this cigar.

Strength and Body

The 30th Anniversary Maduro opened up with medium-strength and medium-bodied flavors. During the first half, both attributes increased in intensity. By midway, the strength and body crossed into medium to full territory, the range in which both attributes remained for the duration of the smoking experience.

In terms of strength versus body, both attributes balanced each other, with neither attribute overshadowing the other.

BANDING AND PACKAGING NOTES

Perdomo is always on point with its packaging and the 30th Anniversary is no exception. I like how Perdomo uses the color accents on the box, vista, and the bands. This contrasts nicely with the gold foil that is present throughout the packaging. The bands also contrast nicely against the Maduro wrapper. This is simply an excellent presentation.

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

The Perdomo 30th Anniversary was a long-anticipated cigar by many, including myself. I’ve been smoking the Maduro Epicure for the better part of five months, and this has proven to be a very consistent cigar. It’s a cigar that excels in the most important category – flavor. The flavors delivered are rich and decadent. This cigar comes in at a price of $12.50, and in today’s market, that is simply a great price for a cigar of this caliber. The 30th Anniversary Maduro comes in with a score of 92 points, which far exceeds the Cigar Coop Standard of Excellence threshold. This is a cigar I would smoke again, and even with the 30-count boxes, I would not hesitate to make a box purchase again.

Summary

Key Flavors: Espresso, Cocoa, Wood, Cedar, Earth, Pepper
Burn: Excellent
Draw: Very Good
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Medium (1st Half), Medium to Full (2nd Half)
Body: Medium (1st Half), Medium to Full (2nd Half)
Finish: Very Good