Perdomo Lot 23 Belicoso

Score: 9.3

By Gary Korb

Before I get into my review of this new Perdomo cigar, here’s some of the backstory from a Perdomo press release:

Perdomo Lot 23 is named for one of Tabacalera Perdomo’s highly fertile farms located near its factory in Esteli, Nicaragua. Perdomo Lot 23 is blended with Cuban-seed binders and fillers grown exclusively on Lot 23.

“My father and I selected a plot of land near our factory that was untouched,” said Nick Perdomo Jr. “We cleared the entire field, ran thorough soil analysis and carefully prepared the grounds.”

Planted in September of 2000 then harvested in January of 2001, the crop was fermented for a year between January of 2001 and January of 2002, bale-aged for over three years, then rolled into cigars in 2005.

The color of its dark, virtually flawless Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper was so even in hue and buttery in appearance and texture, if it didn’t have a band I would have sworn it was a Cuban Montecristo No.2. I clipped about 3/8 inch off and the draw was perfect. I didn’t have to shave off another slice or bite down on it to get it to pull as is often the case with Torpedos and Belicosos.

In the pre-lit taste, I picked up a note of woodiness, but no peppery taste whatsoever. My gut reaction was that this cigar was going to be very smooth, creamy, and complex. Was I right? Let’s see…

The foot lit up evenly and glowed perfectly across light a traffic light. The first puffs were smooth and toasty. There was some spiciness on the finish, but there was also something inherent in the flavor of this cigar that I couldn’t pin down in terms of a specific flavor (which drove me crazy), but it had a soft, creamy earthiness that really appealed to my palate. Maybe something like nutmeg? I was pretty sure it was coming from the wrapper, but whatever it was, I wanted more and I got it.

One half-inch in and the ash was burning bright white and perfectly. By the second inch, the cigar just came alive with flavor and increased somewhat in spiciness. The draw was so easy I had to be careful not to over-puff. Moreover, the smoke was so thick and creamy it was going right up my nose. The aroma was rife with a sweet spiciness and a barely imperceptible note of anise.

The cigar soon rounded out to a perfect balance of deep, rich tobacco flavors. The words that come to mind, are “creamy,” “toasty,” “earthy,” and “mellow.” Just an amazing cigar. Maybe one of the best I’ve smoked of the new releases that will make my Top-10 Best Cigars of the Year.

What was that other cigar I mentioned from Cuba? Gee, I’ve suddenly forgotten all about it.

Appearance: 10
Construction: 10
Burn: 9
Draw: 9
Aroma: 9
Flavor: 9
Final Score: 9.3