Perdomo 30th Anniversary Sun Grown Epicure

Today, we review the Perdomo 30th Anniversary Sun Grown in the Epicure (Toro) size. As the name indicates, the cigar commemorates 30 years of Perdomo Cigars. The Sun Grown is one of three blends that make up the Perdomo 30th Anniversary line. The cigar was unveiled at the 2023 Premium Cigar Association Trade Show. For the final packaging, Perdomo’s Arthur Kemper and Nicholas Perdomo III kept the design under wraps from CEO Nick Perdomo until the night before the trade show. A few months later, Perdomo shipped its 30th-anniversary product to retailers.

As mentioned, the Perdomo 30th Anniversary line includes three blends. Each is denoted by a different wrapper, and these are, for the most part, the three staple wrappers in Perdomo Cigars’ portfolio.

In this author’s eyes, these three blends that make up the Perdomo 30th Anniversary are one of the biggest launches of a regular production cigar in quite a while. One common denominator of the Perdomo 30th Anniversary line – each of the three blends features 15-year-old tobacco. The aged tobacco limits what Perdomo has produced. When the Perdomo 30th was launched, it was initially limited to 75 retailers. This allowed these retailers to keep the product on their shelves. The company is now gradually adding more retailers, but in a controlled manner to ensure that the product is never out of stock or back-ordered.

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

Perdomo 30th Anniversary Sun Grown Epicure – Cigar Review

SPECIFICATIONS

Blend and Origin

The Perdomo 30th Anniversary Sun Grown is a 100% Nicaraguan puro. It features 100% Nicaraguan-grown tobaccos from the Perdomo family farms. The cigar is highlighted by a 15-year-old Cuban-seed wrapper aged in bourbon barrels.

Wrapper: Cuban-seed Nicaraguan Sun Grown
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 (*)

To this author, the color of the wrapper of the Perdomo 30th Anniversary Sun Grown Epicure is a mix of dark caramel and rosado. There was a small amount of oil on the wrapper’s surface, with thin visible veins and seams. The wrapper had a classic Cuban-style soft press.

PERFORMANCE

Pre-Light Draw (*)

I used a straight cut to remove the cap from the head of the 30th Anniversary Sun Grown Epicure. Once the cap was removed, it was time for the pre-light draw ritual. The cold draw delivered a mix of earth, cedar, and natural tobacco sweetness. Overall, this was a satisfying pre-light draw experience. It was now time to toast up the 30th Anniversary Sun Grown Epicure, move into the smoking phase, and see what the smoking phase would deliver.

Tasting Notes

The 30th Anniversary Sun Grown Epicure opened up with notes of natural tobacco, oak, earth, pepper, and a very interesting “red hot” (yes, like the candy) sweet spice. The natural tobacco moved into the forefront early on, but this was quickly replaced the earth and a newly emerged milk chocolate note. The oak, natural tobacco, pepper, and red hot settled in the background. The pepper note was a combination of sweet chili pepper and black pepper. These pepper notes were also present on the retro-hale.

As the 30th Anniversary Sun Grown Epicure progressed into the second third, the dominant flavors of milk chocolate and earth persisted. In the background, the notes of natural tobacco, oak, pepper, and red hot remained. During this portion of the smoking experience, the pepper notes gradually increased in intensity.

The final third saw the oak and earth notes take control as the primary notes. The milk chocolate, natural tobacco, oak, and red hot notes rounded out these. This third saw another increase in the pepper, but it never became overpowering. As the 30th Anniversary Sun Grown Epicure ended, the cigar finished with a cool, soft nub.

Burn

While this burn did require several touch-ups along the way, it did a good job of maintaining a straight burn path and relatively straight burn line. The resulting ash was nearly white and firm. As for the burn rate and burn temperature, both maintained ideal levels.

Burn of the Perdomo 30th Anniversary Sun Grown

Draw

When it came to the draw of the 30th Anniversary Sun Grown Epicure, it was on the open side. Usually, I prefer a little more resistance on the draw. In the end, this didn’t adversely affect 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 Sun Grown Epicure started on the lower end of medium strength and body. By the end of the cigar, it was on the higher end of medium for strength and body. In the middle, there was a gradual increase in intensity for both attributes. At the same time, both attributes balanced each other nicely, with neither attribute overshadowing the other.

BANDING AND PACKAGING NOTES (*)

As I’ve said, when it comes to packaging, Perdomo is undoubtedly one of the leaders in the pack. I particularly like the use of the color accents on the Perdomo 30th line: Blue (Maduro), Black (Connecticut), and Red (Sun Grown). All of the color accents go wonderfully with the wrapper. It simply looks beautiful.

Perdomo 30th Anniversary Sun Grown Packaging

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

The 30th Sun Grown Epicure really comes through when it comes to flavor. The flavors are robust yet smooth. They maintain a wonderful balance of spice and sweetness. Add in a nice amount of complexity, and this cigar is another winner for the Perdomo 30th line. Coming in at 90 points, this cigar had no problem reaching the Cigar Coop Standard of Excellence threshold. In fact, all three blends in the Perdomo 30th earned a Standard of Excellence designation.

The 30th Sun Grown Epicure is easily a cigar I would reach for and smoke again. It is also available in a 30-count box that merits box-worthy consideration.

Summary

Key Flavors: Milk Chocolate, Natural Tobacco, Oak, Cedar, “Red Hot,” Pepper
Burn: Excellent
Draw: Very Good
Complexity: Medium Plus
Strength: Medium
Body: Medium
Finish: Very Good